I ran across an article on BoingBoing over the weekend about Denver in the 60's & 70's . Of course there's the obligitory Blinky referance and more than one mention of Celebrity Sports Center, but what really got stuck in my mind was Cinderella City Mall. Now I really didn't go to this mall until I could drive myself ( my family was more of a Buckingham Square sort, or anywhere there was a Montgomery Wards - but thanks another post entirely ).
I can remember wandering around the different "malls" or sections of shopping center , Rose, Shamrock, Gold and can even remember the neo-gaudy architecture, a cross between Roman and Mad Men. But what stands out the most was CInder Alley. If you were never there let me you draw a quick picture: it was in the basement of the mall , fairly low ceilings, black ( if I remember correctly ) done up to look like London in Dickens time, or some say NYC at night, with quasi gas-light lamps a cobble stone walkway. When I went there , the mall was already on the decline and CInder Alley was about 5 years ahead of the top floors, so here you had a dark, semi-abandoned theme park walkway with a few candle and poster shops left. It really creeped me out , but I couldn't not walk through .... *sigh* , the good old days.
Oh - BTW anybody remember this ?
it was a food court before there were food courts ....
