I had the day off today. So, in addition to waking up late, enjoying multiple cups of coffee, and honoring Veterans by visiting the Veterans Plaza in Newhall, I got to enjoy the rare treat of a week-day bike ride.
The purpose of today’s ride was two-fold: Get some much needed exercise and visit some spots in the SCV I’ve been neglecting lately, including the new Patios development at the mall. Here’s some photos and I hope you enjoy! (Click to view larger images)
P-Canyon has to be the best short Canyon ride in town and it marked the beginning of my ride today
Back in my post-college days, I worked at a commercial real estate firm and knew CoStar well. They are no doubt cataloging all the vacant retail & office spaces in town
Like this one. Yet another furniture store going out of business. This time on Citrus Street
Yet among all the recessionary blues, there are rays of hope. Here's the new Patios development. Quite nice and I dig how it opens up to welcome you
I had to ride and shoot quickly in order to avoid the Westfield rent-a-cop bikers. Fortunately I'm way faster than they are. Nice entrance yes?
A lookout tower to ensure shoppers are Thinking SCV sufficiently or a nice architectural feature?
Thank you Westfield/NLF for remembering to install these attractive bike racks. Kudos to you!
One of the last California Grizzly bears was killed not far from the SCV, so I was pleased to see this painted bear public art piece at the entrance to Macy's
As you can see, much has been accomplished at our venerable mall, and much remains to be done. I assume these will all be shops soon
The site formerly known as the Greens. This is a true return-to-nature story in the heart of Valencia. It looks WILD. Seriously, where are the over-aggressive code-enforcement officers now? Someday there might be a gigantic Sheraton at this location
I Heart our Mall even though I don’t shop there much. I’m not like the SCV old-timers who remember onion fields where the mall once was, but one of my first SCV memories was visiting the mall the week it opened in 1992. It too opened during a recession and I’m sure there were many doubters back then.
But then the boom-boom 90s hit and pretty soon, NLF was building Town Center Drive, the first major expansion to the mall.
Now, just 10 years after that, we have another new expansion.
For all the criticism leveled at NLF over the years, I think they (and Westfield now) deserve praise for really creating a destination in the heart of Santa Clarita.
No doubt the economy will improve and the Patios + Town Center mall + Town Center Drive will make for a compelling shopping area.
Anyway that’s it, hope you enjoyed.
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