S2E14 "Spill The Spice/The Fall Of The Mall"

0:03 I only mind went hi, Hi, Hi, Hi, How are you? I'm good? How are you good? Good Sunday morning. Good Sunday morning. How was your weekend? It's good. You know I'm coming out of my birthday week. That was your birthday month. Well sure we could do that too, but yeah, peppered it with. I went to a concert last weekend, a couple events here and there. I went to I think I mentioned I went to a skybar on the forty sixth floor of the Hilton Union Square hotel. It's been around for years, so a friend mentioned it recently. So like, you know what, for my birthday, leading the weekend leading up to my birthday, I want to go there in some friends beautiful clear day, spectacular view looking down on downtown financial district San Francisco and the bay behind it.

0:52 I mean like spectacular view. So if you've never been there, you must go. I highly recommend. And it's because it's in the hotel. You think just for the hotel guests. No, it is open to the public. So I did that yesterday. I met up with some friends for lunch with whom I'm going to Germany in December. So little pre Germany planning lunch. Yeah, just kind of you know, talking a few details. And today I'm going to a surprise party. Oh really, you're so busy, try and keep the calendar full. YEP. I took a little inspiration from you, actually, yes, And I'm so I admire so much how you get out and you post a lot of things on your socials about trying new things, going to new places, and I'm kind of I kind of got my inspiration. Don't let it go to your head from you about checking out places, because you know, we've lived down here in the South Bay for about seven years right now, and yet there's some outlying places that we've never been to.

1:45 So every weekend I'm going to make it a point to choose a destination and break it down and say, okay, let's here's three places we're going to go check out, like maybe the downtown, some historical or some location out in the city that you were visiting, and someplace fun. Yesterday we went to San Pedro, which is literally the town next to Redondo Beach. It's actually it's not Redondo Beach, Palace Verdes. Then San Pedro, which is another port city, and we went to this cool place called the Exchange and it was really fun. We went through some sketchy parts of town. I thought, of you and you're so, but it's a port city, so it did remind me a little bit of side of the city that used to be South Beach right, which was never developed a long time ago before pack Bell Park and all those parks came in. So it was kind of interesting. But we had a great time going there. And then yesterday we had a few people come over for a sniff or two of wine. So luckily, you know, if I was going to wake up in my front yard, at least I didn't have far to walk to come home.

2:48 That's always a wise move. Happened in your own yard, because if you have it somewhere else, she gonna wake up. The hell? What are we talking about this week? What are you going to talk about this? So today our theme is it cold it is the Fall, And I thought, well, let's you and I have an episode and we can talk about a potpourri of. Things like a fall. Potpourri a fall. So then I thought, well, what can we call it? A similar word that I'd like to say is paloosa, because you know, when you throw palooza and that means just gonna be fun. Right, So then I thought, well, it's gonna be a fall Pollusa, Noah falla Poaloosa, and then that turned into Lola Fala Palosa. So that's where the name came. It just kind of spilled out.

3:29 You are a genius. You are totally a genius, and I embrace the Lola fall on a Palooza. Yes season that we're going to extend out to. So we're going to extend this series for a number of segments going forward. I think we can just rename it depending on the season. Right, So in the artist went incorporate. And you have a potpourri, and I also have some things to add. I'm actually going to go deep into wait for it, PSL Pumpkin Spice Latte and the origins and why it's so crazy and all of the mystery and shenanigans around pumpkin spice and why it is such a part of our culture.

4:11 And I'm going to throw in some fall related things, Birthday related things, and I am going to leave you with a teaser since we're going to do a short little break. When you tell me. Tomorrow, I'm having a little a little work done. Oh thank god, thank god, you finally are embracing that. So I'll leave you with that, okay, and then on the other side, as they say, okay, I'll share what that work is. Okay, well, I hope you're feeling spicy always. Okay, be right back.

5:04 And we're back. Yes we are. And if you don't know us by now, we are Don and Gary doing sixty He's the Don, I'm the Gary, and we are both you know, sixty plus. So this is our podcast where we navigate life at this age. Yes well done. Sometimes we have guests, but no matter whether we have guests or not, you can find us on pot page Good job, Yes, which is our website. You can also hear us on your favorite podcast platforms like Apple and spots, Spotify.

