A refurbished shopping mall and train station that feels like an opera palace.

by Contributor

The Scene

While area history buffs have complained that gorgeous skylights and marble walls surrounding a Gap is slightly unsettling, if you're searching out a chain store for a wedding registry or a birthday gift, the same marble makes trekking through miles of khaki all the more tolerable. This isn't your typical shopping mall. As an extra bonus, you can catch the Rapid Transit right in the basement.

More Charm

Dillard's is housed in a real old-fashioned department store--the same one that moonlighted as Higbee's in "A Christmas Story." Besides three floors of the usual suspects (The Limited, The Museum Company, The Disney Store), Fitworks gym has a location here, as does the post office. You can also find some rather curious activities going on by the central fountain, from the hatching of falcon chicks to mini-performances by the Cleveland Orchestra.