Hello. Today is Monday. I don’t think I like Mondays much. They are a necessary evil, I do know that. But as necessary as they are, they are still not fun.

This weekend was good–I went out to the apple orchard with Kelly H and Kim Y. We bought apple donuts, cider and a few other things. I think it was worth the sort of long trek out there. Then we came back to Naperville and went to the Fox Valley mall. It’s a nice mall. Not as good as Woodfield. It is covered, which is better than Oak Brook, but it lacks a certain je ne sais quois. My top 5 malls:

5. Stratford Square

4. Oak Brook

3. Fox Valley

2. Woodfield

1. Deer Park

I realize that this list covers a huge geographic region, but there you have it. I put Deer Park as 1 because it has every store that I LOVE to go to. Gap, J Crew, Banana, Ann Taylor and Victoria’s Secret–even though I don’t shop at all those stores all the time. Plus, as far as outdoor malls go, it is relatively small and therefore easier to get around. Plus, it’s not usually too hard to find parking there. And since it doesn’t have as much traffic, as say a behemoth like Woodfield, there are usually good size ranges available for sales. I would say that Woodfield comes in #2 simply because you need serious time to dedicate to going to Woodfield. Since I know where everything is, I know where to park, but if you come in the wrong door on the wrong level, it could tack on a few minutes. It definitely beats out Oak Brook and Fox Valley. Even though Oak Brook does have some high end stores–such as Mark Shale–Woodfield has a greater number of stores and is indoor. See, if I’m going to shop for a broad range of people, I prefer to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer. If I have my own agenda for me, Oak Brook is great. Fox Valley is a new place for me to shop at and it beats out Oak Brook primarily based on proximity to my current location. It also has some good anchor stores–Marshall Fields, JC Penny. WAIT A MINUTE… Oak Brook beats out Fox Valley. I just remembered that Oak Brook has a Crate and Barrel that has the Home Store included–very good. Sorry, Fox, you just got bumped. So now my list looks like this:

5. Stratford Square

4. Fox Valley

3. Oak Brook

2. Woodfield

1. Deer Park

Lastly is Stratford Square. I like the mall, but it’s not my favorite. It barely makes the top 5. As a matter of fact, if I remember another mall I like better, I’ll have to bump it.

Wait–actually, I like the Champaign mall. It’s very nice for a rural (well, Champaign isn’t rural… but the area around it is…) mall and has a decent food court and bathrooms. It’s a nice place to go if you have to chill for a few minutes. My list is now:

5. Champaign Mall

4. Fox Valley

3. Oak Brook

2. Woodfield

1. Deer Park

This has take far too much brain power. I need a nap!!