A visit to Americana

So the new Americana at Brand opened today in Glendale. It was all over the TV and radio this morning, so I decided to head over there after picking Sammy up from school. It's been hyped as being just like the Grove--and it is in some ways.

It has the trolley and the fountains just like at the Grove. The parking structure is exactly the same...I was getting a bit of deja vu just looking for parking. It really looks and feels the same except for a few things.

The Americana has 1 and 2 bedroom lofts that you can lease or purchase, so the main lobby area where the parking elevators are has a front desk like a hotel and a concierge. Plus, all the elevators have an attendant with the traditional uniform and white gloves and a cap. Kind of weird, but I guess similar to living at the Paseo.

The view from the elevator

Another view with the trolley this time

Here is the breakdown:

The shopping
If you're reading this, then you know me. I LOVE to shop. But more specifically bargain shop.

The Americana pretty much only has the really upscale stores like Barneys New York, Ed Hardy, Michael Stars, BCBG and more. While I do appreciate the finer things--now that we don't have two incomes, I just can't justify it.

They had some stores that I would be more likely to shop in like Anthropologie and J. Crew, but not someplace where I'd find a bargain. The only store where deals would be found was at H&M (yay!), but it was so crowded--there was no way I could even maneuver the double stroller in it. We walked in and pretty much walked right out.

The Grove has better shopping choices with Nordstrom, The Gap, Banana Republic, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn Kids just to name a few.

So, I don't know if I would return for the shopping at the Americana since they have an H&M at both the Arcadia mall and in Old Town Pasadena. Plus, we have Anthropologie and J. Crew in Pasadena as well.

The grounds
It's just lovely to walk around (when less people are there) with all the fountains and the grassy lawn and the fabulous SoCal weather. There is a playground right in the middle (smart thinking!) that the kids immediately took to. Hannah and Sammy played for a while, until Hannah missed a step and landed right on her face. That ended playground time.

The lofts and a few stores and the fountains

more fountains

Sammy at the top

They had an old fashioned Good Humor ice cream truck with an ice cream attendant dressed up in an old fashioned white uniform selling Good Humor ice cream and popsicles. Hannah and I shared a neopolitan ice cream sandwich (it was only $1!). That made her feel better after the playground fall. (Sammy doesn't like ice cream, so he wasn't intentionally left out.)

"mmmmm, ice cream good"

Can you see her sad bruise on her cheek from the playground fall?
It's just up and to the left of the chocolate smudge.

The parking
The first hour is free and it's $3 for the second hour and then an additional $2 for each hour after the second for a maximum of $9. If you get a validation, it's only good for 2 hours. (Did you follow all that?) I haven't been to the Grove in quite a bit, so I can't remember their parking prices, but I do know that the stores are very liberal with their validations. If you just ask, they will validate it for you without buying anything.

I didn't plan to be there longer than an hour, but I noticed that after parking, waiting for the elevator and pushing through the crowds just to walk around, playing at the park and eating ice cream--it was getting close to my 1 hour. I started to head back as I still had to walk a ways back to the garage, get the elevator (to the 6th floor) and buckle kids/load stroller and get out of the garage. I had less than 20 minutes to do that, so I asked at the movie theatre to validate my ticket. I was told it was for paying customers only. Come on guys. It's the opening day! If you want people to come back, you may want to be nice. I could have stopped at Cheesecake Factory or Barnes & Noble to ask about validation, but didn't want to waste any more time in case they said no as well.

We made it with 6 minutes to spare. YAY me!! Especially since I used all my cash putting gas in the van before we left and I used my last $1 on the ice cream. If we were to go back, I would just park at the Glendale Galleria since it is right next door...and it's free.

All in all it was a fun outing, but I don't know how often I would go back. I prefer the shopping here in Pasadena or even the Arcadia mall or the Glendale Galleria. If I really wanted this ambiance, I would just go to the Grove because the shopping is better.

For my next outing, Dana and I are going to check out the Steve and Barry's at the Burbank mall. (No, not Dave and Buster's). For more info check this out.