Tonight, Michelle and I briefly visited The Streets at Southpoint. For those reading outside of my locality, it is the new mall just south of Durham, NC.

Since we only checked out the outdoor “Main Street” portion — it was 10:30 PM when we arrived, and mall had long since closed — I can’t say much for what the inside of the mall looks like. Main Street is fascinating. It is nice and walkable, and is a welcome change from the “convienience centers” that spring up outside many malls. It has some big “non-anchor stores” and restaurants, and a movie theater. And the fountains in the squares are charming and whimsical (the one with the umbrellas are my favorite).

All said, I can’t help but feel it is way too manufactured. I mean, the whole place exists not as a place for gathering, but for buying. It wants to seem like a charming little bustling town, but in reality it is just a front to get you to purchase more stuff at Coldwater Creek or Barnes & Noble.

One really cool thing: right on Main Street is North Carolina’s only Apple Store.