13 minutes ago, bert bloggs said:

we come thousands of miles to live a different life here in the sun ,and all we can discuss is a bloody food court in a shopping mall ,sad sad sad ,?

To be fair, the sun hasn't come out in weeks in Pattaya. Turned into a bloody rainforest, it has.

30 minutes ago, bert bloggs said:

we come thousands of miles to live a different life here in the sun ,and all we can discuss is a bloody food court in a shopping mall ,sad sad sad ,?

If you spent any time here you will quickly realize that it's often too hot and muggy and smoggy during the day to be spending it walking around outside.  The mall has aircon/filtered air and food and people watching so that is where a lot of people end up spending a lot of time during the day.  Also when it rains which is quite often this time of year.

12 hours ago, digbeth said:

They'll have Foodland Supermarket instead, T21 in Korat got a Foodland, and it's going to be Foodland in Pattaya T21 too, The grocery store in Asoke was way before they had a deal with Foodland. That grocery store in Asoke is operated by The Mall group of the Emporium, and is actually a competitor to them now

That grocery store in Bkk T21 kind of reminded me of Whole Foods back home.  So a little disappointed that is not going to be in Pattaya.  Nothing exciting about yet another Foodland.  There are already 2 of those in Pattaya so that's not going to give anyone much of a reason to go there.

 

Royal Garden Foodland doesn't seem to be doing very well.  I don't think they have nearly as much selection as the main branch on Klang.  Took Lae Dee restaurant is almost always empty.  My guess is they will eventually close down that location.  The T21 location should do better.

we come thousands of miles to live a different life here in the sun ,and all we can discuss is a bloody food court in a shopping mall ,sad sad sad ,?

Couldnt agree more,,hard to believe to so many people the highlight of ,living in Pattaya is the merits of a two bit food hall.

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

50 minutes ago, lapd said:

If you spent any time here you will quickly realize that it's often too hot and muggy and smoggy during the day to be spending it walking around outside.  The mall has aircon/filtered air and food and people watching so that is where a lot of people end up spending a lot of time during the day.  Also when it rains which is quite often this time of year.

"If i spent any time here" well does living here the last 13 years ,and coming here off and on for 12 years before count? we visit a mall perhaps once every couple of weeks not spending half my time in one,i have a life .

1 minute ago, bert bloggs said:

"If i spent any time here" well does living here the last 13 years ,and coming here off and on for 12 years before count? we visit a mall perhaps once every couple of weeks not spending half my time in one,i have a life .

couldnt agree more

3 hours ago, bert bloggs said:

we come thousands of miles to live a different life here in the sun ,and all we can discuss is a bloody food court in a shopping mall ,sad sad sad ,?

Yet, here you are discussing it.

Some enjoy discussing a new venue which will be something positive and enjoyable for many people in the city.

But, If you got some better ideas then why don't you start what you think is a more interesting topic?

Nothing wrong with malls, Pattaya is changing from the typical sexpat city to attract other types of people, deal with it. 

 

Nothing wrong with malls, Pattaya is changing from the typical sexpat city to attract other types of people, deal with it. 
 

It changed,years ago when central opened

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

8 hours ago, bert bloggs said:

"If i spent any time here" well does living here the last 13 years ,and coming here off and on for 12 years before count? we visit a mall perhaps once every couple of weeks not spending half my time in one,i have a life .

What is it then?  Does that "life" involve sitting at the bar at 9am?  How about enlightening us.

The big screen on the wall is working now.  Looks like most of the signage is done.  It's possible they will have a soft opening before the grand opening.  I think that is what they did in Korat.

When Terminal 21 does open what will happen to this forum? I am a bit amazed that in such an extraordinary country as Thailand and in such an intersting city as Pattaya the opening of a mall generates so much interest and discussion. Am I the only one who finds this really wierd?

17 hours ago, bert bloggs said:

we come thousands of miles to live a different life here in the sun ,and all we can discuss is a bloody food court in a shopping mall ,sad sad sad ,?

I dont know about sad but its really odd that people should think about a mall opening as a major event. Who are these people I wonder? Their nationality, Age,Gender? I am genuinely fascinated.

6 minutes ago, The manic said:

 Am I the only one who finds this really wierd?

Yes.

6 hours ago, The manic said:

When Terminal 21 does open what will happen to this forum? I am a bit amazed that in such an extraordinary country as Thailand and in such an intersting city as Pattaya the opening of a mall generates so much interest and discussion. Am I the only one who finds this really wierd?

