Billie Eilish Takes Over the Glendale Galleria; Americana at Brand Memes Responds

Given how Billie Eilish grew up in nearby Highland Park, I suppose it's no surprise she knows the Glendale Galleria this well. This is quite a contrast to the way I normally see it, filled with holiday crowds.

Meanwhile, now I'm praying for Americana at Brand Memes.

Billie Eilish has just declared war on The Americana and Americana Memes! pic.twitter.com/i4FB9iE790

— Americana at Brand Memes (@americanamemes) November 12, 2020

Rate-A-Restaurant #315: Deluca's Italian Deli

Restaurant: Deluca's Italian Deli

Location: 781 Americana Way (Glendale's Americana at Brand)

Type of restaurant: Italian Deli



We stipulated: We were at the Americana on a Friday night for an event at the Barnes & Noble, and it was getting late -- too late to find a sit-down restaurant, but time to get something quick.

They stipulated: "Deluca’s Italian Deli serves up flavorful, authentic sandwiches, antipasti and bakery treats in a fresh, modern setting. Enjoy Italy’s finest imported meats and cheeses as well as local artisanal specialties, all priced for everyday eating."



What we ordered: PANINO CAPRESE (Fresh imported Mozzarella, sliced tomato, roasted bell peppers and basil on a toasted baguette; $7.50), rigatoni from the deli case ($7.50)



High point:  The one sandwich was good enough for both Maria and I (we weren't that hungry), while Evan and Nathan could share the pasta.

Low point: They gave us the wrong sandwich first -- mozzarella with prosciutto. It was Friday, so we were supposed to be no-meat for Lent, and realized Deluca's error when we took a bite! But thankfully they made us a new sandwich and let us keep the wrong one (and bring home).



Overall impression: While the market items (imported from Italy) are as pricey as you might expect, I was impressed with how economical our meal was -- rare for an upscale deli like this. I like that Deluca's is around, and is probably a nice resource for people living at the Americana. Given the Americana's turnover rate -- many of the shopping center's inaugural restaurants (including the ones funded with Rick Caruso seed money) are now gone -- I wonder how long Deluca's has left in its life. But for now, I'm glad we tried it.

Will we return: Perhaps, if we're at the Americana and again looking for a quick bite to eat.

Rate-A-Restaurant #309: Din Tai Fung @ The Americana at Brand

Restaurant: Din Tai Fung/Glendale

Location: Americana at Brand, 177 Caruso Ave. (Glendale)

Type of restaurant: Dumpling House




We stipulated: We've been to the Arcadia location of Din Tai Fung several times... but now that a new location has arrived right here near Franklin Avenue HQ, we had to check it out and see if it lived up to the original.



They stipulated: The Glendale location has come up with a solution to the problem that dogs the Arcadia location: Long, long waits for a table. I'm sure Rick Caruso couldn't stand the idea of all these people waiting outside Din Tai Fung and not shopping at the Americana, so patrons give their cell phone numbers, and go off to shop. When a table is finally ready, the restaurant will send you a text.





What we ordered: Juicy Pork & Crab Dumplings (10 pcs); Juicy Pork Dumplings (10 pcs); Vegetable & Pork Wonton w/ Spicy Sauce; Pork Chop Fried Rice; Sauteed String Bean w/ Garlic





High point:  Those dumplings, of course: Take a small bite, suck out the juice and then eat the rest of it. Repeat. But the green beans are also like crack -- right amount of crunch, and completely addictive. Also loved the spice that came with the wonton soup. Yes, we liked it all.



Low point: The texting system isn't fool proof. We received the text that a table was ready and rushed back to the restaurant -- where we had to still wait another 30 minutes. Why bother texting us if the table wasn't actually ready?




Overall impression: (Oops, corrected to remove the leftover text from the Starry Kitchen review!) An entirely different, more upscale vibe than the Arcadia location, but operates smoothly and the food is identically tasty. I think my Glendale property value just went up thanks to being Din Tai Fung-adjacent.





Will we return: Despite the texting table debacle, the dumplings (and those green beans!) are so amazing that all is forgiven. We'll be back. Many, many times.