5:46 If you want to see the whole package as it were, you can view us on YouTube, Blue Sky, Facebook, where everywhere. And I will admit that Don is genius behind all putting all that together, the music, the clips, I'm. Just the talent, You're just you're the face, You're the looks. I'm the face and well maybe not this morning, but so in this episode, as I mentioned before, we are talking about fall related items. It is the Lola fall on a Caloosa.

6:27 I laugh every time. It was fun coming up with it. Oh, you're a genius. You are a genius, I swear, and. I believe you have a little background. On Yeah, I do, yes, I do so in case for the children, because we all know who Lola Falana is and growing up as we did on TV in the seventies, she was actually quite the well known actress performer of the time. So first let's answer this very very important question. Yes, when very Much wrote Copa Cabana, he did base it on his going into the actual Copa Cabana and envisioning Lola Fallana in there, which is why Lola is the name used in Copa Cabana.

7:11 I did not know that. Yes, it's an actual true story. I found that out. So she was the inspiration for him to use the name Lola in his song. Wow, that's really cool. And you just saw him recently, didn't you. I did. He's touring. He is eighty two. I believe he's in his eighties. He was in Oakland about a month ago, and he's going to be doing a residency in Vegas. Really, but I figured I could just go across the vein watch him, and it was a really good show. Really, he's still a bunch. Of gray hairs like me, but well he looks like he's had a little work done. But I will say he was on for about an hour and a half hour forty five minutes. He did all the hits. I was singing along because I know I still know all the words.

7:57 I bet it was. It was like a trip down memory lane. Was a really really good concert. One of my favorites. Yeah. Her actual full name is Lolitha Elaine Falana. You know, and guess what. She just celebrated her eighty third birthday on September eleventh, the day after your birthday. Yes, that was her first film role was in A Man called Adam in nineteen sixty six. Of course I wasn't born yet. You were probably what twenty five by then, So alongside Sammy Davis Junior and Ozzie Davis with Cecily Tyson. She was nominated for a Tony Award in nineteen seventy five for Best Actress in a musical called Doctor Jazz. She was also in TV, so she was in Mad About You, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat Hotel. If you remember Hotel Yea in San Francisco. She was in Vegas. She was in a show called Switch the Streets of San Francisco and the Mod Squad.

8:52 So wow, yeah, you remember her as being like, well, they did variety shows. Yes, you know, she was either one of the headliners or one of the guests. But singing, dancing, you know, really energeticic, you know, look beautiful, sounded great. Yes, yeah, And I'm going to include some clips of her because I found quite a few in the archives, and we're going to do some, you know, some promos with her as the inspiration because she was actually quite a wonderful entertainer, beautiful woman, also very talented singer and dancer, and she was considered the Queen of Las Vegas. She played the sold out crowds at the Sands, the Riviera, and the MGN Grand Hotels, and finally the Aladdin offered her one hundred thousand dollars a week to perform, and at the time she was the highest paid female performer in Las Vegas.

9:39 That's amazing, that's amazing. So, I mean, she was there. I mean, I know the children don't know who she might be, but I recommend you to go take a look at some of her work. She's very talented lady. She's still around. Like I said, she just turned eighty three. And here's a little known fact that's kind of like a nugget. Apparently, she was famously banned from The Johnny Carson Show because she was good friends with Wayne Newton. Oh and Johnny Carson wayite noton had some big feud. Yeah, they had a beef. So she was never on there. I think she might have been on there once and then after he found out that she was friends with Wayne Newton, no more. Wow. So she joined the Joan Rivers club.

10:20 Of being banned basically, Yes, yeah, that was it. So there's three of them, Wayne, Lola and Joan. Yeah. So wow. Anyway, thank you for sharing about Lola. Yes, let's get back to me. Oh God, So a couple quick things, as you know, as we all know, right, because everyone sent me a birthday wishes. I just turned sixty three. She did congratulations this week. So I wanted to share with you who else or what else turned sixty three? So these films were all made in nineteen release in nineteen sixty two, so they are sixty three years old, and you know, some big names here, Lawrence of Arabia starring Peter O'Toole, To Kill a Mockingbird starring Great Greek Peck Really okay, The Manchurian Candidate starring Frank Sinatra and Angela Lansbury played his mother.

