 |
Seeing Stars: Where the Stars Shop..
15301 Ventura Boulevard,
Sherman Oaks, CA. /
(818) 783-7100
In 1999, the Galleria
was temporarily closed for "major renovations," following years
of declining business (and damage suffered in the 6.7 magnitude quake of
1994.)
However, wrecking
balls soon smashed down most of the old Galleria, marking the de facto
end of the famous mall, at least as '80s Los Angelenos knew it.
A sad day for Valley
Girls...
The Galleria finally
reopened in 2002, but it is now a much smaller facility, and is no longer
an enclosed mall. It is now an open-air, mixed-use center featuring several
restaurants, an outdoor food court, a handful of stores (including Tower
Records), and Pacific Theatres 16. The rest of the former space is
taken up by offices, including the home of Warner Bros. Animation.
(I'll leave this
page up for now, for anyone who wants to read about the way the Galleria
used to be... but bear in mind that the article was initially written when
the old (enclosed) Galleria was still intact. To read about the new
center, go to http://www.shermanoaksgalleria.com)
|
.JPG) The
Sherman Oaks Galleria was perhaps best known as the home of the Valley
Girl,  since
this San Fernando Valley mall was where "Fast
Times at Ridgemont High" (1982) was
filmed. And the mall was mentioned in Frank
Zappa's 1982 novelty song "Valley
Girl" ("Like totally! Ohmigod!
Fershur!").
Arnold Schwarzenegger's1985's
movie, "Commando,"
was shot there too.
Otherwise, it was
a rather small, unremarkable mall (although Janet
Jackson had been spotted shopping
there on at least one occasion).
 The
mall was featured throughout "Fast Times at Ridgemont
High", beginning with the opening scenes of the film, where we
ride an elevator up to the food court where the young Sean
Penn, Jennifer
Jason Leigh and Judge
Reinhold worked at the fast food stands.
 But
despite its popularity in the 80's (when stars like
Molly Ringwald
used to shop there regularly), business at this mall had been suffering
lately (since it suffered extensive damage during the 1994 Northridge earthquake),
with a very high vacancy rate at last report. And it is now a part of history...
(By the way, the
mall where "Valley Girl" was filmed is still standing.
"Valley Girl", starring Nicolas Cage in his first hit film,
was shot in the main food court of the Del
Amo Fashion Center mall in Torrance, CA.)
.gif)
Getting there:
The Galleria is located in the Valley, on the northwest corner of Ventura
Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard, in Sherman Oaks, just east of the San
Diego (405) Freeway, and just south of the Ventura (101) Freeway. / From
the San Diego (405) Freeway north, take the Ventura Blvd/Sherman Oaks
exit, and turn left (north) on Sepulveda Boulevard. Go two blocks (to just
past Ventura Boulevard), then turn left (west) into mall's the parking
garage.
[You
can access the Galleria's official website at: http://www.shermanoaksgalleria.com.]
|
|
|
