The Americana. Not so perfect. (first draft)
The Americana. Not so perfect.
Some people would call the Americana at Brand a perfect town center, which could be considered a utopian place to live in and visit. The truth is that the Americana is not all that great. The Americana does have a few good things about it. The fact that it is based on the industrial age and shows a little piece of our history with the small Eiffel tower and the trolley that goes around is a good thing. Despite this, the Americana is not the best place to live in and is not close to being utopian. When moving into a place like the Americana you have to consider the cost and it is ridiculously high. On top of that the Americana does not have any doctors or any medical facilities. This just goes to show that the Americana is made to make money off of you and they will do whatever it takes whether its making you move in to an overpriced apartment or its opening up a new Nordstrom with its own valet parking. The Americana at Brand is a truly beautiful place to visit but not live in because of its high price and lack of amenities.
When they built the Americana at Brand, the owner, Rick Caruso, wanted the Americana to be based on the industrial age. Rick Caruso was always a big fan of the industrial age and so a lot of the things within the Americana are based on it for example the Eiffel tower at the top of the parking lot elevators. Another good example of this is the trolley that goes through the middle of the Americana. I personally think this does have some benefits. Because the Americana is based on the industrial age, it shows a little bit of our past and shows what our cities used to look like. This is a good thing because it shows children what the industrial age used to look like and how city centers used to be during those time periods.
Besides that the Americana has its benefits by the people that go there. Because the Americana is in the middle of Glendale, you will mostly see Armenians and Americans in the Americana. The clean neighborhood around the Americana only helps boost its beauty and make it seem like it is a perfect place to live. What if we were to imagine the Americana in a different area for example Inglewood? Do you think it would still be as beautiful and a fun place to visit? The reason I say this is that the Americana is a deceiving place to visit because of its beauty and the area around it. Because of the area around it we begin to believe the Americana can be a utopian place to live but, we have never tried to put a big city center like this one in other areas like Inglewood to know whether or not it will work out. The main reason it wouldn’t work out is because of the high price to live in the Americana.
Another reason the Americana can be considered a Utopia is that the streets within the Americana are kept ridiculously clean. In fact some would say it is too clean to believe. Its almost like out of a novel about utopian societies where in utopian areas everything is kept spotless but in areas that are dystopian, everything is really dirty and messed up. One good example of this would be the book, Divergent, and how their city was made. This also has to do with the area that the Americana was built in. If the Americana were built in an Area that is not as safe as Glendale, then we would probably see a lot of graffiti and trash around the area.
The Americana at Brand has a lot of different living space options to choose from. You can live in a simple loft, which is around 800 square feet, or a town house, which is about 2000 square feet. The real question is how much does it cost to live in one of these options. Unfortunately, the price is not listed anywhere on their website. It’s almost like when you go to a car show. At car shows, they never tell you the price of the really expensive cars because they do not think you can afford to buy them. Even though The Americana website does not have their pricing listed anywhere on the cite la.Curbed.com does. What’s even funnier is that la.curbed.com states that the price to live in the Americana is actually dropping. On la.curbed.com it states, “A 1,306-square-foot condo that was priced at $670,000 is now $410,000. Another unit has dropped from $931,000 to $539,000.” (Smith) That is the same price as a house in the Glendale hills. The price is not only high but also ridiculous to say. Besides the price of living in the Americana, you have to look at the prices of the stores and restaurants in the Americana. All the stores in the Americana are really expensive and the restaurants will have you washing dishes for days until you pay off the bill.
You also have to consider whether it is a smart choice to live in one of these lofts or town homes. For the price that you are going to pay, I would think it is smarter to just buy a house somewhere in Glendale. Buying a house in comparison to living in one of these lofts would be a smarter investment on your part because when you decide to move out you can sell the house and get money out of it. With the living spaces in Americana you can’t necessarily do that. Even if you did have your mind set on buying a condo, for the price you are going to pay, you might as well get one somewhere in Beverly Hills.
The other reason I believe the Americana at Brand cannot be considered a utopian place to live in because, The Americana is made to make money off of you. At the end of the day the Americana is in fact a business and their main purpose is to make money off of you. The entire industrial age design is just a stunt to get you to go there and spend money. That is actually the main reason they used any theme at all. Even the area it is built in was purposely picked because they knew that the people who lived around there could afford to go shopping in the Americana.
One way they can make the Americana an easier place to live would be by changing the stores inside the Americana. All the stores inside the Americana are way too expensive. I personally think that if they changed the stores, a lot of people would want to come to the Americana because it would be more affordable. If they were to change the stores the condos would also be more affordable because of the things around it. I think it would be a smart thing to do because the Americana would have a lot more customers that could only be a benefit to the owners of the stores and Rick Caruso. The only downside to this is that it would be harder to maintain the cleanliness of the Americana.
