After telling you about ABT (not said like A.B.T.) awhile ago, I have
to comment on the stores in the Atrium section.
The atrium section is a lovely place to wander during the day and not
on the weekend, when Abt turns into a bustling metropolis full of people!
If you took your time in there, you would notice how beautifully sculpted
and planted the gardens are. It's full of lush vegetation and a riot of
colourful flowers. There are some quiet places to sit, and honestly, it
reminded me of a wonderful arboretum.
And on the weekends? Well, they are always baking cookies almost every
hour, and the smell of fresh-baked cookies and free coffee is enough to
invite me to wade through the traffic of people there. There's always
some set up tables where people are doing demonstrations and selling Abt-approved
goods. There is a gourmet cooking section where they sell the latest and
greatest kitchen utensils ever made, and mixers galore.
But did you know that they even have an Apple Authorized dealer
in the Atrium? It looks just like a mini-Apple store, complete with the
trademark, wood flooring and white counters, very Apple-ish. It was here,
last Sunday, where I got my hands on to try out an Apple iPad!
I must say that I was impressed with the product, and the staff in the
Apple Store (even though they are Abt employees) definitely were Apple
enthusiasts! I'm sure that they are competently trained in all aspects
of the Apple Product line! As always, Apple products are definitely the
same price from Apple store to store, but I did manage to use my teacher
discount at the store for some software. So it was a very "learning"
experience.
It's very easy to spend a lot of time (and money) at Abt. Very, very
easy.
Reviewed by Michael C. from Niles, IL on 5/10/10.