Dinner in Ghost Town

If you hear anyone tell you the economy is getting better, I'd advise you to take them to the Laguna Hills Mall.  If you'd like to enjoy a quiet dinner where you won't be disturbed by anyone, go to the Food Court there.

We've been going to that mall for 20 years now.  Back when we first went there the place was getting pretty old and tired and we nicknamed it the "Old and Ucky Mall", to differentiate it from the Mission Viejo Mall, which was much newer and nicer.  Sometime in the mid-90's the Laguna Hills Mall underwent a multi-million dollar renovation and upgrade that included the addition of the Food Court with nine food locations and a good-sized B. Dalton Bookstore.  Over the years that Food Court (known as the "Laguna Cafes") has always been fully rented and generally pretty busy.

Until about a year ago.  We began to see some troubling changes.  Food places left and weren't replaced.  At the end of 2009 the bookstore closed.  When we went there tonight only four of the nine food locations are still in business.  Three of them have been there since the mall was renovated.  The place looks like a ghost town.

I talked to the manager of one of the remaining stores and he told me that there are no new tenants scheduled to come in and he's heard that the plan is to shut the Food Court down altogether.

Given the number of times we've eaten there back when we had little kids at home, it would be kind of sad to see that place go.

And anyone that tells the economy is on the rebound is kidding themselves.