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Originally posted by IowaHawkeye
Like 20 minutes away there's Oakbrook - one of my favorite malls - its all outdoors and there's fountains and flowers everywhere in the spring and summer - goregous. It has the likes of Tiffany & Co, Sephora, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord and Taylor, Neiman Marcus, Nine West, Crabtree & Evelyn.... plus they have a Maggianos Italian Restaurant here (if youre from chicago you know what i'm talking about)
within a decent drive from me i have Woodfield Mall, Gurnee Mills, Old Orchard, watertower, and of course the Magnificent mile 
Bad malls around me = Chicago Ridge mall, Ford City - theyre just dead and don't have any good stores...
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Ohhh LORDY I love Oakbrook. Takes about 40 minutes to get there from my parents' house (in the Near Northwest suburbs), but it's worth it. Great stores, but I have to wonder who came up with the idea of building an outdoor mall in Illinois??
Ahhhh, Woodfield. My little came to visit me over Thanksgiving one year and I took her there and she just about had to be dragged out. Did you know it has more stores than the Mall of America? Water Tower is great, too, but Gurnee Mills doesn't impress me. Old Orchard is the closest decent mall to where I grew up, about 20 minutes up Golf Road...gosh, I remember that mall BEFORE it was remodeled. By far, the ickiest mall around there is Golf Mill, in Niles. I go there to pay my Express bill and that's about it. It's tiny and teenybopper. Blech.
33girl, I miss the Ross Park Mall. I used to go there and then afterwards I would go to the Mad Mex in the North Hills for curry chicken burritos. Then I would feel the need to walk back to my apartment in Squirrel Hill.
There are two really great malls near me, about 15 minutes drive in opposite directions. The South Coast Plaza, in Costa Mesa, is from what I understand the top moneymaking mall in the nation. I feel like I have to dress up when I go there. They're known for all their designer shops: Prada, Chanel, CD, Gucci, Armani, Cartier, Dolce and Gabbana, the list goes on. There's also stores for those of us that don't make six figures: J Crew, Banana, Origins, and a HUGE Victoria's Secret. They kinda fall down on department stores, though. That's where Fashion Island, in Newport Beach, picks up. They have a Bloomie's, Neiman's, Macy's, Robinson's-May, etc. Oh, and neither mall has enough bathrooms. Do native SoCal's pee less than the average person??
Even though I live in the midst of southern California consumer culture, my favorite mall in the entire world is the King of Prussia Mall in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. It's enormous, bright and well-lit, they have all kinds of stores and restaurants AND...you can practically eat off the floor. Every time you turn around there's someone cleaning something.