From Deseret News archives:
Mall of America: Miles and smiles under one roof
In fact, you can catch the light-rail transit from downtown Minneapolis on one end, or the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on the other end, and ride it right inside the mall's parking garage, missing any bad weather.
That's exactly what my 17-year-old daughter, Amy, and I did on a rainy day several months ago. We sloshed from the Graves 601 Hotel in downtown Minneapolis to the light-rail stop. For the cost of $1.50 per ticket, we stayed warm and dry, and in only 35 minutes we entered the Mall of America's surreal shopping paradise. This is the largest retail/entertainment complex in the United States and the second-largest mall in the world, with top honors going to the West Edmonton Mall in Canada.
And why travel all the way to Minnesota just to shop at the same old stores you could visit at home?
I'm not much of a shopper. But there are plenty of ways to entertain yourself while others in your group are dropping their cash:
• An indoor amusement park
• A 1.2 million-gallon aquarium
• A 14-screen movie theater
• 20 sit-down restaurants
• 30 fast-food restaurants
• A four-story LEGO Play Area
The mall also hosts various events and guest appearances. The largest, an 'NSYNC autograph signing in 1999, attracted 20,000. So, it's possible to spend a full day there and leave without buying anything.
Recent comments
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What it takes to heat the MOA every day in the sub-zero state of...
Anyone, know? | March 19, 2008 at 10:45 p.m.
Gotta LOVE America's favorite place to shop!
Anonymous | March 16, 2008 at 10:54 a.m.
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