Bluewater - Greenhithe

Paco Underhill talks this mall up in his book, Call of the Mall, so I expected much, much more. Shopping is very high street, nothing particularly high-end but a wide variety, but many things are done right. There are things to keep children entertained, including remote control boats, play structures and a creche. Mall food is plentiful, including the only Crispy Creme I've seen in the UK where donuts are made on the premises.

There's a very large problem: no air conditioning. Is this being environmentally correct? Perhaps, but it doesn't work with in a place that is encased in glass. It certainly doesn't work in such a crowded environment, and Bluewater is extremely crowded.

Bluewater
Greenhithe
Kent
DA9 9ST

0870 777 0252

Brent Cross Shopping Centre - Brent Cross

No, this is not an airport parking lot. It's the outside of Brent Cross Shopping Centre.

Jubilee Place - Canary Wharf

Nice Signs

Canary Wharf Mall - Canary Wharf

This sign graces the doors of all four shopping malls that make up the mall at Canary Wharf. It's a WiFi zone; good that seems progressive. No rollerskating or smoking is allowed; that makes sense. What about the other symbol? No hard hats? No site clothing? Am I the only one who thinks this is horribly classist? Shame on you Canary Wharf!

Kings Mall - Hammersmith

Here's another example of a housing estate built on top of a mall. It's not great, but there's a good selection of medium to low-end shopping, including the largest Primark I've been in yet. Mothercre, Iceland, Superdrug, New Look, Evans and all the usual suspects are represented. Surprisingly, Habitat has a small shop in the mall too.


Here's the view from the top floor of Primark. Convenient.

King Street
Hammersmith
London
W6 9HW

Brunswick Centre - Bloomsbury

On the surface, Brunswick Centre looks nice. Filled with upmarket chains including Waitrose, Oasis, Hobbs, Boots and Baby Gap, the shopping is certainly better than what is usually offered on housing estates.

It hasn't always been this way. Brunswick was one of those modernist experiments architects were fond of in the 1960s. Patrick Hodgkinson designed it as a private development, part shopping centre, part cosmopolitan housing, but no one would buy the flats. They were small, many considered the vast concrete structures ugly, and the money ran out before the buildings were painted. The developers kept the shopping centre and sold the residential part of the building to Camden Council to use as council housing. Under council management, the building mouldered. So did the shopping centre.

In 2002 renovation started. It took four years to renovate and fill the abandoned shops to current standard.



I have to wonder, though, is it just putting makeup on a pig?

The Brunswick
London
WC1N 1BS

Teenage Row - Tanforan Mall

It is sheer genius to put the teenage stores together at Tanforan Mall. Of course, one could argue that the whole mall is teenage haven, but some shops, such as Hot Topic, Pacific Sun, Zumiez & Shoe Palace are especially alluring to teens and the mutton dressed as lamb brave enough to shop there without a young person in tow.

Tanforan Mall
San Bruno, CA 94066
650.553.5100

No Photos Allowed - Santa Rosa Plaza

I was panhandled at the Santa Rosa Plaza this weekend. Living close to the Haight, I'm used to being panhandled, but I was taken completely by surprise when it happened in such a suburban setting. This was no street urchin. The girl who asked me for money looked like a typical suburban teenager, with converse shoes, Levis, a hoodie & salon highlights. She looked clean and well-fed. I though she was asking for change for a dollar, so when she said "I just need to buy a hamburger," I was completely taken aback. What's that about? Have parents stopped teaching their children that it's rude to ask strangers for money?

This mall seems to attract a disproportionate amount of teenagers. Is it the only place for kids to go in Santa Rosa? The stores could certainly be a draw to this audience. The stores are pretty typical mid-level retail with a high emphasis on teenwear: Forever 21, Hot Topic, Torrid, Gap, Express, and a few blah staples: Bath & Bodyworks, Victoria's Secret and Lane Bryant. The anchor stores are a bit grotty: an old, unrefurbished Sears, a low-end Macy's and an OK Mervyns.

Mall security is fairly vigilant. I was told not to take any pictures for "copyright reasons." What's behind that weird rule? How does taking pictures of mall stores violate copyright? It's not like sneaking photos at a fashion show in Milan to copy in a back street sweatshop.

1071 Santa Rosa Plaza
Santa Rosa, CA 95401

Santaland at Smith Haven - Lake Grove

This is the first grotto I've seen this season. Where have I been? While the Santaland is nice enough, it's not magical. However the Father Christmas more than makes up for the shortfalls in Santaland. His beard, his rosy cheeks and his Santa-like physique make him the perfect candidate for the jolly old elf.

Smith Haven Mall
Rt 347
Lake Grove, NY