You're a tourist during the day.  Most likely your hotel is near 2nd road/beach road.  It's hot and muggy and/or raining. You gotta eat at some point.  Many restaurants are closed during the day or no aircon.  So where are you going to go?  

 

What is "interesting" about Pattaya compared to the rest of Thailand?  You are not going to go to Koh Larn, Buddha mountain, dolphin world, or tiger zoo every day.  You are not going to sit on the beach all day every day.  You are not going to sit at the bar all day every day, ok maybe you are.  So besides booze/bargirls, what else are you going to do daily?  Golf?  Even in the rain?

What is it then?  Does that "life" involve sitting at the bar at 9am?  How about enlightening us.

No it means living with my wife and our son and doing the things that a family do , not worrying about what some food court serves and spending half my life there

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

When Terminal 21 does open what will happen to this forum? I am a bit amazed that in such an extraordinary country as Thailand and in such an intersting city as Pattaya the opening of a mall generates so much interest and discussion. Am I the only one who finds this really wierd?

No

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

2 minutes ago, ivor bigun said:

No it means living with my wife and our son and doing the things that a family do , not worrying about what some food court serves and spending half my life there

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

So all those families I see at the mall, doing the things that families do, have no life?

So all those families I see at the mall, doing the things that families do, have no life?

Yes but they more than likely ,like my family go there occasionaly,not spend half their life there and living only to eat in the bloody food court ,which is what i was posting about

 

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

11 minutes ago, ivor bigun said:

Yes but they more than likely ,like my family go there occasionaly,not spend half their life there and living only to eat in the bloody food court ,which is what i was posting about

 

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

8

That's great if you live here full time and have a kitchen at home.  Most people don't live here full time.  Don't have gardens at home or whatever.  A lot of the time it's a choice between sitting in their hotel rooms and going to the mall.

 

I think it's kind of wierd that people would choose to live here full time.  So to each his own.

12 minutes ago, Kim J said:

I am glad it is not only me that thinks along them lines, shopping to me is a necessity and a chore. There are far more things of interest to do even around the Pattaya area. When I need to buy something, it is straight there and straight back again. Using a shopping mall for a point of interest or to kill time would never enter my head. Absolutely hate the places, fortunately so does the other half.

Apparently you still do not get it and probably never will.  Nobody is really talking about shopping. It's about the aircon and food for most people.  It's not like back home where going to the mall is mostly about shopping.  Most of the name brand shops here, with their overpriced stuff, are empty almost all of the time.   Department stores like Central do better but a lot of their stuff is overpriced too. 

 

Only mall stuff I ever buy here is in Mikes mall once in awhile.  It has the same knock off stuff the street vendors have for the same price, but in an aircon environment.

1 hour ago, lapd said:

You're a tourist during the day.  Most likely your hotel is near 2nd road/beach road.  It's hot and muggy and/or raining. You gotta eat at some point.  Many restaurants are closed during the day or no aircon.  So where are you going to go?  

 

What is "interesting" about Pattaya compared to the rest of Thailand?  You are not going to go to Koh Larn, Buddha mountain, dolphin world, or tiger zoo every day.  You are not going to sit on the beach all day every day.  You are not going to sit at the bar all day every day, ok maybe you are.  So besides booze/bargirls, what else are you going to do daily?  Golf?  Even in the rain?

Good question. Far more restaurants than anywhere outside Bangkok. Complete rubbish that they don't open until the evening, I can think of several that only open during the day. Good beaches on Kho Larn. Lots more for kids to do than anywhere else in Thailand.

 

And, of course , more malls than anywhere else outside Bangkok. In the UK there wasn't a mall within 50 miles of my home. Never visited them. Thais love malls, we go to a mall once or twice per week, mainly at my wife's instigation. Thais mainly like them for air con, parking, and everything being in one location, they are happy to spend a full day in a mall. Supermarket, clothes shops, IT, AV entertainment, banks, salons, dentists, restaurants, food halls, the list is endless.

 

Not for me except in small doses, but this is Thailand and it's a Thai thing.

 

Lack of incite on the mall popularity shows how out of touch some people are about where tourists/locals go and how much people love them.

The #1 tourist attractions believe it or not in downtown BKK is the malls.  People everywhere taking the skytrain from T21 to MBK and down the line.  

The new T21 here is already on the itinerary for just about every tour organization I know of. It will be the most popular congregation of people on a daily basis in the city.  Like it or not.

