I'm not sure if I've ever been to this mall before, but today it is absolutely packed with people…read moreeverywhere--in the corridors, inside the restaurants, and in the shops. I don't know if it's because of the Soccer World Cup 2026, the fact that it's Saturday afternoon, or the sweltering heat, but it is incredibly crowded. I came straight here after work to check it out because I have movie tickets for the cinema located inside. I arrived a bit too early, so I'm going to walk around and explore the place, and I'll let you know what I think later. The air conditioning is holding up well against the massive crowd. I'll share my thoughts on the other places I visit later on. I can see a variety of spots here, though--places like "Carlitos BBQ taqueria", as well as coffee shops, pretzel stands, dessert spots, a Macy's, ramen restaurants, and more.

It's so busy there on a Saturday, especially when the circus it's in town ! Parking is really…read moredifficult in the afternoon !!! It's easy to get lost there, but what great exercise walking asking this mall!

I'm from Jersey, but I'm not really a mall person. I only go to the mall when I need something…read more That's why I like Center City Mall because it has a variety of stores where I can pick up whatever I need to get, especially if I'm downtown and short on time to drive. I'll go into Center City for Marshalls, GNC, and PriceRIte more often. I've only been to Hamilton & Ward, but there are other eateries like Downtown Grill and IHOP. Inside, I've also seen there's a nail place, as well as a movie theater and arcade. Center City Mall is easy to get to via public transportation with bus stops, and there is underground parking available. Star rating based on convenience and ease of location - especially smack in the middle of an urban area.

I like this mall…read more 1) It is a good spot to chill in Downtown Paterson. I am glad it exists, then not having it. 2) The food court is my favorite aspect of this mall. If you are here, you MUST TRY Pollo Campero. 3) Pollo Campero is basically Latin style fried chicken franchise. It is amazing. The drinks from horchata to tamarindo is excellent, as well as desserts such as tres leches.

This mall has a lot of stores, but the hallways feel inconvenient because if you go down one all…read morethe way, you need to go backwards to go to a different hallway. Because of that, I didn't know there was a Spencers for years (not that I was looking for that store, but it's just interesting that I never knew there was a pretty well known store in a corner for years). The food court is pretty good with a wide selection of items and this one area between the center of the mall and the food court hallway occasionally switched out. Store prices vary and the mall can't really control that, obviously, but there's a good variety of stores with their ranging prices so that you can find your preference. I only know of one bathroom area and while it's pretty big, it also feels hidden and is inconvenient if you need to go from anywhere besides the center of the mall. Also, there's great parking and a bus stop for commuters. There's also other stores located in the same area but not in the mall which is convenient for a variety of reasons.

This is a good mall with the real anchor store here being the Macy's. I usually do most of my…read moreChristmas shopping here. They have just about everything on a shopping list so it fits your needs. The Bath and Body stores are good as is Hot Topic and Tates Menswear. The JCPennys is good too. Across the way is Dicks Sporting Goods. There are a couple movie theatres and plenty of food options. CAVA just opened near the Dicks as well. Parking is plentiful but like anyone else I'm jockeying for spots close. It's usually pretty safe and there are plenty of security guards but just be careful going to your car at night. A good mall.

At this point we all know the parking situation in this shopping center is awful. The lot is…read moreimpossible to navigate safely because of how tight the spots are. However the WORST thing about this shopping center is I have seen a man TWICE take photos up women's skirts in the Michaels. There isn't much the police said they could do without the victims pressing charges, but BE WARNED DO NOT WEAR A SKIRT.

