Which mall is the best place to hang out?

Which mall is the best place to hang out?

Monique Natalia, Contributor, Jakarta

For young Jakartans, going to the mall has become an activity in
itself. For some, it has even got to the point of being a sort of
ritual that they must do every day. In this issue, The Jakarta
Post asks six young mall-goers which malls they worship and why.

Rani, 17, Bogor:

I like to go either to Pondok Indah Mal or Plaza Senayan. For
hanging out I prefer Plaza Senayan, but for shopping I like to go
to Pondok Indah Mal. I like Plaza Senayan because it's bigger, so
there's more ground to cover when I window-shop, but things are
more expensive. I like Pondok Indah Mal for shopping because
there is more stuff for young people. I used to go to Pondok
Indah Mal every day, but not anymore. Now I only go like once a
week.

Why do I like to hang out at the mall? I don't really know, I
guess it's just somewhere to get away from home. It's a lot
better than staying home and doing nothing. At the mall there is
a lot of things to do. I can go to somewhere nice to eat, I can
go to the movies, and last but not least window-shop!

I usually go to the mall with a lot of people. Going with only
two or three people is not much fun. If I don't go with my
relatives, I usually go with my friends from school.

One more thing that I like about Pondok Indah Mal is the fact
that I can meet my friends there even if we didn't hook up
before, because the mall is where all the international school
kids go. So I can see a lot of my friends from the British
International School, and also my friends from the Jakarta
International School.

Farry, 15, South Jakarta:

My favorite mall is Pondok Indah Mal. I think it's safer than
all the other malls, like Blok M Plaza and the like. I feel more
comfortable hanging out in a place that I know is safe. There is
also a lot to do there. I can go to the movies, I can take my
girlfriend window-shopping, and with my family I can also do some
shopping.

I usually spend like six to seven hours at the mall. I guess
it sounds like a long time for other people, but it certainly
doesn't feel long to me. I really enjoy my time at the mall.

What do I do for seven hours? I go to the movies, and before
you can go in to see the movie you usually have to spend like an
hour or so waiting, right? After that I usually go to the food
court to get something to eat. I usually stay there for awhile.
It's a cool place to hang out. After that we usually just spend
time walking around, you know, window-shopping.

Hanging out at the mall usually requires the company of either
my friends or my girlfriend. Sometimes I also go with my family.
One more thing that I like about PI (Pondok Indah) is that it's
not too crowded. You know, not like Plaza Senayan where it's
almost always full of people, especially on the weekends.

Ajeng, 15, South Jakarta:

I like to go to Pondok Indah Mal because the feel of the place
is not too formal. What do I mean by formal? I guess the place
just seems more fun than places like Plaza Senayan. The crowds at
Plaza Senayan are older than the crowds at Pondok Indah Mal.
Maybe it's because at Plaza Senayan the shops are more expensive.

I never get bored at Pondok Indah Mal, I don't know why. Maybe
it's because there are a lot of things to do there. I spend most
of my time window-shopping. I like to see what the new trends are
for clothes. The mall has a lot of cool stuff. But actually for
buying clothes, I prefer to shop at small boutiques. The clothes
at the mall are usually a dime a dozen. I usually only buy shoes
or sandals at the mall.

There is just nothing else to do for us school kids. Hanging
out at the mall is like a refreshment before going back to
school. It's a way to get rid of the boredom. Especially once
school starts.

But this doesn't mean that I have to go every day; I go once a
week at the most. But I do admit that if I couldn't go to the
mall at all I would definitely miss it.

Tiche, 20, East Jakarta:

I like to go to Pondok Indah Mal even though I live a long way
from there. It's one of my favorite malls. I like it because it
has absolutely everything. Plus most of the stuff is within reach
of our allowances as students.

Plaza Senayan is also nice but if I go to Plaza Senayan I
usually end up not buying anything, because the prices are
incredibly expensive!

But I don't consider myself a mall rat, so to speak. I never
stay at the mall for more than two hours. I usually just buy
whatever I need and leave. If I get hungry I just find a good
place to eat and leave when I'm done. I never go to the mall if I
don't need to buy anything. I don't really enjoy hanging out at
malls. Maybe it's because I don't like crowds and there are
always a lot of people at malls.

Rendra, 16, West Jakarta:

The closest mall to where I live would be Mal Taman Anggrek
and that's where I usually go. I never go anywhere else so I
can't really make any comparisons. I know that some of my friends
who live in South Jakarta like to go to Pondok Indah Mal but it's
too far me.

And I think I can get anything I want at Mal Taman Anggrek so
it's not a big deal. It has a movie theater, it has a lot of good
places to eat, like McDonald's, Hartz Chicken Buffet and even
Hoka Hoka Bento, which I love, and it also has all the stores I
need. So I think it fulfills all my requirements of a good mall.

One more thing that I love about the place is that it has an
ice rink! I love ice skating! And none of the other malls have
ice rinks. I usually go there to ice skate at least once a week.

Most of my friends from school also go to Mal Taman Anggrek.
Most of them also live near me so it is the closest mall to us.
Usually we hang out by the ice rink after skating and laugh at
people who fall down. I know it's kind of mean, but I can't help
it. They just look so funny! Some of them have very good balance
though, because they manage to stand on the ice with their arms
flying around longer than the others. It's so funny!

Awan, 18, West Jakarta:

Frankly, I think that Mal Taman Anggrek is one of the best
malls. It's very big. It is full of all kinds of stores,
especially for young people like me. And unlike other malls like
Pondok Indah Mal or Plaza Senayan, Mal Taman Anggrek has small
stores that sell one-of-a-kind imported clothes that they usually
get from either Hong Kong or the U.S. I hate it when I see
somebody else wearing exactly the same shirt that I'm wearing.
Most of the clothes they sell at department stores like Metro or
Sogo are too common.

It also has a movie theater, which plays all the latest
movies. That is the most important facility people should have at
a mall! I like watching films, especially at the theater. I guess
it's true what they say about movie magic. Somehow films just
seem more spectacular on a big screen. I usually try to go at
least twice a month.

But even if I don't go to see movies, I usually go to Mal
Taman Anggrek at least once a week. I usually go with my gang of
friends. We like to hang out at the mall because there is nowhere
else to go. Maybe at night we can go clubbing but there is really
nothing much to do during the day. Sure we can just chill out at
home, but it gets pretty boring after a while. So the mall is the
only place we can go to have fun without spending a lot of money.
Sometimes when we don't have any money at all we just walk around
and hang out.