A few of you have been asking for photos of where I am now so here you go. This week will be all about comparing and contrasting Newcastle and Michigan.
The first shot is of Eldon Square Mall in Newcastle.
The second shot if of the Birchwood Mall in Michigan.
I love the Newcastle/Michigan mall comparison - fun to compare across the Atlantic Ocean!
Two important lessons this week: Ducklings are cute and shopping malls are ugly, wherever you may go… I was in Braunschweig yesterday, where they’ve just rebuilt parts of a castle (destroyed in WWII). Step through the 18th century facade and you find yourself in - hold for it - a run of the mill shopping centre! Well, it does enrich the city’s central square, but once you’re inside, it’s just as soulless as any other mall.
Where’s the zombies?
Fun looking at the comparisons of mediocrity. I will say the biggest difference between eldon square and malls in the usa (the one’s I have seen in texas, maryland, ohio,) is that malls here in the usa looks like dead zones, they NEVER get as packed as Edlon Square even at Christmas.
If they had built new malls in the same fashion as the Royal and Central Arcade would you all have disliked them as much?.
As I grow older, I love shopping malls, they are warm, out of the inclement weather, save OAPs heating bills, friendly, lots of seats, wheelchair friendly, so from that you will guess I rather like them. But would have loved them if they had character like the Royal and Central Arcades. Those Victorians had something when it came to buildings.
Weird thing about this is that there’s a Birchwood Mall near Warrington that I used to frequent, which looks remarkably similar to this!
I have nothing against shopping malls, but yes I’d rather they were like the Central Arcade. And especially if the shops weren’t the same in every single mall *sigh*