I went on a trip at the company's behest and they sent me to the "Ice Palace" A.K.A Minneapolis MN,
I got put up at the Raddison Blu which is next to the Mall of America. I walked around the Mall of America and took several pictures of the facility. All I can say is that it is Huuuge
The Mall of America has a gross area of 4,870,000 sq ft (452,000 m2) or 96.4 acres (390,000 m2), enough to fit seven Yankee Stadiums inside, with 2,500,000 sq ft (230,000 m2) available as retail space. The mall is nearly symmetric, with a roughly rectangular floor plan.
More than 530 stores are arranged along three levels of pedestrian
walkways on the sides of the rectangle, with a fourth level on the east
side. Four anchor department stores
are located at the corners. The mall is organized into four different
zones, each of those zones had its own decorative style until a series
of renovations from 2010 to 2015 led to a unified and more luxurious
style, as well as to coincide with the mall's first major expansion.
Despite Minnesota's cold winters, only the mall's entrances and some below ground areas are heated. Heat is allowed in through skylights
above Nickelodeon Universe. The Mall of America originally had Camp
Snoopy, but due to an expired contract the park was taken over by a new
organization. The majority of the heat is produced by lighting fixtures,
other electric devices, and people in the mall. In fact, even during the winter, air conditioning systems may still be in use during peak hours to ensure a comfortable shopping environment. Although the common areas are unheated, the individual stores do have heating systems.
Two nearly identical seven-story parking ramps
on the east and west sides of the mall provide 12,287 parking spaces.
Overflow parking north of the building provides an additional
1,200–1,500 spaces, and 1,407 spaces are provided by IKEA (1,407 spaces) that is part of the Phase II expansion of the mall which is under construction.
Nickelodeon Universe is an indoor theme park in the center of the mall. The park features roller coasters,
among numerous other rides and attractions, and is the largest indoor
theme park in the United States. Unlike many indoor amusement parks,
Nickelodeon Universe has a great deal of natural foliage in and about
the park, and its floor has a wide variance in height – the highest
ground level in the park is 15 feet (4.6 m) above the lowest. The rides
include the roller coasters SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge and Avatar Airbender, and a thrill ride called BrainSurge.
The latter roller coaster bills itself as a "rather peculiar" ride. It
also has a miniature golfing section called Moose Mountain. This
miniature golf course features eighteen holes and a relatively fast astroturf surface.
At the Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium,
guests travel through a 300-foot-long (91 m) curved tunnel through 14
feet (4.3 m) of water to view over 4,500 sea creatures including sharks,
turtles, stingrays, and many more. Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium offers special events such as sleepovers, scuba diving, snorkeling, and birthday parties.
The Mall recently added Crayola Experience and FlyOver America to the list of family attractions.
I did enjoy my "business trip" to the Ice Palace but I am glad to be coming home.
If shopping malls are going to survive, they need to reinvent as something bigger than a collection of retailers. Malls need attractions to draw people in, and from there, it's easier to turn visitors into shoppers. Mall of America may be a good example.
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