Finally: Glendale Galleria Gets Makeover, Adds Bloomingdales

The Brand entrance to the Glendale Galleria, which has sat depressingly dark (save the annual pop-up Halloween store) for three years, will finally live again. The mall's owners announced today that Bloomingdale's will move into the vacant storefront, as part of a makeover. Via the press release:

The 120,000-square-foot store on two levels will headline an upscale redevelopment of the center being planned by its owner, General Growth Properties. The top two floors of the former Mervyn's location will be entirely remodeled by Bloomingdale's into a sophisticated upscale shopping experience, with construction expected to begin in 2012. The Bloomingdale's store workforce is projected to include 175 associates.

The new Bloomingdale's will open in 2013 -- right around the time that Nordstrom moves from the Galleria to the Americana at Brand. (Leaving another vacant department store front -- but at least Nordstrom is in a less trafficked and noticeable part of the neighborhood.)

I wrote about the Glendale Galleria's epic fail last year and suggested back in 2008 that the Galleria needed to use the location as a new mall entrance.

Paying Tribute to Steve Jobs at Glendale's Americana

It had already been a few days since Steve Jobs' passing when we stopped by Glendale's Americana at Brand shopping center on Saturday. But the shrine in front of the outdoor mall's gigantic Apple Store was still going strong -- including what must be a busted iPod inscribed with a message. (Nonetheless, I'm surprised no one swiped that iPod, "just in case.")

Speaking of Jobs, I still remember the one time Maria and I saw him in person. It was the early 2000s, and we were on a weekend trip to San Francisco. The flagship Old Navy store on Market Street had a restaurant in the basement back then (sort of like an IKEA eatery) -- and who did we spy eating the cheap food but Jobs (in jeans and black mock turtleneck, of course) sitting down with a few other folks. It was kind of surreal seeing him down there, but then again, for all we know he was meeting with key Gap/Old Navy folks about some sort of marketing initiative.

I've been an Apple/Mac guy ever since my high school paper got its first Macintosh SE in 1988. We moved our paper quickly into the desktop publishing era -- and I was hooked. As a kid in the early 1980s, I used to cut and paste my own newspaper; just imagine had I been born 10 years later. I used Macs all through college, and bought my own first one in 1995 (dismissing naysayers who believed Apple was dead -- it was "almost dead," but boy, did Jobs revive it a few years later).

Signs of Problems at the Americana?

Glendale resident Gerry Rankin has a bone to pick with Americana at Brand developer Rick Caruso -- and Glendale's city council -- asking in Sunday's Glendale News Press:

How does a developer who doesn't even live in this town get all the power in the world to change the landscape here? Is the City Council even awake?

The Americana, just a few years old, is already showing some cracks -- and doesn't appear to be anywhere as successful as Mid-City's The Grove. Take all the empty storefronts, some of which have never been filled since the Americana's 2007 opening. Boarded-up walls on the Americana have promised that Panini Cafe was "coming soon" to the corner of Brand and Colorado -- but four years later, Panini Cafe is nowhere to be found. Instead, the sign is peeling (above) and looks terrible.

And yet... Caruso felt the need to acquire and tear down a hotel and old building next door in order to expand the Americana. He promised more retail and more jobs for Glendale -- and then turned around and announced days later that he was actually swiping Nordstrom from the Galleria. No new retail or jobs. Oh, he has promised to find a suitable tenant to replace the Nordstrom location at the Galleria... but we'll see if he has any luck, as the area faces a glut of empty storefronts. (Borders, at the corner of Brand and Broadway, is set to close any day now. Across the street, the old Mervyn's location at the Galleria has been vacant for years.)

Could the bloom be off the Americana rose? The anonymous folks behind the blog Caruso Is Unfair seem to think so. Granted, they appear to be disgruntled kiosk shop owners stuck with exorbitantly high rents.

But they do bring up some interesting points: According to the blog, several kiosks, including Nestle's Toll House, Kurtosh Bakery, Stewies Snowcones, and Primo Cafe, have gone under, while the eateries owned by Caruso (including Jewel City Diner and Delucas) are doing much better. The blogger also claims that the kiosks are unbearable in the summer, due to the heat, and that the rents remain high.

