Hey, Rick Caruso -- what about the bus?

Mall king Rick Caruso's wowing the crowds with his Glendale extravaganza but when our own Steven Hymon, Road Sage and Bottleneck blogger, dropped by for a peek, he came away with this suggestion:

I swung by the Americana at Brand yesterday, wanting to see what the big Rick Caruso development in downtown Glendale looks like. Short answer: kind of like the Grove, another Caruso project, but with a bigger lawn, housing and a kind of cramped parking garage.

And, like the Grove, the mall pretty much faces inward and only on one side does it interact in a meaningful way with the actual streets of downtown Glendale. Oh well. That's how it's done in L.A. On the plus side, it's much more charming than the old Glendale Galleria across the street.

I also picked up a fat packet of literature for the luxury condos being sold at the Excelsior. Two bedroom, two-and-a-half bath units start at about $542,000. The packet also points out that residents have access to valet parking and the concierge can hook them up with taxis, limos and car service.

Um ... they left something out. The Rapid Bus stops right up the street! Hey concierge -- where's my bus pass?

Keep up with SoCal's transportation issues at the Bottleneck Blog.

-- Veronique de Turenne

Photo: Los Angeles Times