Since I've been living the urban life, I've realized there are many things I took for granted growing up in the suburbs such as free washers and dryers, use of a car, and shopping malls. Yes, shopping malls. The cluster of stores and restaurants under a single roof is, in my opinion, one of the 20th century's more clever creations. I remember going to the mall for the first time with friends and without parental supervision. We'd be dropped off near the Dairy Queen and spend the next two hours perusing the selections of Claire's, Forever 21, and Pac Sun. Then there came a time when the excitement of going to the mall vanished, and it became a last resort for entertainment when nothing else seemed appealing.
However, I have grown very frustrated traversing the city from SoHo to the Upper West Side to visit the stores I can find mall and decided it was time to return to that suburban shopping experience once again. Art and I found a bus that would take us directly to a large shopping plaza in New Jersey. We left early, and spent several hours enjoying the indoor shopping experience. We ate lunch at California Pizza Kitchen (another thing I've taken for granted--chain restaurants with affordable food.) After several laps around the mall, popping in and out of stores, trying on this and that, we treated ourselves to carmel apples and hopped on the bus back across the Hudson River.
I'll have to put up with expensive boutiques and traveling between stores just to find the clothes I like, but whenever I need it, the Shopping Mall is only a short bus ride away.