As for retail, "There's Kitson's which had a drawn out legal battle, and moved from their gigantic location next to Barnes & Nobles and downsized to a smaller shop and STILL couldn't make it. There was Lara's Closet who took over Kitson's spot and couldn't last too long and which is now occupied by Sephora. At least Hurley's was smart enough to sign a short term pop up lease and left without getting stuck there for years. There was Peek, which turned into Fan Clothing which was then booted off to the limbo land of Caruso Ave to make way for Kaitlyn."

Also gone: Paperchase, Martin + Osa, and Ruehl. Luring away Nordstrom is a huge coup for the Americana -- but it doesn't change the Glendale landscape at all. (Apparently KTTV's Jillian Reynolds recently criticized Caruso's Calabasas Commons development, prompting a response. Read about it here.)

UPDATE: The Glendale News-Press reports that Caruso paid the owners of the Golden Key Hotel a whopping $16 million to take over the property. I'm wondering if Caruso so needed the land in order to lure Nordstrom over (adding a critical anchor department store to the Americana) that he was willing to open the pocketbook that wide.

ALSO: Tropico Station points out that the Americana is now starting do go downscale, luring away a Fantastic Sam's franchise and an AT&T dealer to fill some empty space. Both of those stores were lured from a strip mall across the street, so it doesn't even mean new jobs.

One Final Thought on Rick Caruso's Glendale Land Grab

Rick Caruso wouldn't stop until he got his prize: The land underneath Glendale's Golden Key Hotel, which sits right next to his Americana on Brand shopping center.

Golden Key owner Ray Patel held out until Caruso finally made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Well, that, and the fact that the city had sided with Caruso -- and threatened to take the land anyway, through eminent domain.

The Golden Key (and another building) were the only thing standing in the way of Caruso controlling the entire block. He now plans to add 140,000 square feet of retail, the Los Angeles Times writes:

The hotel on Colorado Street and an adjacent former retail building Caruso bought earlier will be demolished to enlarge the mall. The addition will include about 140,000 square feet of shops, more pedestrian space, a cafe and a fountain, he said.

"This will really round out the original vision of the Americana," he said.

Caruso expects to spend about $50 million on the Americana addition and to upgrade a small shopping center across Colorado from the mall that he recently acquired. The Americana expansion has yet to be approved by the city, but he hopes to have it completed by late 2012.

Here's my deal: Downtown Glendale is already awash with empty store fronts. The massive spot formerly held by Mervyn's at the Glendale Galleria is still empty. Borders is about to shut its Glendale slot across the street. Up and down Brand, there are plenty of boarded up windows.

And most importantly: Not all of the Americana is filled. Actually, there's been quite a turnover of stores. One spot -- most recently held by a shave ice joint, and now a tacky AT&T dealer -- has already changed hands three times. And the Americana is not that old.

So... Caruso thinks the neighborhood needs more retail?

Epic Fail, Glendale Galleria

California-based Mervyn's shut its doors for good at the end of 2008. Two years later, the Glendale Galleria (and owner General Growth Properties) still hasn't found a new tenant to replace the hulking, empty former Mervyn's location at the corner of Brand and Broadway.

And what a shame. That entrance was a convenient way to get into the rest of the mall; now it sits idle. Back in 2008 I suggested that the Galleria would be smart to turn the empty Mervyn's space into a new mall opening; instead, it remains an imposing hulking ghost.

Blogger Preschooler Says The Darndest Things: Giada Edition

THE BACKGROUND: The Blogger Preschooler has a little crush on Food Network star Giada DeLaurentiis. Thanks to Maria, Evan's gotten to know quite a few of TV's culinary and domestic divas, including Martha Stewart... but he's got a special place for Giada. When Maria's watching one of Giada's several shows, Evan will cozy up next to her on the couch and watch along. (He will, however, express his disappointment when Giada is on location and not cooking in the kitchen. That's our little guy, trying to perpetuate 1950s gender roles.)

THE SETTING: The Barnes & Noble location at The Americana at Brand shopping center; Friday afternoon.

THE PLAYERS: Evan and me; Maria's busy working at home.

