BIGMallrat's Editorial Review
Westfield Downtown Plaza is an open-air mall
in the heart of downtown Sacramento. Often considered the heart of
Sacramento and gateway to Old Town, this mall has lost some of
its luster. Sacramento city officials and Westfield have been wrangling
in redevelopment efforts for years.
Occupancy
This mall is quickly becoming dead. While
the Piazza court near Macy's is lively and full of shops, the entire
east side is devoid of stores. No other shopping center in the region
can generate controversey like this mall.
Atmosphere
Most of this mall is an outdoor shopping center,
with wide overhangs to shelter visitors from the hot sun. If you
look closely, you find a number of eclectic architectural features
unique to this mall. However, wide columns block the
views. Perhaps a design flaw.
The malls seems to be trying to
find an identity, whether festival center
for tourists, or upscale shopping destination for locals.
Stores
Westfield claims
to have 110 stores in the center. The Macy's here is the largest
in the region. The mall hosts a number of national retailers
with larger stores in the
western half of the
shopping center. The eastern half has a lot of vacant store fronts.
An enclosed portion of the mall south of the Rotunda court on the
Lower Level
contains an eclectic mix of shops and is worth investigating.
Food
You'll find a
large enclosed food court on the Upper Level near Macy's. Other sit-down
restaurants, like River
City Brewing Company and Johnny Rockets, can be found throughout
the center. The area's only Hard Rock Cafe can be found in the east
side.
Location
Westfield Downtown Plaza is located in downtown
Sacramento CA. From I-5, take the J Street exit. You can find parking
on J Street, between 4th and 6th Streets on the right. Be sure and
head over to Old Town for some fun and revelry.
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