Santa Monica Place Grand Opening Celebration

It has been several years in the making, but today is the new Santa Monica Place opening. Heading over to the renovated shopping structure shortly before 9:00 a.m. and discovering that the line to enter starts from Broadway along the Third Street Promenade and wraps around Santa Monica Boulevard towards Fourth Street. Deciding to forgo the possibility of getting a ten dollar gift card, I went to the mall and picked up a schedule of weekend events being distributed by workers just outside the entrance. Blaring music through loudspeakers was the ambience surrounding the opening. Wandering around to the side entrance on Fourth, and found out that only Santa Monica Place employees were being allowed entry there. Did receive a piece of milk chocolate for my trouble though. Yum!

Walking back along Fourth and turning into Santa Monica, I saw that the line was now moving and as the end was on Third Street, I joined it. While moving slowing towards the entrance, was handed twenty percent discount coupons for Skechers and H&M, along with a three by four inch H&M black faux leather covered, lined notebook. The notebook will come in handy (always need something on which to write), though I’m not sure I’ll use the discount coupons. Closer to the entrance, I receive a directory of the mall. Finally, I cross Broadway and experience this new, open (no central roof) mall for the first time. Of course it is insanely crowded and I take a jostling walk around the first floor (there are three of them). Appears to be mainly clothing stores, Bloomingdale’s is open, but Nordstrom opens later in the month and a number of the store names are unknown to me (that’s right, I am not a shopaholic!).

At the first floor concierge desk, “Grand Opening Rewards” coupon booklets are being handed out, and of course I get one of them. Trying to ascend to the second floor before the end of the official opening ceremony was impossible, unless you worked at Santa Monica Place – the escalators had security guards preventing the public from using them. Annoying!!! Finally the ceremony begins and there are speeches by representatives from Macerich, the company responsible for the renovation. There are the usual stories of the making of the mall, thank yous to the business and other Santa Monica leaders, and of course acknowledgements to the public. The entertainment portion of the ceremony is a performance by the group, The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. Because of the crowd and my lack of height, I’m only able to see a few of the moves, but they do look good. Beach balls are tossed from the second floor and that action marks the end of the opening ceremony. Onwards and upwards!

Onto the second floor and the main attraction is the Disney Store. Emm, will steer clear of the “happiest place on earth” annex area and see another part of the floor. Discovery of some of the mannequins which are part of The Mannequin Collective art exhibit located throughout the mall until Sunday 22 August 2010. Quite a range of variety in just the few I see. Having enough of the mass of people, I skip the rest of the second floor and all of the third floor – exploring will have to wait until another day. Welcome back Santa Monica Place!


Images:
Left: Santa Monica Place interior from the website facebook.com
Center: Santa Monica Place logo from the website facebook.com

Right: “Mannequins On Exhibit” is An Adrean Darce Brent Image