Mall of America

This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit Mall of America, located just a few minutes outside of Minneapolis, MN. My mother-in-law currently lives in Eden Praire, MN and we took a long weekend trip to visit with her. She had never been to Mall of America either, so it seemed like the perfect destination for two women to spend an afternoon together. And there is just one word you can use to describe Mall of America...

Massive

Think of all the malls you have ever been to in your life. Then combine all the stores you've ever seen at these malls. Now place them all together in one huge indoor arena, throw in an amusement park in the middle, add FOUR levels, a never ending parking lot, and an IKEA next door to boot, and you have Mall of America.

And really, when you think about it, the name is absolutely perfect. What could be more American than the indoor shopping mall? The most American of institutions. A place where young and old can gather together, where parents and children can share quality family time together (but oh-my-god-not-REALLY-together-because-I-will-absolutely-die-if-I-am-seen-within-a-mile-of-my-parents-at-the-mall-in-front-of-my-friends-and-especially-my-oh-my-god-there-HE-IS-the-guy-I-like!!!), where you could quite literally do ALL of your Christmas shopping in one enclosed venue and if you find yourself in a situation like Natalie Portman did in the Where The Heart Is, you could eat, sleep and live in Mall of America for a good two years (which, I will admit, probably would not be the worst thing in the world to happen to me, assuming that I had my husband and dogs with me).

And speaking of dogs, Mall of America has it all...


Lego Fido!


Melanie and Mall Shark!

After several hours of shopping and lunch at Rainforest Cafe (do NOT eat here unless you have several kids with you or you happen to enjoy the smell of aquarium with your lunch salad), we returned back home tired and happy. Mall of America was definitely an experience worth having. Even if you think you've seen every store there is, it's quite the sight to see them all under one roof.

Happy shopping!