11:11 Whatever Happened to Baby Jane with Benny Davis and Joan Crawford, The Miracle Worker with Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke, Days of Wine in Roses with Jack Lemon and Lee Remick. Wow, I mean heavy, heavy drama about Oolis, Mutiny on the Bounty with Marlon Brando, and Gypsy with Rosslynd Russell and Natalie Wood. Oh my gosh. So all those movies are like me sixty three years. Old and soon to be like me in October. So, I mean, I know we weren't going to go there, but I thought. I just, oh, you went there. Don't worry, I'll edit this out. Then. My teaser that I alluded to is having a little work done tomorrow. So let me tell you, well, it's not on my front's side. It's on my backside.

11:58 Oh of my car. Oh, so let me take you back. May twenty seventeen, I bought a new car the fall of twenty eighteen. See how I in the fall of twenty eighteen, I'm driving home. I'm stuck in bumper to bumper traffic just a few blocks from home, completely stopped, and there's a pickup truck behind me. And he thought we started to move forward, so he probably let his foot off the gas and he basically just kind of like just like a little tap on the back of my car. And I have an SUV, so he hit the back hatch, the one that opens up. But it was such a nothing tap. I didn't even get out of my car really, and he did get out and out of the rearview mirror, I saw him kind of look at the car and he waved at me and got back in, like I'm good, right. I parked my car in my garage. I was racing meet friends for dinner.

12:56 After dinner, I come back to my car, and that's when I go and look around the back side on the passenger side of the hatch, and I see this big ass dent. I'm like, oh. Crap, how did that happen? If he'd barely taps. You, I think because of the height of his pickup truck, the bumper hit my hatch at us. You know it's a sweet spot. I mean it's a big truck, right, But he didn't ram me because we were stopped, so he just like literally tapped it. And it wasn't like I sit in the car and you know, jerked. It was just like whatever. But you know, it's like, yeah, it's a big dent. But I thought it's a dent, it's not going to impact how the car drives. So yeah, it's a pain in the ass literally, but. I'll live with it.

13:37 But over years, every time that hatch opens and closes, he press the button, and more recently here there's kind of groan like, fach open. It's that girl, I know how you feel. I kind of do that too when I open my hatch. Right, and you've opened your hatch a lot. But this is not about you. So so sometimes I press the button and it wouldn't open, or if the door is fully open, I pressed the button and it wouldn't close. I'm like, you know, I'm getting tired of this because now it is impacting the car and sometimes where I have to like manually open or close the door. Oh really, So the last time I had my car in for service. I hit one hundred thousand mile mark on my car.

14:21 Well clarify. I asked, is there an approved auto body shop place here in San Francis? Oh? Yeah, and gave me the name. I called them. I said, look, here's situation. Here's what happened. It happened like you know, seven years ago or whatever. And he asked, is your insurance going to cover it? And I said, well, you know what happens so long ago, I never reported it. So he says, you know, couldn't hurt to ask them because it. Could be expensive. Right, I call my insurance. I tell them exactly what happened. Here's the truth that happened seven years ago. Blah blah blah. And the guy says, well, we'll mark this as a no fault accident, even though it's been all this time. Go ahead and get your quote center to me. We'll see it gets approved. The quote came back at fifty seven hundred dollars.

15:05 How big is this stent? Is it big? Is it large? Well? I mean yeah, I mean you look at it. Yeah, it's not small. Have you seen the size of myc. No, your rear end or the side pen. But the insurance approved it Wow, So I just have to pay my five hundred dollars deductible. You didn't you, No, I have to, so I only so the bill will be fifty seven hundred. I'm only paying five hundred. The insurance will cover the rest. So tomorrow morning, I'm dropping my car off and they're gonna have to keep it for like they said, seven business days. But you know, hey, but I'll have a new young firm tight.

15:50 Going go on and go on back. Atch. We all need one of those. Right, So yeah, so there's my work having. Done so, so I'm assuming without having a car for a few days, you're going to be fine because you're in the middle of the city and you can. I went from home, and when I'm here during the week, I, unless I'm doing like you know, a lot of grocery shopping, are going to go see my mom. That's where I take my car if I can manage to get around walking or taking the metro through that. Couldn't you even take the train down to see your mom if you needed to? Yeah, I mean, so the next weekend, when I won't have my car, if I go see her, like well, I could take the train. You know, it's a little longer. I bet it's not that far, and you know, work, and like I have dinner plans a friends take inviting me to a late birthday dinner because her schedule couldn't make it this week. So I'll probably take the Metro, just like take an uber, I mean an uber here there a couple times during you know, ten days whatever.

