It's gone. Been gone for a couple of weeks, management tells me. But a new one should be ready to open Dec. 19 near JCPenneys.

Patrick Anderson, senior general manager at The Streets at Southpoint in Durham, tells me that the old play area was past its useful life and needed to be replaced. It's been next to the food court since the mall opened in 2002.

The new play area will be smaller than the old one and geared towards toddlers and preschoolers, Anderson said.

"There were some larger pieces and we had experienced some issues with larger kids in there," he said.

The new one will be wider with seating for parents around it, he said.

What's the reason for the move out of the food court? Anderson's reponse was a little cryptic: "long-range strategic planning purpose."

I'm not a frequent shopper at Southpoint, but the last time I was there I noticed a lot of cracks in the pieces and my daughter had some problems with some big kids - boys 9 -or 10-years-old nearly running over her as they played tag. (But, in their defense, she was following them around).