In the end, I would not call the Americana at Brand a utopian place to live in but I will give it credit because it holds almost everything a utopian place needs to be considered one. The Americana is not necessarily utopian but a very close and good try at being utopian. I still believe that it is a beautiful place to visit and its wonderful for anyone to visit. The only real problem I find is the cost and the fact that it is a business. I think that we could use more places like the Americana, because as more and more are built, the cost to build and sustain these places will be lower because all of them would be competing with each other to get more customers. I think that if we lower the cost then you could possibly have a wonderful place to live in.
Some people would call the Americana at Brand a perfect town center, which could be considered a utopian place to live in and visit. The truth is that the Americana is not all that great. The Americana does have a few good things about it. The fact that it is based on the industrial age and shows a little piece of our history with the small Eiffel tower and the trolley that goes around is a good thing. Despite this, the Americana is not the best place to live in and is not close to being utopian. When moving into a place like the Americana you have to consider the cost and it is ridiculously high. On top of that the Americana does not have any doctors or any medical facilities. This just goes to show that the Americana is made to make money off of you and they will do whatever it takes whether its making you move in to an overpriced apartment or its opening up a new Nordstrom with its own valet parking. The Americana at Brand is a truly beautiful place to visit but not live in because of its high price and lack of amenities.
When they built the Americana at Brand, the owner, Rick Caruso, wanted the Americana to be based on the industrial age. Rick Caruso was always a big fan of the industrial age and so a lot of the things within the Americana are based on it for example the Eiffel tower at the top of the parking lot elevators. Another good example of this is the trolley that goes through the middle of the Americana. I personally think this does have some benefits. Because the Americana is based on the industrial age, it shows a little bit of our past and shows what our cities used to look like. This is a good thing because it shows children what the industrial age used to look like and how city centers used to be during those time periods.
Besides that the Americana has its benefits by the people that go there. Because the Americana is in the middle of Glendale, you will mostly see Armenians and Americans in the Americana. The clean neighborhood around the Americana only helps boost its beauty and make it seem like it is a perfect place to live. What if we were to imagine the Americana in a different area for example Inglewood? Do you think it would still be as beautiful and a fun place to visit? The reason I say this is that the Americana is a deceiving place to visit because of its beauty and the area around it. Because of the area around it we begin to believe the Americana can be a utopian place to live but, we have never tried to put a big city center like this one in other areas like Inglewood to know whether or not it will work out. The main reason it wouldn’t work out is because of the high price to live in the Americana.
Another reason the Americana can be considered a Utopia is that the streets within the Americana are kept ridiculously clean. In fact some would say it is too clean to believe. Its almost like out of a novel about utopian societies where in utopian areas everything is kept spotless but in areas that are dystopian, everything is really dirty and messed up. One good example of this would be the book, Divergent, and how their city was made. This also has to do with the area that the Americana was built in. If the Americana were built in an Area that is not as safe as Glendale, then we would probably see a lot of graffiti and trash around the area.
The Americana at Brand has a lot of different living space options to choose from. You can live in a simple loft, which is around 800 square feet, or a town house, which is about 2000 square feet. The real question is how much does it cost to live in one of these options. Unfortunately, the price is not listed anywhere on their website. It’s almost like when you go to a car show. At car shows, they never tell you the price of the really expensive cars because they do not think you can afford to buy them. Even though The Americana website does not have their pricing listed anywhere on the cite la.Curbed.com does. What’s even funnier is that la.curbed.com states that the price to live in the Americana is actually dropping. On la.curbed.com it states, “A 1,306-square-foot condo that was priced at $670,000 is now $410,000. Another unit has dropped from $931,000 to $539,000.” (Smith) That is the same price as a house in the Glendale hills. The price is not only high but also ridiculous to say. Besides the price of living in the Americana, you have to look at the prices of the stores and restaurants in the Americana. All the stores in the Americana are really expensive and the restaurants will have you washing dishes for days until you pay off the bill.
You also have to consider whether it is a smart choice to live in one of these lofts or town homes. For the price that you are going to pay, I would think it is smarter to just buy a house somewhere in Glendale. Buying a house in comparison to living in one of these lofts would be a smarter investment on your part because when you decide to move out you can sell the house and get money out of it. With the living spaces in Americana you can’t necessarily do that. Even if you did have your mind set on buying a condo, for the price you are going to pay, you might as well get one somewhere in Beverly Hills.
