The Lights Are Much Brighter

Somehow Saturday night found us back at Shake Shack. We had intended to go to Mod Pizza but one of us is lactose intolerant and had forgotten the all important “dairy pill”, so Shake Shack was our next choice. And on October 21st it was still warm enough to eat outside.

My daughter chose a table right on the corner. We could see straight across the parking lot to Barnes and Noble, which was the true reason for our coming to the Mall. We wanted to explore the new bookstore. Yes, an exciting night for us is dinner and a bookstore.

I continue to be impressed by the atmosphere along that walkway that runs from the movie theater on down towards the Barnes and Noble. It’s alive and bustling with all sorts of people and all different age groups. If you enjoy people watching, then this is the place for you.

With dinner finished, we headed across the now-darkened parking lot. It just made sense to do a straight shot to the bookstore, although I’m sure you are supposed to follow the sidewalk. But we took the shorter route and I promise we looked both ways and were responsible and respectful pedestrians. As we walked across the parking lot I got the sensation of being inside an enormous circle of twinkling lights in the darkness. The buildings on the opposite side of the parking lot
complete this sense of being inside a ring of restaurants and retail.

Now, for the Barnes and Noble. It feels really bright and antiseptic to me. I guess I have an attraction to cozy bookstores. I’m sure I will get used to it over time. Everything new feels a bit strange. My teen daughter found two books she wanted that she was willing to spend her own money on, so I’d say that the trip was a success. And I want to go back to have coffee there. It looks like a good place to meet someone and chat.

As we were leaving I asked my husband, “So how do you like the new Mall?” He laughed. “Well, I don’t know where it is, actually. We never saw it.”

Ahh. To him the Mall is the “inside” part and our trip last night never put us in contact with that. Hmm. I guess it all depends on why you are going to the Mall.

*A side note: traffic was quite heavy in the parking lot, my husband wondered aloud what it would be like in December. I reminded him that we never go to the Mall after mid-November anyway.

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