There was a time in most of our lives when it was cool to take your date to the mall.    Okay, I’m sure there are plenty of you city kids saying “No way, man” right now.  But for those of us who grew up in places where the hang out options were limited to the parking lot at Nick’s Roast Beef or outside the Chess King at the Liberty Tree Mall, you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

Take a Bao

Oddly enough, while so much else has changed over the last twenty years, malls seem to have stayed pretty much the same.  Sure, many of them have had their Philippe Starck or Steve Wynn makeovers and most have generally raised their sense self-esteem with an influx of of luxury (aka mainstream) brands.  But at their core, they’re the same:  a bunch of stores, a movie theater and a food court all within a few well-groomed, homeless-free acres.

The Century City Mall, now known as the “Westfield Century City Shopping Center” recently had its own makeover as part of an effort to become the heart of “The City of Tomorrow“:

The requisite Apple store and flagship Bloomingdale’s are complemented by a plethora of solid big-plate, crowd-pleasing  restaurants - Houston’s, Pink Taco and Rock Sugar head the list.  A new AMC offers sixteen stadium seating endowed theaters for catching a movie.  And the food court has moved upstairs with an indoor / outdoor venue offering a wide selection of  pre-movie, mid-shopping spree, post-movie, destination dining options.  Depending on what you choose, the food can be quite good (I recommend the Coconut Curry Veggie Noodles at Take a Bao).  The dining areas are clean, well spaced out and range from patio tables and bench seating to glass counters and bar stools.  High ceilings, an ever present staff whisking away your mess and nice lighting combine to make the ambiance quite pleasant.

'Sleepless in Seattle' at The Mall

In an effort to make it even more of a destination, the Australian  owners of Westfield have come up with “Movies on the Terrace“:

A summer-long series of free movies, Movies on the Terrace kicks off with “Sleepless in Seattle” and ends with  a double-feature of  ”The Wizard of Oz” and “The Wiz”.  Appropriately, the movies screen outside on the terrace.  Grab a table, load up with a burger from Fuddruckers or a poke tuna seaweed bowl from Mr. Hana and settle down for a good old-fashioned movie night.

If you’re still doubting the cool factor of taking your date to the mall, not easily swayed with promises of fine cuisine and designer furniture, try it out for a little economic self preservation.  At the very least, I promise, as you indulge in some sushi from Seiki-Shi while watching Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan schmaltz it up in a classic, you’ll feel like you’re among the few of the sharper nails in the box with the megaplex masses streaming by you ready to plunk down $50 for movies, popcorn and some soda.