St Louis Galleria

This time I've chosen to review a St Louis standard, the Galleria. In my previous post, I mentioned that The Mills Mall was not the "hip" St Louis Mall. This is. Despite it's age, this mall is going strong. It's got a sophisticated urban feel, owing in part to it's proximity to both western St Louis and the suburb of Clayton. The crowd of the Galleria is generally stylish, youthful, and modern.

Getting to The Galleria from out of town is relatively simple; it's near the intersection of Highway 64/40 and Highway 170 (aka "The Inner Belt"), both of which dump you out near the Galleria with little trouble. Also, if you happen to be staying in downtown St Louis or near the airport, the Galleria is easily accessible via the Metrolink.

The fact that this mall is a little more upscale than other St Louis malls is easily visible from the outside. Sporting a Macy's and Dillards as anchors, The Galleria's exterior is done in vast marble facades and tasteful exteriors. The greenery outside the mall is fresh and well maintained, giving the mall a touch of nature despite it's urban location.





The inside of the mall continues the theme of marble, with tiles and several store facades virtually glistening with light reflected not only from the ample white ceiling lights, but from the plentiful skylights as well.



This mall has two stories with multiple escalators, plus a "ground" floor (which is actually a sublevel; the actual ground floor is 1) on which is located the food court and the cinema. A central open area allows one to view the lower level from both upper levels, as well as allowing a great view from the food court. Plus, if you park wisely, you can walk straight in from the parking garage on the 2nd floor to the elevator, which you can take straight to the lower level for casual dining or a trip to the movies.



It's not only through its design that the mall maintains its higher end image. The choice of stores attracts a more cultured crowd. Included are the anchors of Macy's and Dillards, an Apple store, Anthropologie, Nine West, Regis Hairstylists, and Godiva Chocolatier. Food choices include California Pizza Kitchen, Starbucks, and a Cheesecake Factory.

All of this is not to say that the Galleria is a mall only for those of the upper middle class, however. Stores include Lane Bryant, Torrid, LensCrafters, Build-A-Bear Workshop, and Claire's among others. Low-to-mid-ranged foods include Subway, Charlie's Subs, Hibachi-San and Panda Express.

The Galleria has quite a few stores and is a quick location to pick up some quality items or do some leisure shopping IF you're in the mood to spend some cash. It's not discount shopping by any means, but it is a beautiful, vibrant mall.

Pluses - Gathers some stores together that those with the right budget can really enjoy.
The Food Court is WiFi accessible AND has available power at a few tables. The Galleria is easy to get to from most locations, and is located near other shopping.

Minuses - Parking can be a bear: Even if you don't normally cruise for a parking spot, you might find yourself doing so here. While there IS WiFi access in the food court, I've had problems with it on non-Windows laptops. If you're here and need to use Wi-Fi on a Mac or Linux laptop, you might try the chairs outside the Apple store.

I really have a soft spot for the Galleria, and love to go there. I give it four kiosks.

St Louis Mills Mall

I've chosen to start with a review of this mall because it the closest to my residence, at just over 2 miles. St Louis Mills is a relatively new mall in North St Louis County. It's kind of out in the middle of nowhere off highway 370, not too far north of interstate 270. It's got the feel of an Outlet mall, but there are only a couple "Outlet" type stores. Mostly, you'll find standard mall fare and, surprisingly enough, a large number of local retailers.

Here's a view from an intersection near the mall. As you can see, it's quite expansive, but only one story.



Many of the mall's destinations can be seen from the vast parking lot, which is bordered on two sides by a moat! These include the Theater 18 and the Nascar Speedpark (complete with outside go-cart racetrack).



Inside, the halls between stores are spacious, leaving plenty of room for kiosks, gumball machines, and even an indoor playground. Despite only having one story, this mall has a LOT of square footage. There's even an ice skating rink inside (the official practice rink of the St Louis Blues hockey team, no less). Inside, it's divided up into "neighborhoods," most of which have their own entrances. Walking from one neighborhood to another is something in the area of a city block, so a complete walk around the mall is quite a hike. If you visit, try to use the outside of the mall as a guide to where you are most likely to exit, because after a day of walking around this place, you're done.



The food court is pretty average (at least for St Louis); it has a Subway, a Chinese place, a Sushi place, a Sbarro, and a Johnny Rockets (like Steak and Shake but not as cool). There's even a Burger King here, which serves all you can drink soda (a rarity in St Louis malls, where you usually have to pay for refills or at least walk up to the counter and ask). Off the food court, there's a Tony Roma's and a Chevy's. Outbuilding restaurants include Steak and Shake and Bob Evans.

There are some stores here for everyone, though you might not find your favorite. This is not the "hip" mall of St Louis, it's a tourist place with some useful stores (Payless Shoes, Books-A-Million), plenty of clothing stores (forever 21, Old Navy, Burlington Coat Factory) and some locally owned shops. It's very kid friendly, having a large indoor play area, a toy store, a candy store, indoor glow-in-the-dark mini-golf, and a couple game stores, as well as a train that actually carries passengers around the mall. For the outdoor fishing and hunting enthusiast, there's even a (very large) Cabela's in which you can actually purchase firearms and ammo (great zombie mall).

Pluses - Large variety of shops makes everyone happy. WiFi available in the Food Court area. Plenty of parking.
Minuses - Doesn't necessarily have the stores you might expect: definitely look before at the directory online before you go. With WiFi in the Food Court, you'd expect available power outlets: you'd be disappointed.

All total, I give St Louis Mills Mall 3.5 kiosks!