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

Lego Brings the Washington Monuments to the Glendale Galleria

How do you get kids interested in our nation capital's monuments? Lego, of course. The Lego Monuments Roadshow is currently on display throughout the Glendale Galleria mall through February 22. Besides the massive models of the Capitol Building, the White House and other buildings, the roadshow includes a play area (where kids can build racecars) and an area for kids to build a free tiny Capitol building model.

Some pics from the roadshow:

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.

License Plate of the Day: Hero Kitty, or Something More Offensive?

Thanks to Franklin Avenue reader Rich, who spotted this plate at the Glendale Galleria. "Wonder how this got past the DMV?" he asks. Rich calls it the "Racist License Plate of the Day" -- and indeed, if you read it as the spelling of a stereotypical pronunciation of "Hello," it is quite bizarrely offensive.

Yet this person is clearly a fan of Hello Kitty... so are they doing it in an ironic fashion? Or did they really mean it to say "Hero Kitty"? (At least, that's probably what they told the DMV.)

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.

FOOD FAIL: New Kyochon at Glendale Galleria Disappoints

WIN: Korean Fried Chicken comes to Glendale.

FAIL: It's Kyochon, the lesser of the two Korean Fried Chicken chains (we prefer Bonchon). But the bigger problem: The mall location offers a smaller menu than the sit-down Kyochon in Koreatown -- and the chicken just isn't as tasty.

Pat at Eating LA experienced the same thing -- and thinks the problem comes down to how the chicken is fried. Pat thinks the chicken is pre-fried, then sits around, before being re-fried at the Kyochon Glendale Galleria location. Uh, yuk.

What I like about the Korean Fried Chicken is (a) the large drumsticks and (b) the skin, which is so crispy it eats like candy. Neither experiences can be found at Kyochon Glendale Galleria -- where the wings taste like, well, hot wings from any old place.

That might be OK, except for the price. A box of 20 wings -- a tiny box, at that -- clocks in at $16.99.

We nonetheless got a box of 20 wings -- half spicy and half garlic soy -- as well as the kid's meal (two crispy rice chicken strips, a side and a soda or juice -- pretty good deal at $3.99).

Strangely, the wings were much spicier than their counterparts at the Koreatown location. Otherwise, it didn't come close to the original. I won't be back, although Maria didn't mind it as much as I did. Sorry Kyochon, you rate a FOOD FAIL.

Scammin' It Up at the Glendale Galleria

On a whim, a few months ago I filled out one of those entry forms at the Glendale Galleria to win a car. (I must have been waiting for Evan and Maria.) I know, in hindsight, pretty foolish to leave my address and phone number on a slip of paper. But since it was a contest officially sanctioned by the Galleria, it couldn't be a complete joke, right?

A couple of weeks later, I got a strange message on the machine, telling us that they had a record of us filling out a form at the Galleria and that we had won... an unspecified prize.

I never returned the call. There was something odd about the message -- it sounded more like a telemarketer's call, and I figured, if I really won something, they'd contact again.

A few days ago, I got an odd call from someone who identified themselves as "Mike from Pacific Monarch" -- and informing me once again that he knew I filled out a slip a few weeks ago while shopping at the Galleria Target. He then told me that I'd won a trip to either Hawai'i or Cancun.

Hmm. My guard is already up. I hadn't even entered for that prize. And this guy sounded shady at best -- throwing a couple of fake laughs in and telling me how excited he was for me.

"All you gotta do is come down to our offices in Encino and listen to a short presentation, and then you can spin the wheel for your prize."

Aha! I quickly Googled "Pacific Monarch" -- and surprise, one of the first listings that popped up was this page on the Ripoff Report website.

A reminder, as always, that things too good to be true are, indeed, not true. And that Google, as always, is your friend.

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.

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.