The other reason I believe the Americana at Brand cannot be considered a utopian place to live in because, The Americana is made to make money off of you. At the end of the day the Americana is in fact a business and their main purpose is to make money off of you. The entire industrial age design is just a stunt to get you to go there and spend money. That is actually the main reason they used any theme at all. Even the area it is built in was purposely picked because they knew that the people who lived around there could afford to go shopping in the Americana.
One way they can make the Americana an easier place to live would be by changing the stores inside the Americana. All the stores inside the Americana are way too expensive. I personally think that if they changed the stores, a lot of people would want to come to the Americana because it would be more affordable. If they were to change the stores the condos would also be more affordable because of the things around it. I think it would be a smart thing to do because the Americana would have a lot more customers that could only be a benefit to the owners of the stores and Rick Caruso. The only downside to this is that it would be harder to maintain the cleanliness of the Americana.
In the end, I would not call the Americana at Brand a utopian place to live in but I will give it credit because it holds almost everything a utopian place needs to be considered one. The Americana is not necessarily utopian but a very close and good try at being utopian. I still believe that it is a beautiful place to visit and its wonderful for anyone to visit. The only real problem I find is the cost and the fact that it is a business. I think that we could use more places like the Americana, because as more and more are built, the cost to build and sustain these places will be lower because all of them would be competing with each other to get more customers. I think that if we lower the cost then you could possibly have a wonderful place to live in.
The Americana at Brand!!!
The Americana and Its Beauty
On March 14, of 2014 I visited the Americana at Brand, and it is a truly beautiful and clean place to be. The Americana is always packed with a lot of people. People go there for all types of reasons. Whether it’s to watch a movie or go into a restaurant, The Americana is always packed. One thing that I noticed about it is the people that go there are typically Armenian or white. This mainly has to do with the area it is located in, Glendale. Since Glendale’s population mostly consists of Armenian and white people, The Americana is usually filled with both. Most of the people that go to the Americana are typically middle class or higher because The Americana has a lot of very expensive stores, and restaurants. Even though they have stores where you can validate the parking, it is still very expensive compared to other places around Los Angeles.
The space itself is actually very big. In the middle there is a big water fountain that does amazing light and water shows every few hours. Next to the water fountain, there is a giant gold statue. The Americana’s whole design mostly revolves around an old-fashioned train car, which people can ride around The Americana to get to the other side. There’s even a small playground next to the water fountain where little kids can play in while their parents are shopping. Most of the stores in The Americana are arranged in a circle around the middle train car.
Another really interesting thing about The Americana is there is a huge sign that lights up at night with The Americana name on it. Besides that on top of the elevators that leads to the parking lot, there is a big Eiffel tower replica. I found these two to be very interesting because if you ever go to a really high point in the city and look at the view, you will always easily spot them and I think because of that it makes The Americana a very popular place to visit. These two elements also make The Americana very noticeable.
What’s also really interesting about the way it is set up is that there are large apartment condos right on top of the stores, so The Americana is actually more then just a shopping center. The good thing about this is you can live upstairs then later at night go out and watch a movie or hangout with friends. The main reason people would say it is not ideal is because of the cost of living in one of those condos.
The people that go to The Americana do not dress a specific way. Because of all the different things you can do there, people at The Americana dress anywhere from semi-casual to formal. Most people that go there either go to spend the day with their families, celebrate an event with friends or even something as simple as a date. What’s also really interesting is that there is no specific age group that goes to The Americana. Whether they are old senior citizens or young teenagers, everyone goes to The Americana to have a good time. I think this just goes to show that they something for everyone to enjoy and that it can be a fun place to be for anyone.
The whole design philosophy of The Americana was meant to make it look very modern while at the same time, make it look like it came from the industrial age. The modern yet classic look makes it a very amusing place to go to. The main purpose for this was to make it a pleasurable place to visit and it truly is. This tells us a lot about the person who made The Americana. It tells us that the person who made it loved the industrial age and was a very big fan of art especially because of the statue in the middle and the Eiffel tower.
Another thing that I really enjoyed about The Americana was all the amazing smells in the air. Because of all the food stands and restaurants, there is always something delicious in the air. And if you do not smell the food, then you will smell all the sweet cologne and perfumes in the air because of the stands that are set up around the area.
I also noticed that the area it is located in is a very clean area. In Glendale it is very hard to find poverty. Especially since the Americana has its own security, you will never see a homeless person walking around in The Americana. The security is a very nice touch because they help keep areas clear so it doesn’t stay too packed in one area. The only thing I did not like about the security is if they saw a group of people bigger than four people, they tell you to break the group up which could be very bothersome for people who are trying to spend time with their families. I did not notice this the last time I visited because I went by myself but in past visits they would always tell me and my friends to split up, because they were afraid we would start a fight. I understand, they are trying to keep the area clean and safe but that is just ridiculous.
