Mall of America: Biggest but Is It the Best?
Written: Aug 21 '02 (Updated Aug 21 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Huge variety of stores and attractions, Quick winter escape
Cons: Overwhelming, fatiguing, many stores overpriced
The Bottom Line: A huge and sometimes overwhelming shopping and entertainment complex. Great for entertainment and specialty shopping. So so for everyday shopping
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| mrlarry's Full Review: Mall of America |
Question:Where can you do the following all under the same roof: Get married in a wedding chapel, visit Bloomingdale’s and Dollar tree, eat a meal in a food court or fine restaurant, go to an amusement park, see a movie, and visit an aquarium?
Answer: The Mall of America in Bloomington MN.
Question: Do I want to go there?
Answer Depends on who you are and what you’re looking for.
I just got back from a trip to the Twin Cities and, of course, had to visit the Mall of America. It was quite an experience, but not one that I would necessarily repeat very frequently if I lived in Minnesota.
With more than 500 stores (including four Mall of America souvenir stores and four Minnesota souvenir stores), who knows how many restaurants, Camp Snoopy, a wedding chapel, a church on Sunday, and all the rest.), it is more than a mall.
As a tourist attraction, it is a must see if you have any interest at all in malls and shopping. You will see every kind of store imaginable, including, for example, a store that has nothing but refrigerator magnets.
You will encounter crowds. I found the size of the place and the crowds to be very fatiguing both times I went. Several native Minnesotans I spoke with found that they have the same experience when they go to MOA and therefore don’t go there very often.
I spoke with locals who tell me that they haven’t been to the MOA for two years even though they live less than 20 minutes away. Why? They say they can get most of what they need at better prices with less hassle at neighborhood stores.
When I was in Minnesota recently, for example, my cousins wanted a print of the Minneapolis skyline to give as a gift. They called all their local stores and couldn’t find one. Then they got out their Mall of America directory and found a store that had the print they wanted. We all drove over to MOA and found the print.
MOA is also great for a family with children when the kids are getting cabin fever during one of those long Minnesota winters. You can pack everyone in the car. The kids can enjoy the rides in Camp Snoopy and whichever parent enjoys shopping can enjoy a walk around the mall. You can have a meal together. It’s about as cheap and quick a winter getaway you can find. Rides are reasonably priced and if you can keep from overspending there are certainly more expensive diversions from winter
I’m told that Northwest Airlines, which has its hub in the nearby Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, sponsors shopping trips to the Mall of America. Shoppers from nearby Detroit can hop on an early morning plane, catch a bus to the Mall, and then take an early evening flight back home. Another charter they operate is one from England in which people spend two or three days in Minnesota and take advantage of favorable currency exchange rates when those rates are available.
So is MOA worth going to? Depends on who you are and what you want out of it.
If you are a first-time Minnesota tourists, it is an experience that will not disappoint you if you are at all interested in malls and shopping.
If you are looking to make ordinary purchases (school clothes, small appliances, etc.), you may do better elsewhere with a lot less hassle and expense.
If you are a Minnesotan who likes to shop at Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, or Nordstrom (including the Rack), MOA is the only mall in the state that has those stores.
If you have a lot of shopping to do from a variety of stores and don’t have time to be driving around, MOA may work for you.
If you are looking for the unusual, you will find it there.
If you are part of a Minnesota family in February who is sick of winter, you can get out of it for a few hours and take the kids on an outing and do a little shopper.
The Mall of America is, at least for now, the biggest (I am told that Syracuse NY, another cold climate city) is expanding an existing mall which will rival MOA in size) in America. Is it the best? Depends on what you want.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Dec - Feb
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Epinions.com ID:
mrlarry
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Member: Larry Wiener
Location: Alhambra CA
Reviews written: 64
Trusted by: 14 members
About Me:
II'm a black-belt bargain hunter. Check on my e-book at www.betterbudgeting.com/
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