On Sunday I went with my friend Klara over to the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto. I was in search of the perfect socks and thought that I might find them in this upscale mega-plaza. They have many of the well-known department stores as well as smaller shops. I've done a review of this mall on Yelp and gave it two stars out of five. After Sunday, I'll downgrade it to one.
There is something seriously wrong with this place. It has all the ingredients for a great mall yet is entirely lacking in personality. It is less than just a collection of stores for there is nothing practical at all about it. Sunday was a very hot day and we were very thirsty. We just wanted a simple ice tea. Or even a soft drink from a vending machine. This proved to be a very difficult task.
We walked into Teavana to get a simple glass of ice tea. Here is my Yelp review of this place:
People must be nuts in Palo Alto. Today I was shopping with a friend and it was a very hot day. We strolled in to get a glass of ice tea. Just a simple glass of ice tea. Ok, this is the Stanford Shopping Center and I expected to pay a premium. But $4+ for some strange combination of "exotic" teas? I couldn't even understand the menu, nor could my friend.
We just walked out without getting anything. This was just too weird for us.
No water fountain in sight. We went over to Nordstrom and they have a coffee kiosk in front. The line was tremendous! We ended up in the Nordstrom Cafe and I paid $6 for two iced teas. The worst part was that we weren't given our drinks right away but told a server would get our receipt and bring the drinks. I JUST WANT A FUCKING GLASS OF ICE TEA. I'M DYING OF THIRST. I took the initiative and tracked down a busgirl. I gave her a couple of bucks and apprised her of our thirst. I was desperate.
Oh yes, the socks. I ended up buying a pair of pink cotton dress socks that I could have bought at the local mall in Newark.
