Mark Graves/The Oregonian

Back in the 1990s, when today's older millennials were in middle and high school, malls were a dream. Here was a place where you could eat McDonald's, sip an Orange Julius, scope cute boys or girls, try on the latest baggy jeans at Gap or, if you had some serious babysitting cash, cropped sweaters at Abercrombie and Fitch.

Even today, with Amazon and Snapchat and Netflix available to meet our consumer, social and entertainment needs, there's something alluring about spending a few hours at a mall, wandering, shopping, snacking and judging people. And if you're going to go to a mall, which one should you go to?

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

We have gone to and analyzed all the Portland area malls. Yes, you will note, we did not include Mall 205. Why? Because Mall 205 is basically a Bed Bath and Beyond and magic show and we had to draw the line somewhere.

This is what we're looking for, in a qualifying mall: The ability to walk around and not just through a parking lot, an array of food choices and places to buy clothes. Because, come on, why go to malls except to try on dresses you'll never buy.

Here is our scoring guide:

Biggest asset: Out of a possible 10 points

Worst thing: Subtracts up to 10 points

Overall vibe: Out of 10 points

Store selection: Out of 10 points

Food selection: Out of 10 points

Parking situation: Out of 10 points

On to the ranking!

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Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian

10. Cedar Hills Crossing

3205 S.W. Cedar Hills Blvd, Beaverton

is the center of the sprawling stripmall that engulfs many of the main drags of Beaverton. The highlight of this mall is the suburban outpost of Powell's Books, which hosts a lot of events and offers a chiller version of downtown's City of Books.

Two things beyond Powell's keep this center at least marginally alive:

, for all your Lego needs, and a paint-your-own-pottery studio, for people who want to do something creative without Legos.

But mostly, once you leave the bookstore, you will find yourself in the dying husk of a shopping center, full of empty storefronts, with a food court composed of closed stands and a Cold Stone Creamery that serves people who wander in from Century 16 Cedar Hills.

The real draw are the exterior shops like Old Navy, that you can't even get to from the inside of the mall.

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Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian

Biggest asset: Powell's Books. 8

Worst thing: The echoing emptiness of the interior of the mall. -8

Store selection: 4

Food selection: 1

Parking lot: Oddly difficult to navigate, despite the fact that there is plenty of space. 6

Overall vibe: A tomb but with books, ice cream and Legos. 3



Total: 13

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9. Lloyd Center

2201 Lloyd Center

Hanging on a large banner over the

Ice Rink is a banner that reads: "Lloyd Center of It All." While geographically true-ish, shopping-wise it is not.

Once upon a time, Lloyd Center had a Nordstrom and a full food court, which even had a Taco Time. Now, Nordstrom is gone, and on every visit it feels like another store is leaving. The food court is half-shuttered too, and what remains are off-brand food choices like Chicken Connection.

But the building is being remodeled. Recently, the mall's best feature, the ice rink, was downsized and a nice spiral staircase was put in. And a new movie theater is

.

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Biggest asset: The actually-pretty-fun ice rink. 9

Worst thing: The shrinking food court. -7

Store selection: 5

Food selection: 3

Parking lot: While space is ample, this parking lot feels like it was built when the Lloyd Center was built. 6

Overall vibe: Rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic but if the Titanic actually might not sink this time? 4

Total: 20

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Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian

8. Fubonn Shopping Center

2850 S.E. 82nd Ave. #80

The heart of

is a huge Asian supermarket, with food and condiments from nearly every Asian country. But the supermarket doesn't just sell food. It's also fully stocked with kitchen and home goods, toys and decorative items. It takes some time to walk through every aisle of the store.

Radiating off the supermarket are stalls filled with jewelry, clothing, cosmetics, a bakery, a sushi spot and more. The halls of the mall host a delightful array of 25 cent kiddie rides, and the sound system plays pop music.

