The Westfield: San Francisco's "Mall"
When I was in junior high, my friends and I used to go to the mall almost every single day after school. We would wander around the stores briefly and then go get snacks at the food court, where pretzels were $2 and sodas were a staple. That was probably the last time in my life that I frequented the mall on any sort of regular basis. So, a few months ago when I heard that a new mall was opening up here in San Francisco, I didn’t really pay it much attention.
However, since that time, I’ve been to the Westfield on a few different occasions, including to see a movie there just last night, and I have to say that it’s won my heart a little bit. It’s not really a new mall – but rather an expansion of an existing shopping center, and it’s not really mall-like in the traditional sense of the word. Sure, there are popular chain stores all located together within the same building, but there’s not that mall attitude that I associate with … well, with mobs of junior high kids hanging out in the food court.
For one thing, the food court in the Westfield is not made for those without a professional income. The restaurants there are real restaurants with high end food. There is a gourmet grocery store in the midst and several places serve adult beverages. The interactive maps make it easy to find not only the stores that you want but how to get to where you need to be from where you’re at. And the circular escalators may make you exercise a bit more than most malls but they enhance the beautiful architectural interior of the shopping center. From the food court downstairs to the top floor movie theater, this is one mall that I’m okay with frequenting.
