Only those who attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible. I think it’s in my basement… let me go upstairs and check.
M. C. Escher
They built this place when I started college. I remember the wonder of wandering this place which was like an Escher painting brought to life. I liked beautiful architecture, the pastel colors, and the fancy signs for each level of the parking garage. It was important to remember the signs as it’s easy to get lost in the parking garage as the fruit garage is separate from the vegetable garage. There was a sense being part of a wonderful piece of art shopping here while the other malls in town were boring boxes.
The years have not been kind to this place. The stairways are grimy and sometimes smells of urine. There is a sense of a ghost town now. Place has few customers when I visit and some of my fav stores are gone. I miss seeing the amazing creations at Na Hoku which reflected the wonders of Hawaii. A yellow gold sea turtle with white mother of pearl inlay was one of my fav pieces there.
I miss the pan fried noodles and white chocolate chip fortune cookies from Panda Inn. Aroma of fresh out of the wok noodles and the amazing flavors. I miss the sweet sounds from the beautiful Steinway piano in Nordstrom while Xmas shopping.
Jimbo’s is my fav store here. They have rare goodies like Whole Foods. They validate parking for 2 hours.
I’m glad you have hope for this mall Soo. It’ll be interesting to see what they’ll do with no Nordstrom or Panda Inn there 🙁
If I was running the mall I’d turn it into a foodie destination by getting Shake Shack, Roscoe’s Fried Chicken, Porto’s, and Tacos El Gordo. I’d bring back 3 hour validated parking too.
I agree, it’s never too late. Now the owner has some important long overdue work in saving this important piece of San Diego history. Beautiful pictures depicting the unique architecture!
Thanks! Management needs to spend more on cleaning and maintenance to get the wealthy shoppers coming in and buying stuff.
Yes I agree, very odd Management has let the place deteriorate at such a fast rate. It gives the appearance of not caring. I’m sure that’s not the image Owner’s would like to display.