16:46 It's not going to kill me, so good. So that's what I got going on. Okay, and I've got some fall related things, but I want to let you get a chance to talk. Okay. The inspiration for some of this was we had talked about how early the retailers are dropping holiday stuff, right, yes, back in the beginning of August, end of July, we started seeing Halloween. Is that right? Or did yes? I was in Safeway and it was early August and they already had all the Halloween decorations out. Halloween it's probably basically sold out by now. And you know you go to Costco and the Christmas stuff is up already. Ye yes, yes, So I dug into That's kind of what drove us audience to talk about this because we were so flummixed, and I think maybe the impetus was during COVID because that also happened. I believe during the summer into the fall, COVID was dropping. They were dropping products early to keep people busy or to keep people occupied in their minds off of what was happening. But I kind of did a little off that. I did a couple more little bits of research. I just took a look at the top five most popular holidays in the US, and no surprise, Christmas is number one, and they say from these statistics, ninety percent of Americans basically celebrate it number two, believe it or not, even though I believe it gets the shaft is thing Thanksgiving because you know, if you think about it as a holiday, people are alreadys Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Christmas.

18:06 Yeah. So, even though it is ranked number two, celebrated supposedly eighty five to ninety percent of Americans. Or Thanksgiving us the Jan Brady of holidays. Yes, Marcia got all turkey, Turkey Turkey. But number three is the fourth of July, nearly universally celebrated. Allegedly, Number four is New Year's Day, widely celebrated, and of course number five actually is Halloween. Oh so yeah, interesting, So seventy percent. But I mean everyone that I talked to believes in it like crazy. Everyone loves Halloween and does everything and has a great time.

18:47 It's interesting that you said New Year's Day. I would think of of that. It would be New Year's Eve, leading is in New Year's Day. But correct, there's more an event, I guess, but the day is basically celebrated, right yeah, yeah, So back to my original thoughts. Here, are you feeling a little spicy? Do you want me to spill the spice? Do it? Spill it? Always? I'm always for spicy. Well, I got to ask you, do you at all like pumpkin spice lattes? Or are you into that whole Starby's thing. I rarely go to Starbucks. When I do, I either get like a latte or amoca. I don't go for the flavored ones. And I'm not a regular customer. I mean nothing against them. It's just that I was never a big coffee drinker. Okay, So I mean I have a cure rig here and I use it, you know, I dust it off and use it here and there. Okay, but no, I've never had a pumpkin spice latte.

19:40 Well, it's actually now a PSL. That's how they're they're branding things right now. I think it's interesting to think about when they started and what they did with this, because I've got some statistics here from Starby's about what happened with them. So basically it took off with Starbucks introduction of the Pumpkin Spice Latte aka PSL back in two two thousand and three, they first launched this, and basically they were capitalizing on nostalgia and sensory overload with the spices and starting to think about what things are coming your way. But they also released it, but they released it in August. Oh, it's one of those things where they bring because it was already out and this is what the middle of September that we're recording this.

20:23 It's been out for few weeks. So in two thousand and four. It was originally launched into one hundred stores. In twenty twenty three, they just celebrated the twenty year anniversary of the Pumpkin Spice Latte. Of course, it's twenty five years old now. It's basically a cultural icon and Starbucks' most popular seasonal drink. There were one hundred original Starbucks stores that sold the pumpkins spice latte during that test run in Washington, let's see, or Starbucks produced thirty six point two billion dollars in net revenue. Or Starbucks net revenue was four point one billion in two thousand and three. So from between two thousand and three and twenty twenty four, they've increased their their income by thirty four million dollars three four billion dollars. Isn't that amazing?

