I've been to both Vaughn Mills and Southpark Center in Cleveland, recipients of the 'build em cheap' school of design. Assuming they follow a similar design to Vaughn, it's a rather sterile design inside - corrugated metal ceiling with exposed girders, with lots of concrete. Chinook has a much more 'deluxe' feel to it.
At the end of the day, no matter how big it is, it's just a freaking shopping mall. There's only so many stores around that can fill the place and a really big Gap doesn't mean I'll find that much different from stuff in Calgary. Don't expect crazy stuff like a theme park or waterworld like West Ed - stuff like that doesn't generate sales, so it's just acres of stores. Add to that a crazy drive out there, and as long as there's a store from that chain in Calgary there's no freaking way I'm going out there just to shop. Then again I'm a guy...I was amused by the Bass Pro Shops place for about 2 hours even though I don't fish...
I've been to Stampede Park a few times and had fun, but when I looked around it was filled with your stereotypical tired looking 50 something men with long faces. Are these the guys that are going to fill the stands of the new track? I think they'll go to the OTB at Schanks instead.
The Chinook expansion and the Eatons Center revamp they started (Southcenter too?) are going to take some serious wind out of the sails of CrossIron if they can get unique stores, only in their respective locations.