THE SCENE: As we walk in, Evan and I pass a table full of books from Giada and other TV chefs. The Blogger Preschooler, of course, immediately gravitates to Giada's new book, "Giada's Kitchen," and has several questions (What's she making? Why is she using a lemon? Is she making lemon squares? Etc.)

THE EXCHANGE: Mike -- "Hey, maybe we can buy this for mom for Mother's Day!"
Evan -- "No, let's buy it for me for 'Evan's Day.'"



Maybe this is where it all began: Back when he was just a Blogger Baby, the three of us pose with Giada at the L.A. Times Festival of Books in 2005.

Dogs and Cats: The Americana and the Glendale Galleria Make Up

(Pic by Shannon.)

Despite all the bad blood between Glendale's two megamalls, it appears that both sides have finally declared a truce.

According to the Glendale News-Press, the formerly warring mall owners have realized that both of their malls feeds off the other one:

“We have an open line of communication with them,” said Janet LaFevre, senior marketing director for the Galleria, owned by General Growth Properties. “We focus on what is the best thing to drive sales and traffic.”
...

The Galleria also shares ideas with malls in Century City, Los Angeles and Orange County, she said.

But the Galleria, unlike its other Southern California competitors, did wage a three-year legal battle challenging the Americana for consumer supremacy as the 15.5-acre outdoor mall was planning its unveiling.

Immediately following the Americana’s 2004 City Council approval, General Growth filed suit against Caruso Affiliated Holdings, which runs a string of high-end shopping malls in Southern California, alleging that the Americana’s environmental impact report violated California law.

A judge rejected that claim in a January 2005 decision, paving the way for the project to proceed.

In turn, Americana owner Rick Caruso filed a $40-million antitrust suit against General Growth in 2004, alleging that the Chicago-based real estate investment trust engaged in interference and unfair business practices by trying to strong-arm tenants away from potential deals at the Americana.

General Growth denied the claim but was forced to pay $89 million in damages in November 2007 after a jury found that the real estate company tried to derail a deal between Cheesecake Factory and the Americana.

The issue involved a 43-month delay in which the restaurant balked at signing a lease in the Americana after General Growth threatened to block the restaurant’s inclusion at some of its more than 200 malls nationwide.

But the ill will seemed to evaporate after the Americana opened and the Galleria’s customer count rose.

Meanwhile, the letters to the Glendale News-Press supporting Americana developer Rick Caruso -- who was criticized by many (including us) for the mall's recent inappropriate fireworks display -- have bordered on the ridiculous. Some highlights:

Developer Rick Caruso and the Americana project has been the best thing for Glendale in my memory. Yet, for some reason, he meets opposition at every turn. Not, mind you, from the majority, but from a vocal few.
+++++
Rick Caruso, thank you again.

In a time of tough times and loss from fires, we need positive events to keep us going in life.

Why do people have to be negative in a great place like Glendale?
+++++
Rick Caruso went to great lengths to make sure that the fireworks were safe and approved by our own Fire Department. I believe he would have been the first person to pull the plug if he thought there was a danger. Surely, he’s the last person who wants to see a fire break out at the Americana, or anywhere in Glendale.
+++++
Never in the history of Glendale, or anywhere around us, have the citizens had a free community extravaganza like Rick Caruso put on at the Christmas tree-lighting event celebrating the holidays. Whether you’re a mom, dad with family, teen on a date, 10 years old or 100, Caruso offered, free of charge, entertainment for everyone. Never has Glendale seen such a gathering of its residents in our downtown. Finally, we have a reason to congregate, socialize and enjoy an environment in our own city. And no matter what our council members said in their public meeting, those who attended all thanked and congratulated Caruso for a great evening and show.

Shame on you, Councilman Bob Yousefian. Shame on you, Councilman Ara Najarian. And shame on you, Mayor John Drayman. Have any of you ever taken the time to pick up the phone or pen to represent our citizens and properly thank Caruso for his generosity and his vision and for what he has done for our city?

Caruso has raised the image of Glendale and our downtown, and we surely needed it. Enough is enough.
+++++

Apparently Caruso should have considered running for Glendale City Council, rather than L.A. mayor. In this town, apparently the masses believe he walks on water.

