CambridgeSide Galleria, Cambridge, MA

CambridgeSide Galleria is one of the newest malls in the north eastern United States. The mall in Cambridge, Massachusetts was opened in 1990 with Sears, Filene's and Lechmere as the anchor stores. Filene's was taken over by Macy's and Lechmere closed in 1997. The space was divided into two stores for Best Buy and Borders.

CambridgeSide Galleria is perhaps one of the most beautiful malls. The architecture is all brick and glass. The columns are red brick, with white brick facades for the walls, and glass to fill in the steel awnings. The architecture of the building uses triangles and arches with square and rectangles. As a result in the evenings and at Christmas time the mall shines to life. When the snow falls it creates a very picturesque appearance, especially with the pond out front. In the summer the pond has a working fountain. For visitors to the area and residents CambridgeSide Galleria mall is not the only entertainment. There is also the Museum of Science towards the north end of the mall. The Charles River Boat Company will shuttle passengers to and from the mall along the canal. There are also Moorings for private boats.

Hours of operation for CambridgeSide Galleria are Monday through Saturday 10 am to 9 pm, and Sunday 12 pm to 7 pm. During the holidays the mall can be closed, such as on Christmas and Thanksgiving. Other holidays have special hours, and of course before Christmas the mall will be open longer.

A few of the upscale stores include Steve Madden, Banana Republic, J Crew, Guess, Aldo and H&M. Other stores at CambridgeSide Galleria are Claire's, Club Monaco, Fashion Sunglasses, Fashion Zone, Piercing Pagoda, Silver Paradise, Sunglass Hut, Time Zone, and Unique Accessories. Apparel locations involve The Children's Place, GapKids, Old Navy, United Colors of Benetton, Abercrombie, American Eagle Outfitters, Aeropostale, Express, Hollister, Pacific Sunwear, Timberland, and Gap for Adults.

Bath and Body Works, the Body Shop, Coco Nail and Spa, Cohen's Fashion Optical, Corioliss, CVS, Dellaria Salon, GNC, Le Parfum, LensCrafters, Lord's and Lady's Hair Salon, Sephora, The Threading Spa, and Victoria's Secret cater for beauty supplies. Any shopper hoping for cards, gifts, and books will not be disappointed in American Greetings, Borders, Brookstone, Godiva, Swarovski or Yankee Candle Company.

Electronics and entertainment are also a part of mall life. Apple, AT&T, Best Buy, Game Stop, Radio Shack, Ritz Camera, Sprint, TMobile, and Verizon are located at CambridgeSide Galleria. Toys, games, sporting goods, shoes, jewelry, and much more can be found at this Cambridge Mall. For any shopper who gets hungry the mall has a food court and upscale restaurants.

The food court offers Au Bon Pain, Big Easy Cajun, Burger King, D'Angelo Sandwich Shops, Dunkin Donuts, Freshens, Master Wok, Saladworks, Sarku Japan, Shrimp Market, Taco Bell, Thai Accent, and Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen. CambridgeSide Galleria offers three upscale restaurants, which are California Pizza Kitchen, Cheesecake Factory, and PF Chang's China Bistro. Specialty shops for visitors are Seattle's Best, Pretzelmaker, Starbucks, and Sweets Garden.