Aesthetic Locations - My Local "Dead" Mall

Ixion_SEROV

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When it comes to hunting for the perfect place to drink in the aesthetic vibe, nothing is more enticing- and rewarding- than a mall that has matured past its prime. The closest one to where I live is the Wonderland of the Americas mall- formerly known as the Crossroads Mall- in San Antonio, Texas. It's a relic from a bygone era that oozes mall culture prior to its peak in the 80's and 90's, and it contains architectural motifs that add to its mystique.

Having been built in the 60's, this mall has come into its own as a sort of local treasure that is being examined for revitalization. I don't suspect that'll happen any time soon, but I still want to show some of the more interesting sights and scenes that can be found here in an image set I took over the course of late June.

I'll be outlining every photograph with a short description text here in the original post.

Photo 1 - An entrance hall that's beneath a parking area near a Ross. This hallway is naturally illuminated by light that enters through a pair of glass brick walls, allowing it to remain illuminated even at night. This photo is from the parking lot facing in towards the entrance.

Photo 2 - A photo of the parking lot with my perspective being by the doors seen in Photo 1.

Photo 3 - This is a passage from one of the upper parking lots that leads directly to the food court. It used to be a SteinMart but it has closed and vacated the area. During castover days, this part of the mall is incredibly dark and foreboding.

Photo 4 - One of the lower floor corridors that connects to the glass brick entrance I took. Most of the shops on this floor are doctors and administrative offices with -one- attorney currently renting a space here. The usual mall anchors are all on the upper floor.

Photo 5 - A more open area on the first floor. Many of the walls and banisters are lined with flags from various South American countries and potted plants are in a wide abundance here. Since this is one of the furthest areas from the food court, I was able to get a shot without any people in it with relative ease.

Photo 6 - The second floor looking out over the area of Photo 5 as well as much of the more typical mall sights.

Photo 7 - A display stage on the first floor that is near the Palm Pavilion food court entrance hall. Back in the 70's and 80's, malls would have fashion shows where amateur models could pose and display the clothing that stores would be rolling out. Whenever there's a convention held here, this stage always gets used.

Photo 8 - The entrance to the Palm Pavilion, the most scenic part of the mall. This sign alone is aesthetic in its own way and I was super lucky to get a shot with no one walking in the foreground.

Photo 9 - A lower ground shot of the Palm Pavilion food court. This granite obelisk was built back in the 80's and sometimes has water flowing in the collection basin. People usually gather here to grab pizza, Chinese, or Mediterranean food said locations are open.

Photo 10 - A forward-facing shot of the pavilion from the right side. The illumination here is great and its easily the best place in the mall to get a solid phone signal. There is a movie theater here that shows independent films on occasion, making it one of the more "upscale" theater experiences in San Antonio, albeit the attending crowds are usually sparse.

I will be attaching more photos in an adjoining post. Only 5 to go! Please keep an eye out for it in them in this thread.
 

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Ixion_SEROV

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Here are some more photos that go with my adventure. Take a look!

Photo 11 - A shot of the bottom escalator that leads to the upper floor of the Pavilion. It's another lucky strike for me since there's no people either in front of it or at the top.

Photo 12 - Rico's Diner is your semi-typical finger food joint that tries to sell "Italian dishes." The few times that I've had it have been nothing special and have left me wondering if everything was canned to begin with. Of all the food places in the mall, this one is the biggest, yet its closed the most often. I wonder how they're able to pay their rent.

Photo 13 - One of my favorite shots. This is the upper floor of the Pavilion facing the front exit and the obelisk in front. This is also where one can access the upper floor SteinMart exit that leads to one of the many parking areas. Nine Tails gifts is an anime/manga store that gets some business but I wish would grow more.

Photo 14 - Another angle from the upper floor. Rico's Diner is off to the left where the yellow chains are visible and there's a Goomba's Pizzeria off to the right. Oddly enough, this mall is home to a large D&D/Warhammer/Tabletop shop that has the largest 40K scene in San Antonio. It's the only location that stays open past 9pm besides Burlington Coat Factory and has everything a nerd like myself could ask for.

Photo 15 - A shot of one of the exit ways that lead out of the Pavilion into the mall's front parking lot. Once again, we see Rico's with it's wrap-around "porch front dining" experience. It's a shame I've never seen it in use.

- -

That's all for now, everyone. I hope you've enjoyed these sights as much as I have. These photos aren't the best as they've been compressed and resize to fit posting requirements, but I do have the full-size ones that I took on my phone. Let me know if you want to see those.

Until next time!
 

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vaporwavemaster1

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Here are some more photos that go with my adventure. Take a look!

Photo 11 - A shot of the bottom escalator that leads to the upper floor of the Pavilion. It's another lucky strike for me since there's no people either in front of it or at the top.

Photo 12 - Rico's Diner is your semi-typical finger food joint that tries to sell "Italian dishes." The few times that I've had it have been nothing special and have left me wondering if everything was canned to begin with. Of all the food places in the mall, this one is the biggest, yet its closed the most often. I wonder how they're able to pay their rent.

Photo 13 - One of my favorite shots. This is the upper floor of the Pavilion facing the front exit and the obelisk in front. This is also where one can access the upper floor SteinMart exit that leads to one of the many parking areas. Nine Tails gifts is an anime/manga store that gets some business but I wish would grow more.

Photo 14 - Another angle from the upper floor. Rico's Diner is off to the left where the yellow chains are visible and there's a Goomba's Pizzeria off to the right. Oddly enough, this mall is home to a large D&D/Warhammer/Tabletop shop that has the largest 40K scene in San Antonio. It's the only location that stays open past 9pm besides Burlington Coat Factory and has everything a nerd like myself could ask for.

Photo 15 - A shot of one of the exit ways that lead out of the Pavilion into the mall's front parking lot. Once again, we see Rico's with it's wrap-around "porch front dining" experience. It's a shame I've never seen it in use.

- -

That's all for now, everyone. I hope you've enjoyed these sights as much as I have. These photos aren't the best as they've been compressed and resize to fit posting requirements, but I do have the full-size ones that I took on my phone. Let me know if you want to see those.

Until next time!
これは美しくデザインされたモールです。それはとても素敵な建築で、特に光を入れるガラス窓があります。これらすべての旗がぶら下がっている典型的な美的モールと呼ぶかどうかはわかりません。このモールは、多くのモールほど死んだり懐かしく感じたりすることはありません。
 
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