I know, I know, y’all are going ‘why in the hell are you going on a vacation to the Mall of America’, but I come from small town not-America, so a giant shopping mall full of American brands? Sweet! Plus my mother has impaired mobility, so it’ll be easier for her to just be in a giant indoor mall instead of getting in and out of taxis all day.
Anyway, anything to tell me? Which restaurants to stay away from? Lesser used rest areas to catch a break at?
Also, to brag a little: since getting diabetes, I’ve been working on a healthier lifestyle. I’ll be 35-40 pounds down from my start when I go on this trip next month, so I’m super excited to buy a bunch of new clothes at Forever 21, Torrid, Nordstrom Rack and Macy’s.
I was there today getting pants from Nordstrom Rack
We end up at the bar in the Napa Grill for an overpriced drink when we want uncrowded down time. Saturdays and Sundays at the Mall are a zoo, but mid-week its usually pretty empty, so if you can plan your vacation to not be there over a weekend, its probably better.
It’s worth noting that downtown Minneapolis is connected by a network of 2nd-story skyways, so once you park in a ramp downtown you can go from building to building without having to take cabs or deal with sidewalks & intersections. If the mobility issue is sheer distance, that’s probably not much help.
The mall itself is definitely worth a visit, basically four 3-story shopping malls built into a square with an amusement park in the middle. Haven’t been shopping there in a while myself so I can’t make any recommendations.
Yeh, that’s the problem. Its stores sell in volume to the middle, rather than cater to the margins. Collectively, it is like a giant department store. Although it was big, it really didn’t have much in it that was of interest to me. It had a lot of brand name stores – much like a factory outlet mall. It didn’t have the speciality stores that would have interested me, e.g. high-end men’s suits and shirts, outdoor adventure gear for skiing and paddling, or tools and hardware, but that’s just me and my interests, ymmv. Let’s put it this way: I went in with cash in my pocket, more than happy to part with it, but I ended up not purchasing anything other that lunch and a ride on the rollercoaster (which was fun).
If you have youngsters, they’ll probably love playing with lego or riding the various rides in the middle of the mall.
Want something big and accessible in Minnie/St. Paul? Hit the zoo and the science museum – they are both amazing! I can’t say enough good things about them.
I liked it better before they remodeled it toning down the theming of the 4 sides, and took out a lot of trees and painted everything bright colors in the amusement park, and before all the nightclubs closed, but I guess people still like it and go there. Parking is free if you have a car, and light rail goes there if you don’t. Rainforest Café is all about the décor; the food is very forgettable. It’s the closest mall to my house so I go there any time I need something from one of the stores, which isn’t too often.
There’s also an IKEA across the street, and WaterPark of America is across the freeway.
I agree there’s not much to interest a guy. They’re trying to correct this by luring Bass Pro Shops, but it’s not a done deal and the expansion hasn’t gotten off the ground due to the economy.
If you’re a baseball fan (OK, granted, if you’re not an American, you’re probably not), be sure to find the marker showing where home plate was in the old Metropolitan Stadium where the Minnesota Twins played, and the outfield seat where Harmon Killebrew hit a monster home run.
I live in the Twin Cities and we have a friend who visits from Europe once a month and he goes there to pick up goods to bring back with him (Victoria Secret, Sephora, and Apple products are mostly what he gets due to the cheap US prices and lack of tax on clothes in Minnesota).
Nordstrom Rack is one of my stops I hit when I go there. It’s even nicer to shop there now that the floor clerk have the ability to check you out anywhere in the store.
For really good food, try the local restaurant chain Crave. Twin City Grill is good but heavy/comfort food. Rybicki cheese gives out free samples of their delicious goods.
If you’re staying at a nearby hotel, make sure to get the coupon book. Some hotels give them out for free even. Otherwise, stop off at one of the customer service kiosks and have a look at one. They’re good for the calendar year, cost $10, and have a very good selection of coupons. (AAA members get $5 off coupon book)
Weekends usually have some event going on in the rotunda that can be fun to watch for a while.
If your mom has trouble moving around, you might want to have some kind of wheel chair or scooter. As others have mentioned, the MOA is BIG! That means lots of walking.
I suggest taking a look at the online map, at http://www.mallofamerica.com/ and see if you can ID the stores you really really want to go to. That way you don’t walk for hours (yes, you can do that easily) and get tired before you hit the store you really wanted to see.
The MOA website also has a list of local hotels, and if you want you can find one that offers shuttles to the mall so you don’t have to drive/park.
It’s a big, giant square, with an amusement park in the middle. There’s no easy, short-cuts from one side to the next, even going through the park. So - have a look at their website/map and plan your trip so you’re not back-tracking and zig-zagging all over the place.
Don’t expect to cover the entire place in a single day. If you’re only going to be there one day, again - hit the website/maps and plan a route.
There are no “hidden gem” restaurants. It’s all very commercial and corporate.
The 4th floor on the East Side is nothing but bar/restaurants and video games. Unless you’re into theme bars, don’t waste your time there.
There is also the Underwater Adventures aquarium, which is pretty cool. It’s a bit expensive (IMHO) for a single visit. Beats Sea World San Diego as far as their indoor exhibits goes. We were at Sea World over spring break with the kids (we live in St. Paul and have a membership to the MOA aquarium) and MOA blows them out of the water in that regard.
Also - there are dozens of little retail kiosks all over the place and they can be a little aggressive with their sales tactics, though this has been toned down recently due to complaints. Feel free to completely ignore them and walk right by if you’re not interested. You’re not being rude.
You forgot the part in the OP where I said I wasn’t from the US and I’m from a small city. In addition to the stores that aren’t in Canada (Nordstroms, Macy’s, Torrid, Hot Topic, Lane Bryant) there’s a huge list of shops that I would have to drive 6+ hours to get to here (Victoria’s Secret, Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, Disney Store, Sephora, Sanrio, Lego Store).
But please continue to feel superior on your anti-consumerism high horse while you likely live in a big city.
Thanks for the replies everyone! I know it’ll be a lot of walking and power shopping, but I’ve done the West Edmonton Mall many times so I know the drill.
