Shoppers descended onto the Time Warner Center shops like vultures to a rotting carcass or fashionistas to a sample sale. Forgoing Gothamist's idea of slapping a glass roof over SoHo and calling it a mall (Banana Republic, Pottery Barn, Coach), developers at the Time Warner Center decided that walking around in circles indoors around well-known stores was better than walking on the city streets and discovering new shops. One city dwelling shopper told the Post, "I'm having a blast. It's New York's mall, and it's more upscale than Woodbury Commons or Roosevelt Field."
An Upper West Sider told Newsday, "I wanted to see Whole Foods because I've never seen a real supermarket in New York City." For the love of God: On the upper West Side there's an Associated, that Food Emporium under the Ansonia, and Fairway. There's the Morton Williams on LaGuardia. But you don't need real supermarkets in New York City: We don't need the gas station in front, the ATM, photo developers, or the ugly strip mall trappings. You're not driving, the ATM is at every block, and so are photo developers. And if you want a real supermarket in New York City, there's Pathmark and Key Food and others in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx.
Manhattan User's Guide went to the Shops at Columbus Circle: To paraphrase, "Give us the slush" over the indoor shopping.
