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May 2, 2008
Photo Essay: Americana At Brand
Love it or hate it, Rick Caruso's $400 million, 15.5 acre Super-Grove opened this morning in Glendale. The open-aired shopping mecca boasts over 75 retail stores, a wide variety of eateries, and one heck of a fountain. It's the perfect place to spend an afternoon people-watching, listening to piped-in Sinatra and downing Beard Papa cream puffs, while secretly cursing Capitalism and referring to the retail monstrosity as "Genericana".
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Brow Down to Glendale!!!
Oh, man. I love giving myself over to crap like this. Wish they'd lose the Sinatra though. Why not Beach Boys and Guns n Roses? Not classy enough?
Why do they force people to listen to music anyway at the grove and now this place? Why cant you just go and be in peace with yourself and your thoughts or your friends? Imagine any square in Rome or Spain...and speakers are blasting Jason Mraz...
this is a bit much and completely unnecessary. the glendale mall is a block away. there's a borders bookstore the next corner up. and there's another barnes and nobles just a short drive from here on glendale blvd. it would be a good idea for rick caruso to read john naish's, Enough.
yay! for maximum density
i wonder if there's an americana at brand in hell?
Those police tricycles are the less threatening vehicles I have ever seen.
Also, that banana does not look happy to be at Americana.
Discarted - I think that other Barnes and Noble is closing.
GLEN-DALE!!!
and yet DTLA muscles on...
Hey don't you f with Americana.
great photos. i want me one of them police trikes.
It's the Grove 2.0
This is a wonderful addition to Glendale and to the L.A Region,and it will definately attract lots of visitors to the area.
The Americana at Brand concept also helps transform L.A into a more walkable place,and I would rather shop and dine in an outdoor type atmosphere than being inside an enclosed mall,and for those of you that are complaining about the Americana,well just don't visit the place,but don't ruin it for the rest of us that enjoy it.
With the prices of gas reaching 4.50 soon places like the Grove make sense. Housing, shopping and entertainmen all in one places. It reminds me a lot of San Francisco's Union Square and Berekley's Telegraph Avenue near the University.
KG - Housing, shopping, and entertainment in one place might make sense, but when the housing ranges from 700k to 2 million, I'm not sure it offsets the $4 a gallon cost of gas.
And I haven't been to Telegraph Ave. in a couple of years, but I don't think people would be complaining about Americana so much if it had a Rasputin Records and a Blondie's Pizza to balance out the Forever 21s and the Cheesecake Factorys.
Caliguy - yes, outdoor malls are nicer than indoor malls. Some of us are just a little frightened of a world comprised entirely of malls; where any individuality ceases to exist; where the same 50 stores line the freeways from LA to NY; where Duttons Bookstores go out of business while Barnes & Nobles charge $18.98 for Celine Dion CDs; where every Italian restaurant is an Olive Garden and every coffee shop is a Starbucks.
As a Glendalino, I am always happy to have more bars and restaurants in walking distance, and I'm sure I'll spend plenty of time at Americana. It's just that I'll probably spend more time at Marios, Foxys, Billys, Don Cucos, Portos, Raffis, Carousel, Damons, or Brand Books.
BTW, The Barnes & Noble at Americana is really, really, awesome.
For those looking for peace and quiet you are not going to find it at a mall - even an outdoor one. May I suggest somewhere in the Santa Monica mountains, along the coast, at one of our many state, city and national parks.
Malls are like casinos - they create enough racket to make you just uncomfortable enough to want to buy something an leave.
James
p.s. if you know someone with a membership my new favorite place for peace and quiet is on the deck next to the tea pavillion at the Huntington Library's new Chinese Gardens. Talk about serene.
Need an excuse to visit the Americana:
The Hollow Trees are playing the Kids Club on Tuesday, May 6th. They'll do two sets: 11am and 12pm.
Americana music for the Americana!
That's one angry banana!