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Friday, August 01, 2008

Trolley Malls

Is this a new trend?
Somebody brought it to my attention that The Grove At Farmers Market in Los Angeles had a double-decker trolley running through it. So I made a date night with Cindy and we drove out to The Grove for dinner and a movie. Sure enough, there is a trolley! Battery powered though, no overhead wires, but a trolley all the same. The Grove makes for quite a romantic date, so we have been back on a number of occasions.

From what I understand, the trolley is built on a vintage trolley chassis from Boston. Talking to the conductor he noted that the new design includes a wider staircase to accommodate the larger sized Americans of the 21st century.


Now I come to find out that the Glendale is jumping on the trolley mall band wagon! May 1st of this year was the grand opening (I would have gone if I had known) 0f Americana At Brand (The mall is on Brand Ave).

Where The Grove At Farmers Market went with a double-decker trolley, Americana At Brand went with a two-car setup instead. And like The Grove, the trolleys negotiate the meandering, pedestrian only, idealized streets among many faceted buildings trimmed with many sparkling lights, and fountains spraying jets of water into the air synchronized to music.


I haven't been to Americana At Brand yet, so I think a romantic date with Cindy is in the cards soon! Yessir! A romantic date is in the cards!

Photo gallery of the Americana At Brand trolleys being built:
Visit The Grove At Farmers market:


Visit Americana At Brand: