Impressions of the Galleria from the inside

Following up on my report from earlier this week about the opening of the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills, I made a trip over to the mall to see what it was like from the inside.

I walked the interior circuit and learned that even with occasionally wandering through stores it was a walk that could be done in less than a half hour. Then I made my selection from the restaurants near the foodcourt for a place to have lunch.

I settled on Johnny Rockets, not knowing what to expect inside. When I got to my seat I was given a complimentary nickel to use in the jukebox to select something I would like to hear. My server gave me a plate of "American" fries with a smiley drawn in Heinz ketchup. I quickly discovered that occasionally the servers would dance together if an appropriate song was being played on the jukebox.

Lunch at Johnny Rockets was a memorable and entertaining experience.

The decor in the various neighborhoods was intriguing. Outside the glow in the dark miniature golf course there was a green with giant golf balls on which weary mall walkers could sit down.

Outside Dick's Sporting Goods the seats were gigantic baseball gloves.

There were also some neat mobiles hanging from the ceiling. In one section there were mobiles that were representations of noteworthy Pittsburgh buildings.

In another section of the hallway, the lighting fixtures were in the shape of familiar Pittsburgh bridges.

While walking the circuit I stopped in Borders. It looked bigger from the outside, but the selection of books was broad and I am still very pleased that there will be a place where I can shop for books locally.

I also found "Destination Wellness," a space being used by the Alle-Kiski Medical Center for promoting health and wellness. They will start a walking program called Mills Milers in September. They already had a resource library in place and in the future will offer health screenings and classes on various topics.

File under: Galleria, Pittsburgh Mills, Tarentum