The mean, mean travel guide

Shoppertainment: Theme-park malls

{Bangkok, Thailand}

I think the developers were afraid we’d run out of mall space in Bangkok…they’re about to achieve 7/11-style prevalence. 

It seems the current trend is to build these huge malls (that’s not new) in an amusement park theme.  Why go to Disneyland, when you can go shopping?    

Terminal 21.  @ Sukhumvit 21

Less than a year old, Terminal 21 is designed to be part-airport, part-cultural immersion. Each floor is cloaked in the aesthetic of an iconic city: Rome, London, Paris, Tokyo, SF, the Caribbean(??), etc.    

Initially, when I heard about Terminal 21, I thought the idea was cheesy.  I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised (and delighted) about the attention to detail they made in each locale…especially the bathrooms!  Relieve yourself in Pompeian opulence, Harajuku pop, or the London Underground.  

Nawamin Festival Walk @ Kaset-Nawamin

Open-air, boutique town-center, Nawamin Festival Walk is packed with little dessert shops, boutique shops, and restaurants.  Each shop’s design is slightly different, though thematically cohesive.  It’s cute without feeling too contrived (because it is actually contrived).  It’s got an HOB, Wawee coffee, The Fabulous cafe, Tell Me Wine among others and is just across the street from another complex, Nawamin City Avenue, with its own cohort of businesses.  This one, I like.    

Chocolate Ville @ Kaset-Nawamin

Waaaaay out of the way, in a remote highway (actually close to where I live), is a quaint, mini-New England village, replete with barns, country stores, wind mill, conservatories, and whatever the h@#$-else came out of some flamboyant 8-year old’s mind.  I was hoping for chocolate (with a name like CHOCOLATE Ville!) or at least more than one restaurant, but alas, it’s all a facade.  Also, their website is just as enigmatic (just a scrolling cartoon).    

and if you thought it would end there, coming soon is The Promenade @ Ram Indra.  Next to the “old” giant mall, Fashion Island, I passed it just last week and the facade is “romantic casual style.”  This “lifestyle hybrid mall” features a “Old Town Main Street” and “huge greenery garden.” Besides other style concepts, the news brief also talks about the economic boom in this area check it out here.  Fascinating.