Atlantica - 01.09.2002, Page 18

16 A T L A N T I C A
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MINNEAPOLIS' MONSTER MALL OF AMERICA
Try to picture a shopping temple so colossal it equalises the size
of 193 average soccer fields. Is it hard? Then visit the phenomenal
Mall of America in Minneapolis. This biggest mall in the world has
a total square footage of 4,2 million square feet ( 1,377 million
square meters) and is rapidly becoming one of the biggest tourist
attraction in the United States of America. Last year more visitors
came to Mall of America than to Disneyland, Graceland and Grand
Canyon combined, that is from 600,000 to 900,000 a week depend-
ing on the season. And it is certainly worth the visit.
Mall of America was opened in 1992 and cost around $650 mil-
lion to build. More than 520 stores are located in this Titanic of the
malls, and that does not include it's four corner stores,
Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Nordstrom and Sears.
Name it and you can most likely buy it or even experience it in
this four levels high supermall, because Mall of America isn't only
a huge shopping centre it is also a home to various entertainment
facilites. On the top of that list is Camp Snoopy, an seven acre
indoor amusement park that is located in the middle of the mall. It
features 30 rides and attractions, several restaurants, four enter-
tainment stages, wilderness wildlife show and speciality shops.
We are not talking about some minature rides here but a 63 foot
Ferris Wheel, a log Chute that dives down 40 foot waterfall and a
fully grown rollercoster which wriggles like a worm through the
park. Next to the park is a big Lego Imagination Center where the
kids can build whatever they can think of with the little plastick
blocks. One of the wonders of this shopping and entertainment com-
plex is Undarewater World, a huge aquarium located in the base-
ment at Mall of America.
If you and the family get hungry by strolling around in this Mecca
of shopping it should be easy for you to find something to eat. Mall
of America is a home to 49 restaurants, 22 sit-down and 27 fast food.
When the night comes you can choose between 8 nightclubs and
several sports bar or check out what movies are running in the 14
screen movie theater.
Of course can this all thrown together be a little owerwhelming.
Just go easy into that good mall and don't try to see it all in one visit.
And a word of advise spoken from personal experience: don't for-
get to notice the colour of your parking level and the state it is
labeled after. JK
The general information number to Mall of America is 838 8800.
Scenes From the Mall
No need for heat - Mall of America's
guests, along with miles of lights, provide
enough warmth to keep the entire com-
plex toasty warm even during the cool
winter season (only the entrances from
parking ramps are heated)
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