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Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian

Biggest asset: The endless and well-stocked supermarket. 8

Worst thing: The parking lot is so hard to get in and out of on a busy day. -3

Store selection: 6

Food selection: 4

Parking lot: 3

Overall vibe: A whole continent in one bustling building. 7

Total: 25

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Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian

7. Pioneer Place

700 S.W. Fifth Ave.

When

opened in 1990, it was shiny mall of the future in the center of Portland. A stream literally ran through the ground floor and into a fountain in the center of the food court.

The mall has seen its ups and downs since those glory days. Now, it's entering a new era, trying to appeal to millennial yuppies and tourists looking for a Portland experience. Almost half of the mall is an

and the food court has been redone to focus on a smaller number of fancier vendors, including dumplings and noodles at Yong Kang Street and Bridge City Cafe.

Bob Dylan and other recognizably cool music plays on the sound system, and anyone looking to drop some serious money will find the opportunity at Kate Spade or Louis Vuitton.

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Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian

Biggest asset: Location. The mall is just one part of a larger shopping district that is accessible by every available transit. 5

Worst thing: While the food court is ostensibly cool, the options are now extremely limited. -6



Overall vibe: The fever dream of a 35-year-old Nike employee. 5

Store selection: 7

Food selection: 3

Parking lot: It exists? But this is downtown so it isn't free. 2

Total: 26

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6. Cascade Station

9721 N.E. Cascades Parkway

isn't quite exactly a mall. It's actually called a "power center," which in this case is an elevated strip mall. We've included it in this list because while it isn't that pleasant to walk from store to store, it's possible. And it has plenty of food options, MAX access, and IKEA across the street.

If you're looking for discounted name-brand clothes in Portland, Cascade Station should probably be your first stop. It has a Nordstrom Rack, a Ross, a Marshall's and a Banana Republic factory store, among other things. If you can't find a cheap pair of jeans here, you aren't looking hard enough.

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Biggest asset: Nordstrom Rack, a Ross and Marshall's, all in one place! 7

Worst thing: There is no space for hanging out really. Not a place to stroll. -5

Overall vibe: Get down to the business of shopping. 3

Store selection: 6

Food selection: 6

Parking lot: Huge, with free electric vehicle charging stations. That gets bonus points. 10

Total: 27

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Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian

5. Washington Square

9585 S.W. Washington Square Road

Everything is bigger in the suburbs. The parking lot is bigger. The Nordstrom is bigger. But at

, it isn't just bigger, it is sparkly, expensive and there's a Tesla showroom.

Washington Square mall is truly a cathedral devoted to the religion of capitalism. This mall is mainly aspirational for anyone making less than six figures, with two Pottery Barns and a William Sonoma to outfit any size mansion and an Abercrombie and Fitch to make sure your kids look better than any other kids on spring break.

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Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian

Biggest asset:

This mall has one of the few stores belonging to local children's clothing company

in Oregon.

6

Worst thing: Getting there. MAX does not bring the hoi polloi to this center of wealth and luxury, though there is a bus stop. -5

Store selection: There is a lot here. 9

Food selection: The food court isn't the best around, but it does have a Taco Time and a Sonic. 7

Parking lot: Large and everywhere. 8

Overall vibe: Old money. 5

Total: 30

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4. Vancouver Mall

8700 N.E. Vancouver Mall Drive, Vancouver

answers the question: What would happen if Clackamas Town Center charged sales tax? These two malls call back to a time when today's adults were teens, cruising the wide-open halls of the local mall, looking for other teens. It's a "Mallrats" mall, a "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" mall.

Here, you can get a Cinnabon and go to Old Navy and, the Sears is still open. But, there's a twist, you can checkout books at the Vancouver Mall library branch.

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Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian

Biggest asset: It has a library! 7

Worst thing: Sales tax. -4

Store selection: 7

Food selection: There is a Taco Time! 7

Parking lot: Giant. 8

Overall vibe: Stacy's summer job. 6

Total: 31

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3. The Streets of Tanasbourne

19350 N.W. Emma Way, Hillsboro

opened several months before Bridgeport Village and is, in a way, Bridgeport's less cool older sibling, the Johnny Drama to Bridgeport's Vince.

