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Friday, January 14, 2011
Never mind the Bullock's: A tribute to Fashion Island in San Mateo
Steve Castillo/Chronicle 1994
This one might seem like kind of a stretch. Fashion Island wasn't exactly the Mall of America. It wasn't event the Monroeville Mall. Its sole distinguising feature was a nine-pointed white tent that housed the anchor Bullock's store. And Fashion Island existed from 1981 to 1996. That's only 4 in mall years.
But there was a magical quality about the crappy old failure of a retail center that makes me sing Kris Kristofferson lyrics when I drive by the demolished site. "I'd trade all of my tomorrows for one single yesterday. Playing Karate Champ in the Gold Miiiiiiine." (I paraphrase.)
The Fashion Island tent, easily visible from the San Mateo Bridge as you drove west on Highway 92, wasn't exactly the Golden Gate Bridge or Coit Tower. But it was a landmark in a region that was sorely lacking one. The mall itself was forgettable, with a confusing layout that made you always feel like you were lost. But it was functional, containing everything a pre-teen or teen could want, including a ice skating rink, arcade (the Gold Mine ... later the Tilt at the Island), General Cinema multiplex, Happy Donuts, Orange Julius, a Musicland and a Wherehouse, and a B. Dalton Bookseller.
I miss the Fashion Island mall as much as anything from my childhood growing up in the area. More thoughts are below. Yours in the comments ... Read More 'Never mind the Bullock's: A tribute to Fashion Island in San Mateo' »
| Jan 14 at 07:31 AM
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