They're Not Big On Tact at the Americana

(Pic from last May by the Atwater Village Newbie.)

Wildfires are raging all over Southern California, destroying countless homes -- and laying waste to a mobile home area in Sylmar. The smell of smoke is in the air all over the region, even several miles from where the blazes are lighting the nighttime sky.

Over in Glendale, the Americana at Brand was set tonight to light up its first-ever Christmas tree tonight, complete with Santa, a choir, Peabo Bryson, and a big fireworks display.

Surely, they'd cut out the fireworks, right? Might be tacky, given what's going on right now in the region.

Naaah. Like I said, the Americana isn't exactly known for its restraint, or tact. Back in May, its opening celebration ran long -- and the shopping center wound up freaking out the city by unleashing its fireworks display at 11:15 p.m. (see above).

This time, having been watching fire coverage all day, we both at first freaked out when we heard loud pops -- and then fire in the sky off in a distance. It took us a beat to realize that those were fireworks -- and that the Americana was behind it.

MEANWHILE, we were home to catch the Americana fireworks because -- I'm sure like many of you -- the fires forced us to cancel our evening plans. We were set to attend an early Thanksgiving meal at a friend's house in La Mirada... but the thought of Blogger Preschooler breathing in all that smoke -- and the thought of battling traffic down to Orange County -- convinced us to phone our regrets, sadly. KFWB finally convinced us once and for all, when a county fireman warned listeners to stay off the freeways if they could.

If the smoke is this noticeable in the Atwater Village/Silver Lake/Los Feliz/South Glendale area, I gotta imagine it's nearly unbearable closer to the actual blazes. How are all of you faring? Let's all send good thoughts tonight to the brave firefighters working overtime to save homes and lives.

Martha Speaks

(Photo by JustJenn.)

Our TiVo is filled with episodes of "The Martha Stewart Show." Our bookcases? Years of Martha Stewart magazine issues. And my go-to gift for Maria remain Martha Stewart books (which there never seem to be a shortage of). Even Blogger Preschooler knows the name of his mommy's idol.

I never thought much of Martha Stewart before i met Maria, but she completely converted me to the pro-Martha camp. By the time Martha went to prison, I was ready to rally in the streets to proclaim her innocence. (Well, not quite. But I still think she got a raw deal... yet it wound up being pretty good for business!)

On Monday, Martha herself visited our 'hood to sign her latest, "Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook," at the Barnes & Noble located inside Glendale's Americana at Brand.

Maria may be an uberfan, but the idea of spending all that time in line for a brief Martha encounter -- especially in the middle of a busy workday -- didn't quite appeal. Fellow bloggers JustJenn and Christine did make the trek, and both seemed to have pretty good brushes with Martha. Both also wound up giving the Domestic Diva notes: Jenn (who took the photo above) handed her a postcard she designed, while Christine gave Martha a hand-written note. She writes:

I know better than to rely on myself to say what I want to say, so while we waited for our group to be called, I wrote Martha a note. My mom did, too.

The actual meeting, of course, went by way too quickly. We handed our notes to Martha, and she seemed to genuinely appreciate them, thanking us like the gracious host she is, before tucking them away.

Then she signed our books and posed for a photo. “I’m so excited!” Mom said with glee. I was too, and that’s why I couldn’t think of a thing to say other than, “Thank you.”

Before I could even try to redeem myself, we were being shuffled aside for the next fans.

My favorite part about it all wasn’t seeing Martha’s perfectly coifed hair and smiling eyes in person or adding one of her gorgeous books to my collection. It was geeking out with my parents all day long about our celebrity studded day.

Jenn happened to overhear Barnes & Noble staffers freaking out over a chair that Martha was supposed to use: "Apparently they had bought the chair especially for her, she had specified that it had to be made of 'hard wood.' Hilarious."

Sad Sod at the Americana

Flickr pic above by fellow Glendalian Scott Lowe (let's get together soon, guys!), who's been chronicling some of the mishaps so far at the Americana at Brand.

