I am such an old fogie! I'm a Downtown Department Store Guy. Growing up in San Francisco, we had THE BEST Downtown! City of Paris, The White House, The Emporium, I Magnin, the HUGE Woolworths at Powell and Market, and Macy's west coast flagship before it bought everyone and made it a crap company. (It's now slated to be closed once a buyer is found for the building.) We had a Sears store that was so big they turned it into a shopping mall when it closed! Plus the scores of smaller shops that sold everything your heart desired - with service to match!
I love the older buildings with character. Of course, that being said, our "mall" growing up was Stonestown - a planned community of high-rises and garden apartments a short bus ride away. My great-aunts lived in one of the towers. It was an open-air mall built in 1952 with maybe 40 stores total - including groceries, bakeries, movie theatre, restaurants, pharmacies... I was a cook at the biggest restaurant in the complex - The Red Chimney circa 1974. In the late '80s, they completely rebuilt it as a fancy-schmancy indoor mall and The Red Chimney was torn down.
All that to talk about another underground shopping complex - in Montréal! The Underground City is just fantastic - totally integrated into the Metro, highrises, residential complexes - even universities! It's just phenomenal.
I couldn't believe it either. And BTW -- you represented my dad in a legal case against an employer - that was the job he had in the paperclip building.
YEAH!!! Those really were the days. Flashing back to going across the Sam Goodies from Bergen Mall for albums -- back when there were records. The hoity-toity very fancy Cambridge Inn at the Plaza. And ORBACH'S -- OH I am so lost in reverie!!!!
I am such an old fogie! I'm a Downtown Department Store Guy. Growing up in San Francisco, we had THE BEST Downtown! City of Paris, The White House, The Emporium, I Magnin, the HUGE Woolworths at Powell and Market, and Macy's west coast flagship before it bought everyone and made it a crap company. (It's now slated to be closed once a buyer is found for the building.) We had a Sears store that was so big they turned it into a shopping mall when it closed! Plus the scores of smaller shops that sold everything your heart desired - with service to match!
I love the older buildings with character. Of course, that being said, our "mall" growing up was Stonestown - a planned community of high-rises and garden apartments a short bus ride away. My great-aunts lived in one of the towers. It was an open-air mall built in 1952 with maybe 40 stores total - including groceries, bakeries, movie theatre, restaurants, pharmacies... I was a cook at the biggest restaurant in the complex - The Red Chimney circa 1974. In the late '80s, they completely rebuilt it as a fancy-schmancy indoor mall and The Red Chimney was torn down.
All that to talk about another underground shopping complex - in Montréal! The Underground City is just fantastic - totally integrated into the Metro, highrises, residential complexes - even universities! It's just phenomenal.
Your trip down memory lane made me happy!
I'm learning more and more about you. But, SEVEN DOLLARS?. c'mon!
I couldn't believe it either. And BTW -- you represented my dad in a legal case against an employer - that was the job he had in the paperclip building.
Good mall memories. Paramus Park, the Garden State Plaza and the Bergen Mall! Those were the days, my friend!
Yes, these were my malls also!
And they were GREAT!
YEAH!!! Those really were the days. Flashing back to going across the Sam Goodies from Bergen Mall for albums -- back when there were records. The hoity-toity very fancy Cambridge Inn at the Plaza. And ORBACH'S -- OH I am so lost in reverie!!!!