The Americana opens in Glendale

I passed by the Americana yesterday on opening day, but I was too busy to go inside.

Tonight, however, my wife had planned an evening at the Americana with our kids, and we invited my mother to go with us. We left Los Feliz around 5:30 to go to Glendale. We drove up Brand Boulevard, but decided that traffic going into the Americana parking lot was too heavy, and ended up parking in the Galleria parking lot.

So unfortunately, I can't say anything about the ease of parking at the Americana, or how much time you can park before you have to pay (although I expect it is similar to the Grove, where the first hour is free, and with a validation at any store, you can park for an additional two or three hours without charge).

Parking information update (2008/05/05): Here are the parking rates, from the concierge at the Americana. First hour, free. Second hour, free with validation. Second hour without validation, $3. Any additional hours or portions therof, $2 per hour.

Parking information update 2 (2008/05/08): Here is the validation policy at the AMC movie theaters, from the guest services window at the theater. Four hours, $2 with validation when you buy your movie ticket.

The sidewalk on Brand Boulevard between the Galleria (JC Penney) and the Americana was packed, and it was even more so inside the shopping complex. We saw the two-car trolley go by, and our kids wanted to ride, but the line to ride the trolley was probably fifty or sixty people long. Instead we headed to the fountain and the park in the middle of the complex.

I think the obvious comparison is The Grove next to Farmer's Market. And I have read that the physical space is larger at the Americana, though there is less retail space at the latter. Rick Caruso and his team have had several years to think about what made The Grove a success, and how they wanted to design their next version of the Carsuo shopping experience.

If the fountain at The Grove is a miniature version of the fountains which Steve Wynn built at the Bellagio hotel casino in Las Vegas, the Americana's fountain (covering two bodies of water, separated by a small waterfall, with the lower lake encircling a massive gold sculpture) is, in my mind, five or ten times more impressive than the Grove's.

In addition, there is a small park on one side of the lake, with benches and lawn chairs overlooking the lake, plus a small playground which was a natural magnet this evening for young children.

The trolley also improves on the trolley at the Grove. The Americana's version has two cars in tandem circling the inner streets of the complex, instead of going back and forth between two points at The Grove. The trolley also passes along Brand Boulevard for about fifty yards, which gives riders something else to look at (and a chance to be envied by vehicle and pedestrian traffic).

As I mentioned, the volume of people walking through the complex (quite a few of them much more stylishly dressed than you might otherwise see around downtown Glendale) was overwhelming. I don't follow fashion much or know much about various retail stores, so I won't try to compare the two shopping complexes on that point. Our family was there just to spend the evening out, and we spent almost all our time watching the fountain, at the playground, or in the Barnes and Noble (which is laid out almost identically to the one at The Grove).

Having lived in Glendale for five years within walking distance of where the Americana was built, I have mixed feelings about how Glendale will inevitably be changed by having a popular shopping destination right in the middle of downtown. Glendale always had a small town atmosphere for me despite the Galleria and traffic congestion. I realize that the city leaders wanted to compete with Burbank and Pasadena for the local consumer's dollar, but how will Glendale's character change from entering into partnership with Caruso Lifestyle?