21:12 And here's the more. Thirty three point eight percent is the amount of increase that the pumpkin spice has drawn to the menus. So they basically increase their business by almost thirty five percent. Upstairs added pumpkin spice to the dictionary. There's a definition for it right now. It was the third seasonal beverage included by Starbucks, after the eggnog latte and the peppermint mocha, so number three. But their most popular one so far. Is the o that you just mentioned. Do they continue with those? Do you know? Yes, they do, and they're very popular, but not as popular as popular as pumpkin spice. As DFL they've increased their foot trafficked by twenty four percent as of last year. Actually, when they release it every year so that when they open the doors on that day, their traffic increases by almost twenty five percent.

22:03 And do you know the significance of why it's August twenty second, is that like the first day of fall or something. I don't. I think it's they've just made this day to be an anniversary of the day when they originally first launched it. That's when they did it in those other markets. And there is an organization called the Leafbreaker Society on Facebook which basically forty two thousand members that only celebrate the fall year and celebrate pumpkin spice lattes. So went you went hard and you went deep. I'm not done? Oh not done? So again, maybe we talked about this whit like why would it be so popular? Because it basically evokes memories and feelings about the fall and holly seasons, because it smells great, It's only in there for a limited amount of time, so people create a you know, a desire for it because you.

22:56 Have to grab it while you can because it'll be gone after you know, X me exactly so. And they say seventy responders say that they use pumpkin pie spice at least once a week during the week season. Pumpkin spices sales occur between August and December, so this three months all this stuff is happening. It's like a luxury. It's a gift you give yourself. The other thing I was gonna mention is all the things that are made from pumpkin spice or have it, pumpkin spice, deodorant, pumpkin spice, toothpaste, trash bags, god pumpkin spice, toilet spray, pooperee. Kind of like, maybe that's what you were going to give us, some pooperrey, laundry detergent, pumpkin spice, hot dogs, pumpkin spice, hot sauce, pumpkin spice, pizza, chewing gum infused pumpkin spice, toothpicks, pumpkin spiced hair dye, cat litter, salmon gouda, cheese, hum miss mac and cheese, cough drops, and wait for it, tamales.

24:06 To our listeners, I've been nodding no to all of what Don just said. Oh and there was one funny thing that there was a meme I saw that there was a picture of a gentleman's club called Pet's Show Club in Portland, Maine where you can get a pumpkin spice lap dance. Oh god, but you can't pay it in Starbucks gift cards. Well that makes total sense. Okay. And just to top it off, and I've got a joke for you because my other jokes one went so here we go, right, And I've had a few here, but I can't decide, so I did write them down. I am cheating because I said I'm horrible, horrible at telling jokes.

24:51 Let's see, because you're more naturally funny. Yeah, well see why did the pumpkin spice latte date the coffee? I don't know? Because he heard it was brutiful? Okay, do you have any I got one? I got one more? Okay, And I promised this. How do you how do you fix a broken pumpkin spice latte? I don't know with a pumpkin patch? Well okay, I mean I'm brilliant.

25:33 I'm just brilliant. I wouldn't make a living out of it. But well, no, believe me, it's not going to quit my day job. I swear to God. But well, the only word I have on pumpkin is that I did visit Trader Joe's last night, and I will say that you couldn't swing a dead cat without seeing up something with the word pumpkin on it. I did buy a pumpkin bread mix, okay, making some any loafs this week for a meeting I'm going to, so I'll try that one. But wherever I turn, it was pumpkin. This pumpkin that they basically. Have a shrine set up in there with nothing. They put literally all of their pumpkin spice products or pumpkin inspired products in one huge section of the time. Yeah, like you said, you can swing a dead cat, right, So.

26:24 In reference to fall, how you said how they celebrate or release this every on August twenty second. Yes, just for clarity, I just googled while we're we're talking. This year, the first day of fall falls on Monday, September twenty second, So we're not in the fall season yet. I know we're a week away because today's the fourteenth of September, so we're a week away. But yeah, well, and I'm sorry I'm not ready yet because it's still beautiful. Maybe not today here, but I'm sure you said it's beautiful there right weather it's good. Yeah, I mean it's it's a little overcap but it's yeah, it's been nice weather. But San Francisco is known for having an Indian summer, so that you go into September October, it's still quite beautiful, right.