Last week, Maria and Evan hit the Americana -- only to be told to stay off the grass. Apparently the sheer number of people trampling over the grass has already forced the shopping center to rip up the grass and plant new sod -- possibly twice. We returned on Saturday night, and the fence was down -- but the new sod was already looking sorry. Perhaps they ought to think about installing the fake stuff -- would probably fit the manufactured-town-square theme a bit more anyway.

Meanwhile, Evan's still bummed to see that the trolley isn't operating. I've assumed that it's been in storage because of the crowds; with so many people walking over the tracks, it would be tough to navigate around the mall. But as Scott's photograph below shows, there's something actually going on with the trolley. Here, mechanics are messing with it:



ADD: Over at Tropico Station, Scott has a few more interesting Americana nuggets:

The Americana has been getting 400-500,000(!) visitors on weekends. Remember that Glendale's entire population is only 200,000.

Glendale's 911 center was overwhelmed with 250 calls from scared residents immediately after the infamous 11:15pm Americana fireworks display.

One Upon A Time In Glendale, Pre-Americana

The Glendale Public Library blog dug up this photo of Brand Blvd., facing north, in 1936. The library provides context:

This photograph (courtesy of the Special Collections Room of the Glendale Public Library) shows Brand Boulevard looking north, dating from around 1936. Harvard Street, which will act as the eastern entrance into the Americana, crosses Brand Boulevard here behind the Western Auto Supply Co. sign on the left and in front of the Famous Department Store building on the right.

Other notable businesses in this image that operated in the area now covered by the Americana include a Pep Boys Auto Supplies store and the Capital Theatre. The tall building in the top center of the photograph is the Bank of America Building, which would be torn down in 1982 to make room for the Galleria II project.

Yes, that classic Bank of America building was destroyed so that the area's most tattered Mervyn's could be built. Fair trade.

Big Dogs Not Allowed at the Americana?

The Americana at Brand's recent ad campaign has featured illustrations of stylish women walking their dogs across the shopping center's courtyard. (Above, a screen grab from the Americana website... but ads have also run in the Glendale News-Press that illustrated Americana patrons with much larger dogs.)

That's why it's kind of strange that this Glendale News-Press letter writer hit so much resistence when she tried to walk her dog at the Americana:

I live one block from the Americana and have been looking forward to its opening. I saw it to be a place that we could walk to in the evenings with the family and our dog and enjoy the surroundings. Wednesday night we took the dog (a Great Dane) for her walk over to the Americana.

We were stopped by a rent-a-cop and were told we had to leave the Americana because our dog was too large. We pointed out to this young man that no signs were posted at any of the entrances that no dogs were allowed, let alone the size of the dog.

He informed us that if you cannot carry the dog you cannot bring the dog in.

And so begins the debate over what's allowed and what isn't at the Americana -- and whose land is it, anyway.

Americana at Brand: First Impressions

The Franklin Avenue 3 wasn't originally planning on visiting the Americana at Brand this weekend; the idea of battling the traffic and crowds didn't appeal. Yet we couldn't resist, especially since we needed to return a few things at the Galleria.

So we parked at the Galleria -- free, after all -- and eventually made it across the street to the Americana. A few early thoughts... first on the plus side: I like the fact that it has more of a city vibe than the Grove; perhaps that can be chalked up to the residential spots above the retail. Perhaps it's also because the Americana opens up to Brand, an actual honest-to-goodness street. I also like the higher ceilings in much of the retail, which also brings a nice urban feel to Glendale.

What's more, the Americana is close enough to Franklin Avenue H.Q. that we will indeed be taking public transportation (the Glendale Beeline) there.

Now, the cons: C'mon, Rick Caruso, enough with the ego. Caruso's name is everywhere -- so much that several awnings are emblazoned with a "C" rather than an "A" (for "Americana") or even "E" (for the Excelsior residential condos and rentals). Also, as L.A. Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne notes, a debate over what's public space and what's not is inevitable. Because this was sold to Glendale voters as "Glendale's Town Center," and Glendale's redevelopment agency actually owns the two-acre green space at the center of the Americana, does Caruso have the right to severely restrict what is and isn't allowed there?

Hawthorne writes:

It will be intriguing to watch how the Americana's shared space--particularly the park--evolves and is used over time, particularly by residents of the complex. Will they treat it as their own front yard--which it basically is? What about the kids who live--and grow up--there? What if they want to ride a bicycle or skateboard there--will they be allowed to?

