Which mall is the best place to hang out?<\/p>\n
Monique Natalia, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
For young Jakartans, going to the mall has become an activity in
\nitself. For some, it has even got to the point of being a sort of
\nritual that they must do every day. In this issue, The Jakarta
\nPost asks six young mall-goers which malls they worship and why.<\/p>\n
Rani, 17, Bogor:<\/p>\n
I like to go either to Pondok Indah Mal or Plaza Senayan. For
\nhanging out I prefer Plaza Senayan, but for shopping I like to go
\nto Pondok Indah Mal. I like Plaza Senayan because it's bigger, so
\nthere's more ground to cover when I window-shop, but things are
\nmore expensive. I like Pondok Indah Mal for shopping because
\nthere is more stuff for young people. I used to go to Pondok
\nIndah Mal every day, but not anymore. Now I only go like once a
\nweek.<\/p>\n
Why do I like to hang out at the mall? I don't really know, I
\nguess it's just somewhere to get away from home. It's a lot
\nbetter than staying home and doing nothing. At the mall there is
\na lot of things to do. I can go to somewhere nice to eat, I can
\ngo to the movies, and last but not least window-shop!<\/p>\n
I usually go to the mall with a lot of people. Going with only
\ntwo or three people is not much fun. If I don't go with my
\nrelatives, I usually go with my friends from school.<\/p>\n
One more thing that I like about Pondok Indah Mal is the fact
\nthat I can meet my friends there even if we didn't hook up
\nbefore, because the mall is where all the international school
\nkids go. So I can see a lot of my friends from the British
\nInternational School, and also my friends from the Jakarta
\nInternational School.<\/p>\n
Farry, 15, South Jakarta:<\/p>\n
My favorite mall is Pondok Indah Mal. I think it's safer than
\nall the other malls, like Blok M Plaza and the like. I feel more
\ncomfortable hanging out in a place that I know is safe. There is
\nalso a lot to do there. I can go to the movies, I can take my
\ngirlfriend window-shopping, and with my family I can also do some
\nshopping.<\/p>\n
I usually spend like six to seven hours at the mall. I guess
\nit sounds like a long time for other people, but it certainly
\ndoesn't feel long to me. I really enjoy my time at the mall.<\/p>\n
What do I do for seven hours? I go to the movies, and before
\nyou can go in to see the movie you usually have to spend like an
\nhour or so waiting, right? After that I usually go to the food
\ncourt to get something to eat. I usually stay there for awhile.
\nIt's a cool place to hang out. After that we usually just spend
\ntime walking around, you know, window-shopping.<\/p>\n
Hanging out at the mall usually requires the company of either
\nmy friends or my girlfriend. Sometimes I also go with my family.
\nOne more thing that I like about PI (Pondok Indah) is that it's
\nnot too crowded. You know, not like Plaza Senayan where it's
\nalmost always full of people, especially on the weekends.<\/p>\n
Ajeng, 15, South Jakarta:<\/p>\n
I like to go to Pondok Indah Mal because the feel of the place
\nis not too formal. What do I mean by formal? I guess the place
\njust seems more fun than places like Plaza Senayan. The crowds at
\nPlaza Senayan are older than the crowds at Pondok Indah Mal.
\nMaybe it's because at Plaza Senayan the shops are more expensive.<\/p>\n
I never get bored at Pondok Indah Mal, I don't know why. Maybe
\nit's because there are a lot of things to do there. I spend most
\nof my time window-shopping. I like to see what the new trends are
\nfor clothes. The mall has a lot of cool stuff. But actually for
\nbuying clothes, I prefer to shop at small boutiques. The clothes
\nat the mall are usually a dime a dozen. I usually only buy shoes
\nor sandals at the mall.<\/p>\n
There is just nothing else to do for us school kids. Hanging
\nout at the mall is like a refreshment before going back to
\nschool. It's a way to get rid of the boredom. Especially once
\nschool starts.<\/p>\n
But this doesn't mean that I have to go every day; I go once a
\nweek at the most. But I do admit that if I couldn't go to the
\nmall at all I would definitely miss it.<\/p>\n
Tiche, 20, East Jakarta:<\/p>\n
I like to go to Pondok Indah Mal even though I live a long way
\nfrom there. It's one of my favorite malls. I like it because it
\nhas absolutely everything. Plus most of the stuff is within reach
\nof our allowances as students.<\/p>\n
Plaza Senayan is also nice but if I go to Plaza Senayan I
\nusually end up not buying anything, because the prices are
\nincredibly expensive!<\/p>\n
But I don't consider myself a mall rat, so to speak. I never
\nstay at the mall for more than two hours. I usually just buy
\nwhatever I need and leave. If I get hungry I just find a good
\nplace to eat and leave when I'm done. I never go to the mall if I
\ndon't need to buy anything. I don't really enjoy hanging out at
\nmalls. Maybe it's because I don't like crowds and there are
\nalways a lot of people at malls.<\/p>\n
Rendra, 16, West Jakarta:<\/p>\n
The closest mall to where I live would be Mal Taman Anggrek
\nand that's where I usually go. I never go anywhere else so I
\ncan't really make any comparisons. I know that some of my friends
\nwho live in South Jakarta like to go to Pondok Indah Mal but it's
\ntoo far me.<\/p>\n
And I think I can get anything I want at Mal Taman Anggrek so
\nit's not a big deal. It has a movie theater, it has a lot of good
\nplaces to eat, like McDonald's, Hartz Chicken Buffet and even
\nHoka Hoka Bento, which I love, and it also has all the stores I
\nneed. So I think it fulfills all my requirements of a good mall.<\/p>\n
One more thing that I love about the place is that it has an
\nice rink! I love ice skating! And none of the other malls have
\nice rinks. I usually go there to ice skate at least once a week.<\/p>\n
Most of my friends from school also go to Mal Taman Anggrek.
\nMost of them also live near me so it is the closest mall to us.
\nUsually we hang out by the ice rink after skating and laugh at
\npeople who fall down. I know it's kind of mean, but I can't help
\nit. They just look so funny! Some of them have very good balance
\nthough, because they manage to stand on the ice with their arms
\nflying around longer than the others. It's so funny!<\/p>\n
Awan, 18, West Jakarta:<\/p>\n
Frankly, I think that Mal Taman Anggrek is one of the best
\nmalls. It's very big. It is full of all kinds of stores,
\nespecially for young people like me. And unlike other malls like
\nPondok Indah Mal or Plaza Senayan, Mal Taman Anggrek has small
\nstores that sell one-of-a-kind imported clothes that they usually
\nget from either Hong Kong or the U.S. I hate it when I see
\nsomebody else wearing exactly the same shirt that I'm wearing.
\nMost of the clothes they sell at department stores like Metro or
\nSogo are too common.<\/p>\n
It also has a movie theater, which plays all the latest
\nmovies. That is the most important facility people should have at
\na mall! I like watching films, especially at the theater. I guess
\nit's true what they say about movie magic. Somehow films just
\nseem more spectacular on a big screen. I usually try to go at
\nleast twice a month.<\/p>\n
But even if I don't go to see movies, I usually go to Mal
\nTaman Anggrek at least once a week. I usually go with my gang of
\nfriends. We like to hang out at the mall because there is nowhere
\nelse to go. Maybe at night we can go clubbing but there is really
\nnothing much to do during the day. Sure we can just chill out at
\nhome, but it gets pretty boring after a while. So the mall is the
\nonly place we can go to have fun without spending a lot of money.
\nSometimes when we don't have any money at all we just walk around
\nand hang out.<\/p>",
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