2nd street new shopping plaza

[thrillbill]

The new shopping plaza and 2nd street, called "The Avenue" is "hip" with its individual three story circular buildings and natural landscaping but will it really be able to support all of those restaurants when competing with cheap Thai hole-in the wall places that cater to the long term stayer? I hope the places succeeds but I don't think this is Bangkok...

Next...for the tourist to safely get across 2nd Road to and from the mall, will we have to wait for someone to get run over before the city comes up with a bright idea of maybe having the traffic stop/ or cop during peak hours for a few minutes so pedestrians can cross the street?

I heard that there was a new Lebanese restaurant there but couldn't find it... so, where is it?

[Marsilius]

As you say, it's simply on the wrong side of the road. Even if you persuade your bus/motorbike to drop you off on that side, you've still got to negotiate your way back afterwards... You might be prepared for that if you're going somewhere special and specific (Ruen Thai, Casa Pascal), but not just for a general wander around a mall.

As you say, it's simply on the wrong side of the road. Even if you persuade your bus/motorbike to drop you off on that side, you've still got to negotiate your way back afterwards... You might be prepared for that if you're going somewhere special and specific (Ruen Thai, Casa Pascal), but not just for a general wander around a mall.


It's Pattaya.

If it doesn't fit, they'll change the roads back around to full two way systems.

I know what you are going to say, what if you are going or wanting to go the other way?

Tough!

Most of us get used to taking our lives in danger when crossing roads. A motorbike or chartered baht bus should take you in to the entrance. You can approach down the soi at the side of Welcome Plaza where Star Boys used to be. There is a very small entrance to the car park which is multi storied

I suspect that the serious mistake was not making it air conditioned. They have a nice cinema complex and some shops but nothing terribly interesting other then the glorious VILLA MARKET supermarket = of which much has been written on earlier threads. It is not a good place to wander around but it could have been.

I welcomed some place to wander around in besides Royal Plaza. The Avenue is a disappointment. Poor layout in my humble opinion. Oh lets face it, I'm never humble.

I really liked the new shopping centre - don't forget some tourists also come to Thailand to do some shopping (shock horror!!! hahaha)

There are a couple of good shops there with great clothes, and I expect more will follow - in fact this last trip in Pattaya I was pleasantly surprised by the number of shops opening selling decent stuff - G Star, Christian Audigier etc - Pattaya used to be a place full of shops/stalls selling only the cheap and nasty "Good Guys Go to Heaven, Bad Guys Go to Pattaya" style T shirts. Things really are changing in terms of shopping, and for me that is certainly a good thing.

As for negotiating transport/one way system - that's just the way it is in every city in the world surely - some places are easy to get to and from, others more difficult. Nowhere has a perfect transport/town planning system.

[Marsilius]

But at least some have frequently spaced pedestrian crossings that are respected by vehicular traffic!

[catawampuscat]

The Avenue on Second Road is refreshingly different than Royal Garden, althou it has many of the same
stores.. It is still a work in progress with most of the shops open. Villa is fantastic and it is a relief to get away from
the bench warmers bargaining with the boys in Royal Garden.. They hold their seats all day and keep a eye on the lavatories
and try to pick up boys for a couple of hundred baht. You will find these guys in Big C as well but so far The Avenue
is much too classy for these characters to work effectively..

The new Bowling alleys are quite modern but they have a DJ and it isn't for those with low tolerance to loud music.
Many problems with the automatic scoring systems and a lack of bowling balls for farang sized fingers.. I doubt
I will go back but perhaps, if I were a few decades younger, I might get into the spirit..

The Avenue makes Royal Garden seem like an antique mall in this humble poster's opinion..

I was there yesterday. I saw many design problems that will make it difficult to for it to become successful. 1) no anchor stores. 2) inadaquite parking, the parking structure is much to small to support a mall. 3) indoor outdoor architecture is good in the cool season, but I doubt anyone is going to want to go from AC to cooking and back to AC to get from one store to the next in the hot. 4) It is on the wrong side of the street. It is, also, doubtful that it will survive at all once the huge new indoor mall opens on Beach Road.

[catawampuscat]

Tom has good points and could have included handicap accessibility.. One has to navigate some terrain which would not
be wheelchair friendly and I wouldn't want to try it with crutches or a walker. Perhaps, there are ways to get around these
unusual surface areas but it is unique enough that I think it will have a place even with all the new centers to come.

I do think Villa is an anchor and the new California Gym and the Multi Plex movies should be enough of a reason to visit
for many.. I do agree the other side of Second Road is far better and time will tell if it makes it.. :cat:

I do think Villa is an anchor and the new California Gym and the Multi Plex movies should be enough of a reason to visit for many..
If anything, California Fitness is a reason to NOT go to The Avenue. Why on earth do they have to blast their music so loud at the entrance? You can hear it throughout the mall. I've been looking for a clean, modern workout place, but I understand the music in the workout area is just as loud. How does deafening noise equate to health and fitness, anyway?