Vanity And Venetian Vibes At The Venice Grand Canal Mall

As some of you may know, I have worked in the vicinity of McKinley Hill for the more than 5 years or so. Thus, I have been pretty much a witness to how this township developed from a somewhat barren environment into what it is today. And for those past 5+ years, the sight that has always intrigued was the construction of what was supposed to be its prime attraction, a replica of the Grand Canal of Venice.

It just bums me that I learned that after so many years, McKinley Hill’s own version of the Grand Canal finally opened…and I’m no longer working at the area. Considering the distance coming from my residence in the east, plus the other things I’ve been busy with, I haven’t had the time to check out the place as hordes of selfies being taken in the area made it possibly the new selfie capital in the metro. But finally, I managed to see what the hype is all about.

The grand canal is actually part of a bigger development in McKinley Hill called the Venice Grand Canal Mall. Basically, the whole complex is a mall with the grand canal in the middle. And being heavily influenced in Venice, it is but natural for the mall to have an architecture that imitates Italian/European design.

While the mall itself is now open, at this time of writing only a few establishments are open, with the main entrance area still under construction. There wasn’t much to see during that time but there are some notable establishments that were already open, particularly Robinsons’ upscale supermaket called Robinsons Selections.

But for the hordes of people going there and taking their selfies, it was not a big deal as it is the canal itself after all which is the bigger attraction to see.

And what could make this sight more “Venice-y” than by a gondola plying the canal, being rowed by people in their Venetian-inspired costumes?

In all honesty, while the Venice Grand Canal Mall has that tackiness into it, it is not that bad as a place people can hang out at. The only downside though is that there are too many people here, especially on weekends, so you won’t really get to enjoy that much. So if you’re thinking of a more intimate or peaceful place to unwind, this is not the venue to go to. Then again, it is a mall after all so what do you expect, right?

At least the Venice Grand Canal Mall is making more and more people aware of McKinley Hill and make them see what it has to offer. And hopefully, this would lead to better public transport options as well.