 

My only thought is many naysayers here live in Jomtien or farther away.  And, here you go another mall for Pattaya area and Jomtien does not even have a decent food court that I know of let alone any malls (or even a simple Mc'Donalds for that matter).

 

But hey, keep an open mind and go check it out.  You might even have a good time.

1 hour ago, bkk6060 said:

 

Lack of incite on the mall popularity shows how out of touch some people are about where tourists/locals go and how much people love them.

The #1 tourist attractions believe it or not in downtown BKK is the malls.  People everywhere taking the skytrain from T21 to MBK and down the line.  

The new T21 here is already on the itinerary for just about every tour organization I know of. It will be the most popular congregation of people on a daily basis in the city.  Like it or not.

 

My only thought is many naysayers here live in Jomtien or farther away.  And, here you go another mall for Pattaya area and Jomtien does not even have a decent food court that I know of let alone any malls (or even a simple Mc'Donalds for that matter).

 

But hey, keep an open mind and go check it out.  You might even have a good time.

You still have not provided full disclosure why you are so obsessed about it.  What is your financial interest?

Well I do not live on the dark side , I live in Naklua and I like to have all the possibilities open . Living near a mall like T21 doesn't mean you spend time there daily . 

I would probably never visit if I lived on the dark side , due to the heavy traffic.

Most of us live nearer the city . 

  

 

 

 

5 hours ago, lapd said:

You're a tourist during the day.  Most likely your hotel is near 2nd road/beach road.  It's hot and muggy and/or raining. You gotta eat at some point.  Many restaurants are closed during the day or no aircon.  So where are you going to go?  

 

What is "interesting" about Pattaya compared to the rest of Thailand?  You are not going to go to Koh Larn, Buddha mountain, dolphin world, or tiger zoo every day.  You are not going to sit on the beach all day every day.  You are not going to sit at the bar all day every day, ok maybe you are.  So besides booze/bargirls, what else are you going to do daily?  Golf?  Even in the rain?

I cant really imagine people coming to Thailand or Pattaya even considering making a  visit to a mall a priority. If there is one nearby maybe. Modern malls in Thailand are rather sterile and western unlike MBK that was distinctly Thai, distinctively Asian. But in contemporary Thai malls you could be anywhere from Dubai to Trafford. But anyway,  using malls is very different from anticipating a mall opeening. I suspect the people who are mall addicts are a subset of Thailand haters, trying to reproduce a western life style. I wonder if malls are an American thing? In the UK they are called shopping centres and are notoriously seedy. However, in Thailand they do supply protection against the elements and decent toilets. I suppose the latter is something to get excited about. Although people are stressing the Food Court at T21 it lacks the wide array of real restaurants that Central festival offers. CF now has a True office whicj is useful.  Reasons to be joyful indeed.

45 minutes ago, Kim J said:

I don't really think you are using the correct term when you say "lack of insight". Personally I am fully aware of what the inside of a shopping mall is like, I find one to be pretty much the same as another, and regardless of what you say, what tour operators do, and what other people think, I still hate the places and avoid them like the plague. Nothing to do with insight, that is my opinion. If you like it feel free to go, But I do not like it and will not be going without good reason.

Yes as you suggest when in Thailand I do not reside in the city, I am on the dark side around 10km inland, and on the occasions we go to eat out, a shopping mall food court would not enter our thoughts. Then as for Mc Donalds and the like I would not eat there if it were free, and that is said without qualification and without ever having tried their food.

Well said. But regarding Micky Ds. I have one once every year to confirm how truly vile they really are. I think people who avoid real food also avoid real shopping. Malls seem to be such a plastic environment but I can imagine them being popular with Chinese Mainlanders to whom they must seem like cathedrals of opulence rather than monuments to uncultured mindless materialism. I do hope after all this build up and excitement about a new mall that the TV posters are not dissapointed.  I cant imagine the clamour of excitement that would be generated if Harrods or Fortnum and Masons were mooting plans to open here!

2 hours ago, balo said:

Well I do not live on the dark side , I live in Naklua and I like to have all the possibilities open . Living near a mall like T21 doesn't mean you spend time there daily . 

I would probably never visit if I lived on the dark side , due to the heavy traffic.

Most of us live nearer the city . 

  

 

 

 

I live on the Darkside. 10 minutes to Soi Buakow. I reckon 15 max to T21.

I was reading last weeks Pattaya Mail today and they have 19th October as the opening date, not the 26th.

 

16 hours ago, champers said:

I was reading last weeks Pattaya Mail today and they have 19th October as the opening date, not the 26th.

 

19th for the mall, 26th for the hotel.