nota wrote:
You've never been to Zona and you snarl at me for criticizing it???
I'm snarling about criticisms like taxes, shopping selection that doesn't fit your lifestyle, and low traffic. I've been following Zona Rosa very closely for years now and I don't see the problem with me calling you out for complaining about tax at a fast food mexican place that is selling you some rice and beans wrapped in a tortilla for $6. I'm snarling about continually visiting a shopping destination that you criticize. We could replace every mention of Zona Rosa with Plaza for all I care. If it rubs you the wrong way, stop going. Have a day at BarryTown or Metro North. I don't know you personality, but I'm just commenting on your scathing reviews based on stuff that seems pretty minor to me.
With that said, here are my impressions of Zona Rosa with a few from my mom who had never been to anything like it before.
We drove in through Barry Road on Praire View and that intersection looked like a nightmare waiting to happen. We came at about 3:30 on Tuesday and it was very busy getting in. I was impressed with the design of how they integrated things along Prairie View except for Mimi's. Even the new Ethan Allen store was ped-friendly although it mainly faced the parking lot. You definitely got that feeling that Zona Rosa was the suburban hot spot in the Northland. I liked the signs BTW.
As we approached, we drove through the entire village area and my mom talked about how much she liked it and how neat she thought it was. I was impressed with how everything was to scale. I agree that Zona is a complete abberation from everything around it, but that's a good thing. It is an oasis in the middle of mundane.
My mom wanted to look at Marshall's and it was packed. The actual outdoor part of the shopping center wasn't busy, but it was raining and miserable. They still have quite a few big holes to fill with some big prominent blank walls. Sharper Image was a good one and I'm sure they're probably waiting to get just the right tenants in the right spots. They need some stuff like Banana Republic, J. Crew, Benatton, and some unique gift shops to create a better overall tenant mix.
The storefronts looked like a mall and I wish they would've made the buildings more architecturally significant, but I believe it was a KC firm that did the design work. Regardless, there was still a sense of "cuteness" and functionality around in the design work. If I lived out there, I'd definitely frequent it more than something like Independence Center or Oak Park. The actual center design is probably the best suburban shopping center design I've ever encountered. The center just worked.
I wanted to throw up going through the Food Garden portion, but to each his/her own. It would've been better off just putting a World Market or something like that in that space, but maybe they'll get some more vendors.
The exterior of the theatres is very ugly. It is some cement block tile painted white and blue. It doesn't appear very upscale at all. The marque didn't look done, but it looked cheap. The interior is off the chains. Nice generic martini bar, with rich decor in the lobby. Nothing over the top, but still a step up from AMC or whatever. They greet you when you come in and the whole thing is really treated kind of like a dinner theatre or restaurant. Drinks are moderately expensive, but the actual food isn't high priced. They have service to the theatres via an electronic device on the armrests. Seats were also off the chains. I never once even felt the need to squirm around in my seat as I do at every movie house I've ever been to. I was hesitant about the price, but it is definitely worth an $8.50 matinee price to go to this place. You don't feel like you're going to just see a movie, but you're havingi a night out or an afternoon out. When you leave you feel like you should stay and hang out for a while. Good place to take a date or for people who don't want the whole romper room scene. I don't know if KCMO, North is ready for it, but we'll see. The theatre was dead as wood, but that's to be expected as I don't know if people know it's open.
