Chiyoung Kim

Chiyoung Kim

Copley Place is definitely catered for the wealthy upper class in its selection of stores. Neiman Marcus, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Tiffany and Co. are only a handful of the many higher-end brand name stores available here. The most interesting thing about Copley is that it builds up with multiple floors rather than outwards, and that it has a more of a cavelike feeling due to its darker lighting and closed atmosphere. It is upholstered with polished marble and a green space which showcases an indoor waterfall, and it is cloistered from the outside with an escalator, separating it from the rest of Boston.

Newbury Street is completely opposite, with lots of restaurants and smaller boutiques. Compared to the classy elegance of Copley Place, it has a more town-like feel due to its brick buildings. Seating areas abound in ubiquitous sunken seating areas. The stores are clustered together practically in an unbroken wall that forms the “walls” of Newbury Street, turning the entire street into a mall.

Prudential Center is somewhere in between these two. It is an indoor mall that is separated from the outside but open to the sky through a roof made almost completely out of glass. While it shows the kind of isolation that Copley Place presents, it has a more urban feel to it due to its shop selection, a mix of both economical and higher-end stores. It is in itself a social space with an array of seating areas scattered throughout the mall.