Danny ChaiI have a confession to make. I love mall clothing store music. Love. Like the stuff they play at the Gap stores (Gap, BR, Old Navy). Or what they play at H&M (where we went today to take advantage of a Friends and Family 25% off coupon. I thought everyone would be using it, but shockingly, coupon-bearers seemed to be in the minority). I’m embarrassed because said music is “corporate cool”; the mix isn’t fully mainstream, but some corporate head’s idea of slightly edgy. That I jive with corporate cool, I dunno, something about that is embarrassing to me.
Anyway, I find myself regularly engrossed in it and bopping my head. Nowadays, I bounce along with Abby to the music. (SN. Having a baby is a great tool for people like me, who are rhythmic but uncoordinated. You can dance while holding your baby, so you get to indulge in your rhythm while not revealing how dorky a dancer you are. I didn’t have Abby at Vanderpool Chang’s wedding so when the dancing started I was at a complete loss.) Truth be told, I’d love to buy the store soundtracks. They don’t play a lot of that stuff on the radio, and I don’t have the time, energy, or resources to find music like that myself.
Gap store music. I dig.
I also have to say I really like the San Francisco Westfield Centre. (Aside from the name. As far as I’m concerned, using faux British spelling essentially announces to the world that you are a poser. Or poseur. And also two other things that annoy me: the interactive directories, which are a cool concept but in execution just make it tedious to find what you’re looking for, and the escalator layout – if you’re going up multiple floors, instead of the entrance to the next up escalator being right by the exit of the previous one, it’s on the opposite side, so you have to walk around. Maybe it was intentional, to force people to walk past the stores and possibly go in. Regardless, it’s annoying.) The top floor rotunda (I don’t know architecture, so I don’t actually know if it’s a rotunda) is amazing. And the food court is nice. The Korean place was by far the most popular food court eatery; I don’t know if it’s because it’s the cheapest or the best tasting, but it kind of made me happy.
And it was nice to enjoy Beard Papa’s. The overhype can turn you off, but if you just enjoy it for what it is, it’s a mighty fine cream puff.
I’m turning into Henry weekends. Depressing.