According to Dave Williams, Caruso's executive vice president for archi- tecture, they will not. "The open spaces will be handled the same way they're handled at the Grove," he told me. "Operationally, we have a safety threshold we want to maintain." That means no bikes and no skateboards, no dogs heavier than 25 pounds, plus a slew of other restrictions.

My guess is that those restrictions will prove to be more of an issue in Glendale than they've been at the Grove. It may not happen right away, especially if the first wave of residents includes more twentysomethings than families.

But as the Americana evolves, those residents may start to wonder why a public park at the foot of their apartment buildings is patrolled by Caruso's security team (if indeed that's what happens). If the private cops, who will be backed up by a substation staffed by Glendale police, start breaking up pickup soccer games or taking away skateboards, they may even start resenting it.

Some pics from our Saturday visit:


Check out that big camera stationed above the stoplight. Yes, You Are Being Filmed. Now go spend some money.


Cheesecake Factory? Check. Pacific Theatres? Check. Barnes & Noble? Check. Yup, it really is "The Grove East."


Jewel City Diner. (Trivia: Unless you live in Glendale, betcha didn't know "Jewel City" is the town's nickname.) Too bad this isn't a West Coast outpost of the Shake Shack -- damn, I'd be there every weekend.


Americana's don't-confuse-it-with-an-Eiffel-Tower-replica spire.


Residential, retail and Bellagio-style fountain.


Old timey ice cream. Wait, so is the Americana supposed to invoke 1930s, uh, Americana?


Meanwhile, across the street... the Glendale Galleria has added a few banners to what had been a random entrance -- but is now the gateway to the mall from the Americana. Inside, on Saturday the Galleria was jam-packed with people. Perhaps, for all of Galleria owner General Growth's handwringing, it's not going to hurt the mall. For starters, as the Galleria makes sure to stress, the original mall still boasts most major retailers, including Banana Republic, Gap, Apple, Target, etc.

Happy Americana at Brand Day

(Flickr pic by Fezmonger.)

It's finally arrived -- the opening of Glendale's Americana at Brand. After years of promise, Glendalians finally get their first taste of Life. Style. Caruso. today. (Most egocentric tag line out there?)

Well, some residents got their first view of it last night, during the gala opening celebration -- while others of us, ahem were not invited.

At around 11 p.m., we heard all the commotion outside -- and realized that it was the Americana fireworks, as promised. Guess that letter from the Caruso folks paid off after all.

BUT, as the Atwater Village Newbie notes, that's FAR later than the "between 7 and 9:30 p.m." time frame promised in the letter. Plus, the fireworks freaked out non-Glendale residents who live closeby but didn't get a letter. Several angry posters at the AVN site note that the fireworks spooked dogs, woke babies and caused some to dial 911. Given the recent spate of shootings in Northeast Los Angeles, setting off fireworks at 11:15 at night was pretty cruel.

The event itself featured perfs by Tony Bennett, the Four Tops, the Temptations and Natalie Cole. The Glendale News-Press covers the event in todays paper:

For many in attendance, the star-studded event represented the start of a new era in Glendale defined by a high-class destination that some still insist is out of place on Brand Boulevard.

"Some may say that this project is too elegant, that it's too sophisticated for Glendale," said Rick Caruso, president and chief executive officer of Americana developer Caruso Affiliated. "Well that's just dead wrong."

Uh, thanks, uh, for sticking up for us?

In an address to the audience — his face portrayed on giant video monitors on both sides of a raised stage — Caruso had the jurors stand to rousing applause and then took verbal jabs at General Growth, singling out the mall owner for its staunch opposition to the Americana.

"The reason we're not celebrating our second anniversary is because we had a neighbor..." Caruso said. "Everybody's got somebody in their life. Hillary's got Bill. I've got General Growth."

Gotcha.