27:08 Yeah. I mean I was out by the ocean yesterday and it was pretty dark, nice, and I was there at five o'clock, okay, you know, for an early dinner, and it was it was really nice. So I have a contribution to the fall of it all. So if you've been a longtime listener, you won't be surprised that recently I fell again. This is now the third time. So for noon that listeners, let me tell you several years ago, I forget what year. I was getting out of my car. It was like ten thirty nights, so the street was pretty dark. My car was parked like halfway on the street, halfway in the driveway. And what they didn't realize is that drop from by the gutter was really deeper than normal.

27:55 So when I got out of the car, it took him by surprise and I ended up, you know, doing a face plant on the on the pavement. And it was that first one was the probably the most traumatic because it was so it was pitch black. There was like a street light and distance, but you couldn't see, so you just like lost control of everything, and which is anytime you fall right, you gravity winds and you lose control. But that one was probably the most dramatic as it just was. I was okay, you know, just banged up my knee, but it was fine. Skip ahead to I think it was twenty twenty. I was walking with a neighbor in the neighborhood and you get on the sidewalk where you get to a tree and the roots have raised the concrete a little bit, and my foot caught it and paste down. Now that one, I hit the same right side knee, and I guess I hit a sweet spot because then my right knee which just became this big blood patch. So I called an uber, went to the urgent care. It was fine. It was just it was just bizarre. But but I and you know, they just cleaned it up and end up fine, limping a little bit. I was fine, nothing broke and nothing happened.

29:03 So now skip ahead about two weeks ago, same thing happened. It was at the sidewalk was smooth, but it raised a little by the tree, and I wasn't making attention and another face plan again on the right knee. What is now with you? I don't know, but now I have. It's like the fear of got it to me. It's like I was with a crowd of people, and of course it's embarrassing. It's y'all race you know around you because it was doing a walking tour. It wasn't a falling tour as a walking tour. But you know, I had a fall. So yes, I fell again, but all that's good. You know, it's a little sore, but I was able to walk continue the tour, you know, put a little ice on it over the next couple of days. But so there's my my contribution to the fall theme. You said, if we have time, another thing that has fallen. We talked about the fall of.

29:54 The mall right right here. National news of course against in San Francisco was made when Westfield Mall started emptying out. The anchor stores were Nordstroms and Bloomingdale's and it's a huge complex, multi level. Those are the two main anchors, and then you know the assortment of usual mall stores but always really popular. But then at some point North sums their lease ended and like, yeah, we're not we're not going to renew. It was coming out of the pandemic, and you know, and because of the impact of people working from home. Financial District, which is right next door to Union Square, which is dead, so they weren't getting the foot traffic.

30:40 And in general, across the country and probably across the world, foot traffic for brick and mortar stores has fallen right because of Amazon and other online platforms where you can purchase things and they don't have to go to the mall. So that happened. There are other malls here in San Francisco, tipically Stonestown, which has is super busy, but they've kind of switched it out. There's still stores there, but they become kind of a mecca, like a food hall mecha. Then there didn't they. The maze is closed and they renovated that. Now it's like a Whole Foods, a huge Whole Foods screen movie complex, and then you'll find your traditional stores, clothing stores and gift stores. But they've gotten big on food, so there's a lot of restaurants either inside or on the perimeter, and that's been a big draw and they're right next to a university, so you know that throws a lot of so other malls have done good, but Westfield is like a ghost town now and they're trying to figure out once the last few tenants leave. Believe it or not, there's a still couple in there.

31:45 And I think because old the original went on market. Right, and I think maybe because their lease hasn't ended. I was like, well, then get out of it. I walked through once and it's it's a sad ghost town. You know what kills me because I remember when that mall first opened. I was working for at the time, and we've been designing. I was designed building stores for them, and that was the biggest thing because they had kept the original emporium dome. Yes, and that was iconic because the emporium used to be there a hundred years ago, as you recall years ago when we were both there. And then the other innovative thing about that particular mall was that the escalator into Nordstrom was a curved escalator and it was at the time an innovation that was very rare in the States that they.

32:30 Had had any people would line up just to ride the escalator, yes. And that was such an impressive mall. Especially, I was so grateful to see the Emporium Dome there because I remember the emporium. My mom would take the shop from there downtown, you know, to buy, you know, in pretty new dress or something, but it was for me, not. But no matching. I just have such fond memories of that. And then when I saw it was Bloomyda's like okay, and Bloomydos was nice. And at the time, that food court was crazy good. They had so many wonderful different cuisines all across, very global cuisines right right, a big deal. Right in the movie theater there, and tons of stores and.

