The good news is that if you’re missing the ghetto antics, you can catch them nearby at Valley View Mall or at Town East Mall in Mesquite. ;-D

I believe the Dallas chapter of the American Institute of Architects ran the designing-with-cans competition, in which various firms dreamed up designs and constructed them with food cans of appropriate size and shape. This is apparently AIA’s way to publicize its drive to collect canned goods for charity (I guess this is why the rules forbid building with dogfood cans).

Lately, various builders and designers have been involved in NorthPark’s playhouse auction, which features wooden playhouses large enough for habitation by small children. The highest bidders get the houses, and CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for children) gets the money.

Yes, I believe that’s the smell of Money.

It’s the only mall at which I will shop. Security is tight but unobtrusive, and ghetto antics are not permitted, allowing one to shop in peace.

The best part is the turtle pond in front of Tiffany. I love NorthPark.

The Nasher family is known for its love of the arts. During Thanksgiving, artists will create works of art using canned goods and other non-parishable foods. The mall typically has some sort of “art competition” and the displays will be promoted throughout the mall. A rare thing about Northpark is that it doesn’t have any of the “cart retailers” who set up shop in the walkways of malls. Makes the mall feel a lot more open than it actually is and you don’t have to deal with annoying sales people trying to force you to buy cell phones or hair extensions. Also, Susan G. Comen Race for the Cure offices are in the mall and the mall is heavily involved in the race.

I’ve been scanning the Internet for a list of all the shops who’ve ever occupied NorthPark space, but no luck. I expect only the NorthPark offices could provide it. One stimulus for this search is that another Internet forum claims there was a Kroger grocery in NorthPark early on, but I don’t recall it.

The original L-shaped NorthPark offered one boutique-y wing, with Neiman’s at the far end, while the other wing was a bit downscale, with a Lerner’s dress shop, a Woolworth’s, and a drugstore, etc. J.C. Penney was the terminus of that wing, and I suppose Kroger would have been along there somewhere. The Neiman’s wing smelled differently from the other wing, as I recall, and I’ve always supposed that was an effect achieved intentionally by adding some odorant to the air. Or maybe it’s a natural emanation from Neiman’s.

How come too many Macy’s stores, anyway, have signs that are the tiring black and red design(sorry to anyone who disagrees, but I won’t hide here how much I dislike the colors used on signs of their stores when they converted from May-owned department store chains), and are not a nicer single color, such as what Federated used for their North Park store? It’s too bad this is one of the very rare stores I’ve ever seen outside of Macy’s stores in the northeast region, where Macy’s(Federated) was smart enough to use a single color for the interior and exterior signage. Federated really should go back to the old way Macy’s signs were like, pre-Federated/May merger. *sigh!*

Would love to check this mall out for myself, if I ever someday(and though I expect it’ll be many years before ever having any opportunities to do this) make it to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.