Dear Americana Neighbor: We're Having A Party, And You're Not Invited

Gee, thanks for the head's up, Americana. Guess my invite got lost in the mail. Here's the letter we received over the weekend as an "Americana at Brand Neighbor" (bold and italics are theirs):

We are pleased to announce the Grand Opening of the Americana at Brand mixed use project on May 2, 2008 at 10AM. We hope you are as thrilled as we are when you take your first steps onto this luxurious new property that features such exclusive amenities that will surprise and delight you and your family for years to come!

As a good neighbor, we want to take a moment to personally inform you that we will be hosting a private party on the evening of Thursday, May 1, 2008. This by invitation only event will feature fireworks and musical performances staged between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. It is of great importances to us that our neighbors are informed of the event details so you will not be alarmed when you hear the fireworks or performances from your home or business.

Oh, I won't be alarmed. Annoyed, yes.

One Month to Americana

It's still the worst-named shopping center out there (well, other than Westfield's insistence in calling all of its malls "Westfield"): The Americana at Brand.

But what the hell... we're hoping the arrival not only injects a little more excitement and status to Glendale, but perhaps juices property values as well.

The L.A. Times checks in on how things are going. For starters, Glendale residents are concerned about the coming traffic -- but that's balanced by their interest in seeing this thing finally open:

Some critics are quick to point out that traffic from the Galleria and other shops can already bring Brand Boulevard to a crawl. But backers argue that the residential portion of Americana might prompt those residents to walk to shops in the area rather than drive.

Glendale is looking longingly to the Grove, an earlier Caruso development near 3rd Street and Fairfax Avenue in L.A. that is one of the more admired outdoor shopping plazas in the region.

Caruso, in an interview Monday, said the Americana could have an even bigger effect on Glendale, because the 15.5-acre project is much larger and includes housing.

"As great as the Grove is," he said, "this is a pretty remarkable project."

Where the Grove is meant to evoke 1940s Charleston, S.C., the Americana is meant to remind consumers of an even earlier time: "A massive elevator shaft, with exposed steel beams, is supposed to hearken back to the industrial era, said Executive Vice President Dave Williams of Caruso Affiliated. A trolley that loops around the project and onto Brand is from 'a little bit earlier era' than the Grove's trolley, which travels back and forth along a linear track."

Caruso also added a few touches that came out of his experience with the Grove: The central courtyard, for example, is much larger. And stores have more of a unique identity, as opposed to looking too mall-like.

Glendale officials are optimistic that Americana shoppers will spill out onto Brand, and help revitalize that street as well. I'm not as optimistic; people have a way of not exploring environs outside of their intended destination. We'll see. The Americana at Brand opens at the end of April.

I've Never Been More Ashamed To Live In Glendale

(Flickr pic by Charles Song.)

I don't know what's more disgusting in the latest Americana at Brand news coming out of Glendale: Developer Rick Caruso's painfully cheesy use of the extremely overplayed (and, in this case, shamefully, cliched, pandering use) of "Proud to Be an American," or the Glendale City Council's shameful, pandering kissing of Caruso's ass.

The setup: Caruso wanted to name a street inside the Americana project "Excelsior Drive," in order to promote the "Excelsior" housing complex that's plopped on top of the Americana. The Glendale City Council objected to it, arguing that the name "Excelsior" had no relevancy to Glendale.

So instead, they decided to name it after Caruso himself. Ugh. Here's the account from the Glendale News-Press about the City Council meeting, in which Caruso stressed why the street should be named "Excelsior" -- and the unintended result:

But after a polished slide presentation of the project's progress set to Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American," and continued deliberation, some on the council took the proposal further, pushing for the Caruso name on the street sign instead.

[City Council members Ara] Najarian and [Bob] Yousefian argued that naming an avenue after the developer would be a "modest tribute" to his vision for Glendale.

"For me, naming that street Caruso Way or Caruso Lane, is, I think, very important," Yousefian said.

Councilman Dave Weaver — who earlier in the discussion had said he was against the issue having even been agendized -- quickly acquiesced to the idea, and before long, the council had Caruso back at the podium and embarrassed.

"I did not come here with that expectation, so I'm flattered and I'm honored," Caruso told the council. "If the council wants to do that, I would be honored. How could I say it's not a wonderful gesture on your part?"

To paraphrase Lee Greenwood, I can't say I'm "Proud to Be a Glendalian" after this embarrassment.