h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

...that the idea of a 'Great Shopping Centre or Mall' strikes me as a contradiction in terms.
Shopping centres and malls are universally dismal places, filled with identical shops selling identical goods. There is no practical difference bwteen, for example, Lakeside, Bluewater, the Metro-Centre or any other mall. And there is increasingly less duifference between individual town centres as well.
The never ending march of MacDonald's, Next, Starbuck's, HMV and all the rest has robbed us of choice in the ways that the original designers of the Metro-centre (Britain's first out-of-town mall style shopping experience) could never have dreamed of.

I couldn't agree more, Blues Shark. In the past I have had cause to visit many malls, including the big Northern three of Meadowhall, Metrocentre and Trafford Centre, amongst others. I have also visited malls in Europe.

What really cheeses me off about these places is that there is no way to tell where you are in the world - you could be in Manchester or Munich, and apart from the language you wouldn't be able to tell them apart. Sure, they may differ in the detail - one has a fancy fountain, another a clever clock, but they are completely lacking in soul.

And somehow, although you always know that somewhere in that mall somebody sells the thing you want, it's always difficult to find, and walking around malls seems to sap the energy in a way that walking around town doesn't. Nope, don't like 'em.

Now you see I have to disagrree slightly. I think they're great when you want to get everything done in a hurry, with 2 kids with you. At least you can usually find a clean loo and somewhere to sit (even when it's raining outside)

And you won't find one in Munich. Shopping here in Germany is dismal at best, and there are next to no shopping malls. Oh, there is one in Oberhausen, designed and built by the same people who did Meadowhall. But it's not as good. Although in winter there is an outside ice skating rink which is fun.

Ah, no, you are describing the functional benefits of the mall, which I agree with.

The question was about 'Great' malls and shopping centres, which iI interpreted to mean places where I'd *like* to go.

Sorry, you are correct.

I just really wanted to add something about the lack of these usefully functional, but not attractive in any way, things that we don't have here. Except the one which is rubbish.

I can see your point there-when I was single, I couldn't give as monkey about malls and was happy to mooch round London in search of what I wanted.

Now I'm in a relationship which includes a delightful, but easily bored, 7 year old, that's not an optoin, so yes, malls are a benefit, but they ain't no fun.

I was disappointed the the Mall in Oberhausen didn't have a crèche as does Meadowhall.

There are no great malls near Baltimore. There is one, I think called Arundel Mills, which has the worst food court in the known universe, I'd wager. Its saving grace is that the Off Fifth Saks is quite good. Visiting the mall appeared to be the main form of family entertainment of suburbia (at least in this part of the States). Even I, who normally loves shopping, was sick of the place within a week. Malls do seem to suck the fun out of shopping. Or perhaps visits should be limited to once or twice a week...

BTW, malls have been immoralised in the film 'Mallrats' by Kevin Smith - highly recommended!