33:11 All the high end stores were there for a long time. It's just a sad thing to think about that. And you know, back to Stonetown. I used to live kind of down the street from Startstown for a while and we would go there. It was never my favorite mall, but it was definitely a destination because the train stopped there, right, and they had like all the anchors and now do you know what, did you say, what they're going to do with it? Now? I mean they're they're keeping it, but it's it's really become more of a food, foody place. In terms of traditional like Macy's, you know, all all the big retail stores, I don't know that they have any there. Probably they'll have smaller you know, Mama Pop or chain stores. But in terms of what used to be like you'd going to be Macy's and the Sears and emporium and a Bullocks and what have you, I mean none of those. Well, I mean macy still exists at Hillsdale Mall.

34:04 Well that what about Hillsdale? Aren't they going to So Hillsdale did a renovation of a huge renovation on the north side of the mall years ago. I don't know if it was before the pandemic. I think it was leading up to the pandemic. And at that point I thought it was odd that they would do that because even back then the writing was on the wall that the retail brick and mortar stores were gone by the wayside yep. So now what's happened is malls have trying to be more creative of what they do with these spaces. So they're trying to make them more interactive and walking through Stonestown recently because I went to the movie theater, there's a space that's one of the escape rooms. Yep. Yeah, right, So they're trying to make it more interactive things.

34:47 Before Westfield closed, they had a space for like a spa and just different things that would that warn't a traditional store or food place. I've been going back to Hillsdale. So years ago they did this massive renovation on the north side where Importum used to be. They put in an apple store in a movie theater and a bowling alley, and they added a west elm okay, and they open up a plaza, which is very popular because you have that indoor outdoor sensation and it's popular. But what I heard recently is that the south side of the mall where Sears used to be, because the mall is like three blocks long, So on the south side they're going to tear all that down and build apartments or condos whatever. Yeah, so they'll probably keep the north side, which is the newer part. It's got the updated and beautiful food court.

35:40 I'm thinking like half of the mall will stay and the other half will be converted into housing. I think that's a trend because we actually here have a place called the South Bay Gaalleria, which is literally a mile away from where we live now that has been basically holding itself together. The mall itself is nothing. It used to have a Nordstrom and there's still a Macy's there, but basically inside is nothing. And they have plans to literally level it and get Macy's out of there and make that into workspace living too, And I think that's the way that they need to capitalize on these big spaces because there's always more housing needed, much to the chagrin of the Nimbies who don't want that happening, but the fact is that it is needed very badly.

36:24 And I think it's a great the space because you know, those big retailers, those big Macy's is barely hanging on Rydals is part of Macy's. Sears is gone. Jac Penny's almost gone, right, I think, yeah, Urbans has gone. All of the big anchors are no longer aware. So is it because of online shopping? Is it because the kids don't need to go to the mall anymore? They're not entertained because it used to be, you know, let's go to the mall when you're a kay. I think a big part of it is the online has had a huge impact on the stores. And then when you have a big company like a Macy's or a Target or whatever, where they've got you know, dozens and dozens of stores in different states, like you know, oh this one's underperforming, and let's keep these three and close that one. Right, So every year there's like, oh here, you know, they're they're closing a store and you look at the list to see if it's going to be the one in your city and right. So that's an ongoing thing where they're just reevaluating because it's not that peoples they still need a shop. But I know for some like I rarely go to a mall.

37:30 Listen, the only reason I ever went to a mall is when I worked for that Swedish company. When I was doing things construction and building new stores and it was a huge push to get these locations open. It always smelled the same, the same mall had every single of the same retailer. It all smelled like cinnabon. I mean, not there's anything wrong with. That, but I had no desire to be in the mall ever after that. Yeh, career was going full boogie, and I know I was going to ask you because I don't go to a mall. I never if I unless I have to, there's no reason to go to them all. The last time one was I took my mom. We went to lunch at Hillsdale. They had a dim some place in that open courtyard, so when they're for lunch, and that was it. When I went to Stonestown, it was to go see they re released Jaws because it was the fiftieth anniversary, but they did it in three D and four D X, so they gave you the three D glasses, right, so of course you see that whole thing, but the four D X has never been to and I won't not do again. They have the seats in groups of four. I mean there's various rows and aisles of chairs, but every there's a chunk of four seats. And what happens is there's a device on that causes the chairs to move, so you're not only seeing it in three D, but you're feeling it. So in Jaws, like we're on the boat, then the chairs starting moving like you're in the water, right, and then