I've lived my whole life in the two areas where awfully designed shopping centers are an art form:…read moreNYC Metro and South Florida. So believe me when I tell you that this is BY FAR the worst, most frustrating, awfully thought out place I've ever had the sheer displeasure of experiencing. From the asininely narrow and sharp entrances, to the tiny, far too few parking spots, to the four way intersections that barely have enough room for cars to pass each other, everything about this place is a nightmare. The fact that everyone (understandably) becomes hyper-aggressive while trying to find a spot is just the icing on the cake. Please, if you have ANY other even remotely reasonable alternative stores to go to, go to those other stores. As far as I know, each store here has another location within 10 miles (at most). Do yourself a favor and go to those other locations. Seriously, avoid this place at all costs. Though if you ever drive down Rt. 3 West you'll curse its name anyway because of the traffic it causes to back up onto the highway. I'd rather go to the Garden State Plaza on Black Friday. That's how bad this craptacular bastard of a shopping center is.

At the corner of Eagle Rock and Prospect Avenues, West Orange Plaza is what was formerly known as…read moreK-Mart Plaza or where the old Caldor and Rag Shop stores were located back in the day (IYKYK). It's currently undergoing a huge renovation. Existing businesses are still open and operating. These include the Whole Foods, Verizon Store, Chipotle, Jersey Mikes, Frank's Pizza, America's Best Contacts and Glasses, myGym, dogtopia, and Mavis Tires. There is a lot of construction right now as parts of the shopping strip are being prepared for a Target anchor store, and a new traffic pattern is being carved out in the plaza lot where newly built free-standing store units will be strategically situated. The new plans will completely refresh the area and bring more activity to this part of town.

Never would I have thought that I would be standing right in the middle of the second biggest mall…read morein the U.S. But there I was on Mother's Day. Perhaps it's because of the sheer size of the mall or perhaps people were busy celebrating Mother's Day elsewhere, but it wasn't as busy or crowded as I would've expected. Although the food court wasn't packed, the wait for Jollibee was insane (probably a 25-35 minute wait). It was worth it though, I hope more malls in the U.S. have Jollibee. After eating, I explored the mall a bit. American Dream has a NHL-reuglate size ice skating rink (entrance is on the first floor, where you can also get the tickets). But what's wilder is the ski and snowboard resort - the first indoor snow resort in North America. I didn't go in but I could feel the chilliness from the condensation on the windows. There's also an NJ Hall of Fame, laser tag, Sesame Street Learn & Play, and Nickelodeon Universe inside. You can enter Nickelodeon Universe (no tickets needed) but you need to buy points to go on the rides. Even if you don't go on the rides, there are plenty of photo ops. I saw Spongebob and Squiward taking photos on a stage. Other cool things about American Dream: A ferris wheel called American Dream that allows you to see the NYC skyline, a Toys "R" Us train that goes around on one floor, and HMart. There is a fancier part of American Dream with high-end stores, too. I didn't come here for shopping though. Plenty of spots in the parking garage and it's $6 for each vehicle, though the first 15 minutes are free.

1 star - More Nightmare Than Dream…read more (But giving a 3 star since what was actually open was fun.) Took my daughter to American Dream Mall for her birthday weekend, expecting water slides and celebration shakes. What we got was a masterclass in disappointment. The water park was closed for electrical work. Fine -- things happen. So we headed to the shake shop to salvage the birthday with one of their fancy cake-topped frappés. Also closed. At this point the "dream" branding was starting to feel like false advertising. The hotel situation wasn't any better, not that the mall can be blamed for this. But fair warning to others who traveled as far as we did for this magical weekend. Pool closed for the entire weekend -- not for a quick cleaning, but pending state inspection results that could take "days to weeks." Called around to other hotels thinking we'd just move. Same story everywhere. Apparently post-Memorial Day weekend triggers mandatory state testing after high guest volume, and every pool in the area was in limbo. Nobody mentioned this when we booked. Back at the mall, the game room -- where the closed shake shop lives -- lost power entirely. And if that weren't enough, the fire alarm spent a good chunk of the afternoon flashing and blaring "there is a fire in the building, evacuate immediately" on repeat. Not once. Multiple times. So to recap: no water park, no birthday shake, no hotel pool, no game room, and a fire alarm that cried wolf so often we genuinely weren't sure whether to panic or just keep walking. Happy birthday, kid. At least the parking lot was open.