The Americana’s main purpose is to act as a good place to visit whether with friends or family. Since there is so much to do at The Americana, it truly is an awesome place to live in or even visit for the day. Even though the security can sometimes be a bother, the number of activities are endless and you are bound to have a good time as you visit. Even with all the stores that are there, the Americana is still expanding and adding stores for example the new Nordstrom that is opening up. The point is, from the smells to the environment it is a very nice place to visit and I would highly recommend you give it a try.
On March 14, of 2014 I visited the Americana at Brand, and it is a truly beautiful and clean place to be. The Americana is always packed with a lot of people. People go there for all types of reasons. Whether it’s to watch a movie or go into a restaurant, The Americana is always packed. One thing that I noticed about it is the people that go there are typically Armenian or white. This mainly has to do with the area it is located in, Glendale. Since Glendale’s population mostly consists of Armenian and white people, The Americana is usually filled with both. Most of the people that go to the Americana are typically middle class or higher because The Americana has a lot of very expensive stores, and restaurants. Even though they have stores where you can validate the parking, it is still very expensive compared to other places around Los Angeles.
The space itself is actually very big. In the middle there is a big water fountain that does amazing light and water shows every few hours. Next to the water fountain, there is a giant gold statue. The Americana’s whole design mostly revolves around an old-fashioned train car, which people can ride around The Americana to get to the other side. There’s even a small playground next to the water fountain where little kids can play in while their parents are shopping. Most of the stores in The Americana are arranged in a circle around the middle train car.
Another really interesting thing about The Americana is there is a huge sign that lights up at night with The Americana name on it. Besides that on top of the elevators that leads to the parking lot, there is a big Eiffel tower replica. I found these two to be very interesting because if you ever go to a really high point in the city and look at the view, you will always easily spot them and I think because of that it makes The Americana a very popular place to visit. These two elements also make The Americana very noticeable.
What’s also really interesting about the way it is set up is that there are large apartment condos right on top of the stores, so The Americana is actually more then just a shopping center. The good thing about this is you can live upstairs then later at night go out and watch a movie or hangout with friends. The main reason people would say it is not ideal is because of the cost of living in one of those condos.
The people that go to The Americana do not dress a specific way. Because of all the different things you can do there, people at The Americana dress anywhere from semi-casual to formal. Most people that go there either go to spend the day with their families, celebrate an event with friends or even something as simple as a date. What’s also really interesting is that there is no specific age group that goes to The Americana. Whether they are old senior citizens or young teenagers, everyone goes to The Americana to have a good time. I think this just goes to show that they something for everyone to enjoy and that it can be a fun place to be for anyone.
The whole design philosophy of The Americana was meant to make it look very modern while at the same time, make it look like it came from the industrial age. The modern yet classic look makes it a very amusing place to go to. The main purpose for this was to make it a pleasurable place to visit and it truly is. This tells us a lot about the person who made The Americana. It tells us that the person who made it loved the industrial age and was a very big fan of art especially because of the statue in the middle and the Eiffel tower.
Another thing that I really enjoyed about The Americana was all the amazing smells in the air. Because of all the food stands and restaurants, there is always something delicious in the air. And if you do not smell the food, then you will smell all the sweet cologne and perfumes in the air because of the stands that are set up around the area.
I also noticed that the area it is located in is a very clean area. In Glendale it is very hard to find poverty. Especially since the Americana has its own security, you will never see a homeless person walking around in The Americana. The security is a very nice touch because they help keep areas clear so it doesn’t stay too packed in one area. The only thing I did not like about the security is if they saw a group of people bigger than four people, they tell you to break the group up which could be very bothersome for people who are trying to spend time with their families. I did not notice this the last time I visited because I went by myself but in past visits they would always tell me and my friends to split up, because they were afraid we would start a fight. I understand, they are trying to keep the area clean and safe but that is just ridiculous.
The Americana’s main purpose is to act as a good place to visit whether with friends or family. Since there is so much to do at The Americana, it truly is an awesome place to live in or even visit for the day. Even though the security can sometimes be a bother, the number of activities are endless and you are bound to have a good time as you visit. Even with all the stores that are there, the Americana is still expanding and adding stores for example the new Nordstrom that is opening up. The point is, from the smells to the environment it is a very nice place to visit and I would highly recommend you give it a try.