Still, The Streets of Tanasbourne -- saddled with quite the name -- has a few things that might give it an edge over its more attractive little brother. For one, it has a Killer Burger. And, there's a nice REI in the center of the whole thing. Plus, the stores like H&M and Macy's are a little more approachable financially than Bridgeport's Sak's and Madewell.

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Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian

Biggest asset: REI, right in the middle of the whole deal. 6



Worst thing: The name is pretty dumb. -1



Store selection: 7



Food selection: 5



Parking lot: Big and never difficult. 9



Overall vibe: Hillsboro Hops' moms getting coffee in Oregon. 6



Total: 32

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2. Clackamas Town Center

12000 S.E. 82nd Ave., Happy Valley

is about as much of a prototypical mall as you will get in the Portland area. It's not fancy, but it's easy to get to, via MAX, bus or 82nd Avenue.

Outside, the mall is expanding, with stores and restaurants like REI and Chipotle taking up spots in the parking lot. Inside, the stores are almost all occupied, and even on a weekday morning the mall hums with activity.

Here you can find stores that defined malls in the late '90s and early 2000s. It even has a Lids and a Disney Store.

Clackamas Town Center has plenty of places to just sit down and take a break and plug your phone in, which all malls should have.

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Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian

Biggest asset: The food court, which is wide open and has a Taco Time and a Cinnabon, as well a carousel and a mini Ferris wheel for kids. 7



Worst thing: There used to be a skating rink here, where Tonya Harding learned to skate. Now, that rink is gone. -3



Store selection: 7



Food selection: 7



Parking lot: Big and everywhere. 8



Overall vibe: Old-school mall madness. 8



Total: 34



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1. Bridgeport Village

7455 S.W. Bridgeport Road, Tigard

is a different world. Where most malls merely strive to create an immersive consumer experience, Bridgeport Village succeeds. The cobblestone, open-air market feeling pretends to be a shopping district in an ancient European town, except that the stores are Madewell and Apple and the stones are a bit too uniform.

The mall is centered around an ornate water feature with a fire burning on top, and wordless music plays on hidden speakers. You can imagine coming to Bridgeport to buy something fancy for your kitchen at Sur la Table, a nice pair of jeans or even just to hang out, grab some food and then watch a movie when the sun goes down.

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Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian

Biggest asset: The space. As much attention is paid to the visitor experience as is paid to the store selection. 9

Worst thing: When it rains, it probably isn't as fun. But there are buckets of umbrellas so, not a total nightmare. -4

Store selection: 8

Food selection: 8

Parking lot: Parking here on the weekends can be a total nightmare and you have no choice but to drive. 5

Overall vibe: Blazers' girlfriends getting coffee in Southern California. 9

Total: 35

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Bonus mall: Woodburn Premium Outlets

1001 N. Arney Road, Woodburn

is not in Portland or even roughly in the Portland area. It would be more accurate to say this mall is in the Salem area and still more accurate to say it is in Woodburn, a town on its own, that should be known for its Mexican food and not its outlet mall. And yet...

For many people, Woodburn is a destination. Buses full of tourists show up their to shop the Nike, Adidas and Swarovski outlets.

Here's the problem: The deals at the outlet mall are fine. They are okay deals. But many of the products sold at the outlets are lower quality than things sold at the the regular stores or online. And seriously, if you live in Portland, your opportunities for Nike and Adidas deals are constant. The Adidas company store, especially, gives out passes like candy.

For Nike, you need to find a friend who is an employee. Or you can just go to the outlet here and avoid the long drive to Woodburn.

But if you do go to Woodburn outlets, go into Woodburn proper and get yourself some tacos.

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Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian

Biggest asset: The Le Creuset outlet. 5

Worst thing: Hordes of people looking for deals. -5

Store selection: 5

Food selection: 5

Parking lot: 8

Overall vibe: That thing where you think everything is cheap so you buy so much stuff that you end up spending five times as much as you would have at a regular store. 3

Total: 21