39:02 when the shark approaches the boat and everything turns into frenzy. It's like very chaotic and God forbid have I should have my martini there because it would go all over I wouldn't get any anything to drink. I did not like that feature because you never knew what was coming. And in addition to the chairs jerking and moving all every which way because you're in the water, the chair in front of you had a little sprayer, so then he would spray the water at you. Are you kidding me? Or if it was like if it was wind from the back of the seat, this, you know, thrust of wind would come right at you. So you're like dodging moving chairs, water and air and holding on to dear life.

39:47 Sounds like we needs to go to happy hour. Right I'd rather do that in a bar where I can still stay. Here's the thing. The kids want that experience right now. So that's the way people want to experience right. Movies. Yeah, that's great. Do you pay a lot more for for d X? We paid a lot. I want to Oh, I forget what it was like thirty I think it's like thirty. Dollars what Oh my gosh. Well, if you think about I mean just going to the movie right now, it's got to be sixteen eighteen dollars. By popcorn and a coke. You're out of luck, right, I didn't. Well, we had dinner before and so I did. We didn't buy any food. But you know you're gonna pay more for three D and then it's forty X. Well, you know you're paying for the ride and the you gotta pay for the water and the wind that's shot at you. So yeah, just a word of warning if you're gonna go see a movie.

40:37 If they say three D, you know, if you want to do that, fine, they. Say for d X run I'm over sixty. I can't do that. I'll remember there was a skit on Cabernet where Tim Conway was in the economy section of the plane and she was a flight attendant. Yeah. I was doing like this the whole time, and right because he cheap was. The movie theater watching Jaws. Wow, oh my goodness. So that's the reasons why I go to. The mall to be thrust around and squirted and winded on. I have to find somewhere else that you have that done. Let's not do that so any other fall or.

41:24 We'll get to fall all all later. I think what I'm looking forward to is our Lola Fallana Palooza season coming our way because we've. Got some more Well, we talked about doing a holiday one, so but we'll have to call that something else, right. Oh yeah, Well, well we're going to use these next few episodes to be part of the fall season, the fall Fallana Palooza season, and then we'll morph into the holiday season. Of course, we have to have Halloween, right, that's coming. That's right, Halloween's coming. Do you know even do you have any idea which of your your fourteen costumes you're gonna unearth? Are you just going to do on tag? No? Could I do like a mashup?

42:04 That would be fun to see because you've got quite a few I do. Oh my gosh, you need to think of a name for that. I'll let you. I'll let you ponder that our Marinada. And then we have other guests coming. Oh yes, some we've already recorded, some we have yet to record. Are booked solid baby. Yeah. So through the end of the year we're good, and then whatever doesn't air, we will uh add on in the new year for our upcoming season three. Yes, crazy is and I might pull one out of the vault. That's what he. Said, don you and your clumsy words. Well, we do have a couple of vault segments I haven't unleashed yet, so we'll see. But I really want to get this one out. I think we should get this one out because it's it's very uh time of the year. Timely.

42:52 Thank you for the So I think we're ready to wrap up about what do you want to close it out? Okay, yeah, sure, okay, I'll close it out. Thank you for joining us on Don and Gary Doing Sixty. You can find us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can watch us on YouTube at the five for pod don't forget to go to our website on Don't forget to go to our website on pod page we'll play. Put the links into our notes below. You can also see us on Instagram and on Facebook and on Blue Sky. As Gary said at the beginning, and Gary, where can people reach us?

43:34 If they want to email, they can email us at Don and Gary Doing sixty at gmail dot com. Okay, so thank you for joining us at Down and Gary Doing sixty. Tune in next time as we take an IQ test and the results come back negative, NOD or bad, I don't know, Okay, I'll tell you later after they figure it out all right, Well, have a good weekend the Westpite. Okay, yessulator, Okay, bye bye mm hmm