Goodbye Ampang Park

It looks like the time was almost up. The tenants and shop owners of Ampang Park had exhausted all legal challenge to stop the closure of the first and oldest shopping mall in KL. They were all given their final notices and had been making plans to move their businesses elsewhere.

Even the famed "Cozy Corner" was moving after Raya.

I was there with Anita looking for clothes for Raya. The selection were as good as ever and she got what she wanted. The irony was we took the LRT from KLCC to get there and the future plans for the lot was to built a new MRT station.

I was sure there were enough reasons to demolish such an icon and hopefully in the future, this plot of land would be put in good use ... But for now, thanks for the memories ...

Something is Brewing

I was at IKANO just before the CNY break and I didn’t remember there was much change to the lower ground floor. Today, Anita wanted me to drive her to IKEA after work and I was surprise to see that the whole floor had been closed for refurbishment when I was walking around looking for dinner.

All the shops, including the small stalls lining the corridor were no where in sight. Instead there were covered by placards saying somebody “Swede” was taking over. And that could only be one thing .... IKEA was taking over IKANO!

Or at least the lower ground floor.

I was not sure how long the shops would be closed. And once it was opened, how it would be like. Or whether it would be IKEA after all. So, watch this space ...

Off to Quill

I finished my day earlier than planned yesterday with cancellation of a couple of meetings. I had some time to take Anita to do some groceries and ended up at a mall we were not familiar with, the Quill City Mall.

Nestled close to the Centre of town but hidden out of the way at the same time, we passed by this mall many times but never got around to stop. We were heading somewhere else initially but decided to stop by. I must say that the place was bigger than expected, and much to my surprise looked to be one of the more pleasing place architecturally.

It was in the middle of the Mooncake Festival and the decorations at the mall reflected that. There were cute miniature dolls in the central bazaar which caught my eye.

The curves and the natural light bathing the inner structure was something to be admired. And the whole place appeared airy and spacious. There were plenty of café to stop by although on the whole the mall still appeared empty despite being opened for some time. Maybe it was a weekday which made the place looked empty.

Parking was a breeze and the whole basement was occupied by AEON, making grocery shopping less of a hassle. We were worried that it was right in the middle of the rush hour when we left. Luckily Waze guided us away from the heavy traffic and we were gone within half an hour. We would definitely return although a quick tip, the Hamley's outlet wasn't worth a stop.

Pavilion Xmas Decor

One of the advantage of a multi-cultural society is the regular festivities that we had. And during this period, the shopping malls in town would be lavishly decorated, filled with night lights and gimmick. Despite the economic slow-down and the recent haze, everybody were still looking forward for a bit of flair and creativity.

As of every year, I looked forward to what Pavilion had to offer. This year, it was more glitters than snow, with Swarovski being the main sponsor at the lobby. They had a five-storey Xmas tree on show, filled with crystals and lights. The train and the grotto made a comeback and the area by the main entrance and the fountain were filled with lights as well.

Last night, I had the chance to explore the place at night, trying to absorb the light show. The main lobby was still closed for installation last week, so yesterday was the first time I explored it as well.

It was the ASEAN Summit weekend and with Obama in town, we were expecting some traffic flow problems. Despite that, there were still plenty of people out on the Saturday night. I wonder what Nu Sentral and 1Utama have in store ….

Return to The Mall

Or should I say, the newly renamed Sunway Putra Mall.

Yes, the place looked different to what I remembered. Gone were the huge glass canopy over the main atrium, replaced by column of shop floors and a central foyer. The old cinema and indoor theme park was also gone, replaced with more shops although the famous eatery on the top floor remained, although there were new restaurants there.

The old Yaohan was replaced with Uniqlo, and still plenty of shops under renovation or practically empty. The parking lots were the same as before. Cramp and damp, but now with the option of valet parking at the main entrance. Access was much better now with LRT attached to the main building.

The place was still yet officially opened, and was still empty even for a Sunday lunch time. Not all the restaurants were opened, but we had a nice lunch at Lorong Seratus Tahun, a Penang-themed food outlet. 

Going there with Anita brought back many memories of the late 80's and early 90's. Sweet ones. I remember going to have lunch there on the days I was due to fly back to the UK and doing last minute shopping. That also seemed to be THE place for meetups when friends come in from out of town during school breaks. The hippest place before KLCC and Pavilion or even One Utama were the rage.

Oh, time has changed. One of the girls at the shop corrected us when we said that "The Mall" looked different. She said, there is no "The Mall", there is only "Sunway Putra Mall". Hipster!!!