In case you are wondering which creature does VR represents, think no further. Am referring to Bangalore shopping malls – Phoenix MarketCity and VR Bengaluru.
With a small shopping list and desire to watch VK on big screen, I started my mall hopping journey at 4.30 P.M. on an erstwhile lazy Sunday. Itinerary included Decathlon, followed by Phoenix and then VR . Fickle minded as I am, landed first at Phoenix.
After Forum Koramangala, if I had liked any mall, it’s this – a hangout with an apt blend of space and style.
The mall boasts of a huge exterior open space, which has witnessed music concerts of the likes of Mohit Chauhan and Arijit Singh.
There is a wide range of restaurants, all neatly stacked towards the exterior. You can enjoy the music and weather alike, either over a cup of hot Cappuccino at Cafe Noir , Mexican delicacies at Chili’s or a can of chilled beer at Whitefield Social.
For the movie buffs, there is PVR Cinemas – IMAX + An outside screen to showcase movie trailers . Believe me, the thrill of watching Kung Fu Panda on this screen, was unparalleled.
If you don’t like popcorn, but prefer burning those extra calories, try the in-house rock climbing. I had never attempted it though, for obvious reasons.
Once inside, you might be reminded of the labyrinth, with ample options to choose for your daily necessities and luxury desires. Ensure you have your list handy and don’t give in to the lure of impulsive shopping.
A distinct feature of this mall is the symmetry it exudes – like an order in the chaos.
Themed decorations ensure there are enough selfie hot spots.
Care has been taken to install information boards and desks at every floor, with rare cases of information mismatch.
Their new website Phoenix MarketCity , does a decent job of presenting the requisite info. Looks like it’s kept updated with ongoing events and sales schedule. I liked the fact, that care has been taken to incorporate contact number of every store. These numbers are hyperlinks, which seemed useless on laptop, but worked like a charm on a mobile phone. The mall is not on iOS. Well, for that matter, none of the others are.
After spending around an hour and not even one item ticked off my list, I headed out of Phoenix, to try my luck at Decathlon.
This place is a paradise for sport fanatics. It houses a wide range of sporting goods, of varied price and quality,to suit everyone’s needs. Definition tags attached to every product, help in making an informed decision.
For a change, I got what I had been looking for, and barring a bad billing experience, left this place as a Happy Me. However, I’ll allow you to leave, only if you can answer these two questions:
- Why did every guy put his wife through Basketball test here?
- When in distress, why do we always extend our hands towards our parents ?
Next in line was VR.
It’s the latest kid on the block and believe me, it’s quite classy.
It might be one-fourth of the size of Phoenix, nevertheless pulls crowd alike because of:
If you are ready to shell out 150/ for a ten minute ride, the fun is all yours.
The exterior space had been well utilized – with miniature fountains and pop corn carts, it reminds me of the old world charm.
Once inside, the architects thought through when they designed the ceiling – It acts as a skylight during day and a glass canopy in the night.
This mall has some of Bangalore’s Firsts – H&M, Happily Unmarried and a first in class IMAX theater. Oh, and there is some kind of kids parlor to host birthday parties.
Rest is mundane.
With joy rides and theme gardens, this mall has ample scope to keep your kid happy
Now, coming to their website: VR– it’s very impressive. Well designed and very artistic. The only downside being, store information does not include contact numbers. Was wondering if they should have hosted a website which would have transposed its visitors to VR – virtual reality ??
I might not visit this mall often, except when I need to catch a movie at PVR IMAX or check him out on the big screen inside the food court.
Should you – well it all depends on your priorities.
