This town...is coming like a Ghost Town (scene inside the once-throbbing Vallco Mall, Cupertino, CA)

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Vallco Mall pretty much went under, with the survivors being Sears, JC Penney, Macy's, and a handful of lesser stores. It has been renamed "Cupertino Square," and the "Food Court" includes a frozen yogurt stand, a teriyaki booth, Burger King, Popeye's Chicken, and "Hofbrau Express."

Walking through the mall, you see a lot of idle shopkeepers with dead eyes.

I took this photo today with my cell phone:



The overall feeling is like being in a George Romero "Living Dead" film. Vallco used to be AMAZING...now it's a renamed Ghost Town.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

1. As bad as we think it is out there,

the reality - which hits me every time I hear that another old friend has lost a job - is so much worse.

I don't know that we're gonna make it out of this mess. I hope, but I don't know.

(Wasn't "Night Of The Living Dead" filmed, in part, inside a mall in Pittsburgh? If I'm right about that, how prescient was Romero?)

[Amerigo Vespucci]

5. "Night" was filmed in Pittsburgh, "Dawn" was filmed in Monroeville Mall (also Pittsburgh)

http://www.monroevillemall.com/shop/monroeville.nsf/index

:toast:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

9. I got them mixed up,

but I had it sort of right, huh? I always get confused, since both of them so remind me of my first honeymoon................

[Baikonour]

2. Wow, Vallco!

Takes me way back. I grew up in San Jose and used to go there all the time with friends. It was never that empty.

But then again, that was like 17 years ago.

[lonestarnot]

3. Yikes.

[SidDithers]

4. "all the clubs are being closed down"...

Specials ftw! :hi:

Sid

[Amerigo Vespucci]

6. I've always loved that song, and you can't walk through Vallco without humming it.

:toast:

[SidDithers]

8. I like your taste in music...

The Specials, and a Neil Young sig pic. A man after my own heart :)

Sid

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. looks...peaceful

[rufus dog]

10. Driving up the 5 last night from Solano Beach

Going down there at about 7:00 P.M. I mentioned to my wife that I couldn't remember the traffic being that light. Coming back at about 10:30 through Mission Viejo there was a time that the freeway was clear for a mile in front of me. Never in my 20+ years in Southern Cal has a freeway been that wide open other than New Years day at about 6 AM headed up to Pasadena.

[ContinentalOp]

11. LOL, Valco!? The Specials?

What, did you somehow go back in time and sneak a glimpse into my high school life? To be honest Valco was a ghost town for decades. I grew up in San Jose, went to high school in Cupertino, but I remember Valco being dead pretty much as soon as Valley Fair did their big renovation sometime in the late 80s, early 90s? When it went from a big flat single story 60s looking mall with the letters "Valley Fair" on balls way up in the air, to a two story 80s monstrosity. And now with the even further expansion of Valley Fair plus Santana Row plus the 85, what chance does Valco really have?

[ContinentalOp]

12. I wish I could find some old pictures of the part where you would drive underneath...

I think near the ice rink? It had an awesome 70s look to it. I think there was some big kind of decorative light sculpture thing on the outside?

edit: somewhere around this part
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HjkVWuzpDjA/RfWd0B3waeI/AAAAAAAAADI/icDTLNHK164/s1600-h/082406+007.jpg

[TahitiNut]

14. At least part of the time in the early days, that was a popular Happy Hour watering hole up there.

I suppose the awkward logistics of getting supplies and getting rid of trash/garbage made it a short honeymoon for restaurants and bars on that Wolfe Road overpass. TGI Fridays and the Mexican restaurant took the lion's share of the crowds.

[ContinentalOp]

16. Yeah, TGI Fridays! That and Benihana's and the ice rink were the only reasons

we ever ventured out to Vallco.

[TahitiNut]

13. How's the TGI Fridays doing there?

I remember how crowded Vallco was back in the late 70s ... packed. I saw it calm down in the 80s and then start limping in the 90s. By Bush43, it was hurting. In a way, I'm just glad it's still open.

(I lived in Cupertino from 83-92 and Los Gatos from 97-03. I miss it.)

[Amerigo Vespucci]

19. I didn't see it...

...here's the link to the "Restaurants" page, and TGI Fridays isn't on it:

http://www.cupertinosquare.com/restaurants.html

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

15. ...All the clubs have been closed down!

... aww crap, beaten!

[Initech]

17. Check out Triangle Square in Costa Mesa.

It used to be the coolest mall in the state... now it's a fucking ghost town. The only thing still standing there is the Yardhouse restaurant and a couple of other random places.

[CreekDog]

18. Cupertino is home of:

[TahitiNut]

20. HP, too.

:shrug: And (once upon a time) Tandem and Compaq.

[EFerrari]

21. I think we moved to Sunnyvale when there was just a Sears there.

Because after the original mall part was built, then there was a (one) bus that went down Fremont, turned on Wolf and stopped at the mall. :wow:

When they built the part that went over the road, traffic became horrible on that stretch of Wolf Road.

[barb162]

22. I bet on Saturdays business really picks up there?

[Amerigo Vespucci]

23. They're trying to lure the locals with a number of activities...

Today, for example...I'm thinking about going to check this out, and might bring my video camera. It will be in the food court (location of my photo):

Culturefest: China:

Saturday, February 28, 2009



http://www.cupertinosquare.com/events.html

February's CultureFest celebration focuses on Chinese New Year, which kicks off Feb. 7 with the year of the Ox. People born in the Year of the Ox are patient, speak little and inspire confidence in others. They have fierce tempers and although they speak little, when they do, they are quite eloquent. Ox people are mentally and physically alert. The O-Mei Kung Fu Academy and its affiliates will bring life to the Cupertino Square Food Court with inspirational and awe inspiring dance, Kung Fu demonstrations, and much, much more. Come to the Food Court and Celebrate all that is the Majesty
of China.

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

They also have a Farmers Market, and in March, a Celtic band will perform there on weekends (I may video tape them too, with their permission)...

[barb162]

24. Some of the malls where I live are going empty but other malls

are crowded. I think retail overbuilt like crazy in my area.

[REP]

26. There was an orchid society show and sale (MOS) a few weeks ago

I went; I was surprised as how much cleaner Stupertino SQ was than Vallco (I avoided Vallco as much as possible; not a nice place).

[KamaAina]

25. Dead malls are nothing new

but I have a sinking feeling we may be seeing many more new entries here:

http://www.deadmalls.com

edit: spelling