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.