Woodland Mall

The entire time I was reading the article by John Paul, I could picture in my mind taking a walk through Woodland Mall, and I could very quickly connect many of his descriptions to the things that I would stroll by frequently but never fully notice. Actually going to the mall after reading the article helped confirm what I had been picturing, and the parallels between what Paul was writing and what I was seeing were slightly unnerving. For instance, I noticed that the vast majority of the floor within the mall is a gleaming white tile, which never seems to wear or dirty. Also, the ceiling is white and arched, with gentle white lighting floating down, along with the large amounts of skylight that let in natural light. The highlight of the mall for me was the very center of the building. Four large pillars reached toward the ceiling, and in the center of them sat the cornucopia of a caffeine addicted nation: Starbucks. Standing in line almost felt like standing in a plastic forest, due to the large amount of fake trees spread throughout every corner of the building. All of this pleasantry does it's part to make the loud advertisements surrounding you slightly less intrusive. The amount of effort that the mall puts into making the building feel inviting and soothing is quite astounding. Despite the words 'SALE' and 'THE SEASON'S HOTTEST TREND' coming from just about every other store front, the mall does indeed feel like a place in which you would not mind spending time in. Which to me, at least, is alarming.