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View Full Version : Mini Road Trip: Mall of America

DeToxRox
05-25-2006, 08:45 PM
For the helluva it we're going to the Mall of America tomorrow. Leaving here (Detroit) at 9 PM, should get to the Mall by noon.

Any thing a real must to do there? Or is it just like any mall .. just bigger?
Joe
05-25-2006, 08:50 PM
go on the rides at camp snoopy. i dunno. i hate it out there and never go.
Glengoyne
05-25-2006, 08:54 PM
I love Air Traffic. Great store with all things Cool. Okay maybe not all things, but there is a lot of cool stuff in there. Yo Yos, Juggling equipment, War Hammer Stuff, other games. Just a very fun place. It was one of my favorite places there in the mall back seven or so years ago when I had a consulting gig in Minneapolis. As an interesting note, on my last flight back to the west coast, the guy who sat next to me was rather engaging. It turns out that he owned Air Traffic, and was coming out to L.A. to seal some sort of exclusive distribution deal. We actually talked our way across the country. That is something I've never done before, I typically just ignore folks when they start talking.

Just make the rounds. There are a lot of interesting places to spend your money.
MikeVick7
05-25-2006, 10:05 PM
Yeah just go there and take it all in. The rides in Camp Snoopy are ok. No real signature restaurants to speak of. But it's a good time if you've never been there before.
Joe
05-25-2006, 10:09 PM
I wish they still had Hulk Hogan's restaurant there :( RIP Pastamania
sovereignstar
05-25-2006, 10:32 PM
Don't be bummed out when you find out that it's not called Camp Snoopy anymore. Charlie Brown and his friends fucking left.
Joe
05-25-2006, 10:36 PM
Don't be bummed out when you find out that it's not called Camp Snoopy anymore. Charlie Brown and his friends fucking left.

oh yeah, its called The Park or some gay shit now
digamma
05-25-2006, 11:02 PM
Nascar simulation.
Ryche
05-25-2006, 11:29 PM
Great big mall, pretty good for people watching and a decent variety of stores. Wouldn't bother with the amusement park in the middle, it's just a small version of any other amusement park.
Godzilla Blitz
05-26-2006, 12:59 AM
From a parent of young kids perspective...

The aquarium is nice, I've heard, but way overpriced. A short walk through a tunnel under water. Look at sharks and fishies.

The dinosaur thingie is way overpriced, but my wife said our 4-year-old son really liked it.

The park in the middle is fun, if you've got little kids. Kind of mild for bigger kids. It's just a little park.

Legoland is a good 30 minutes worth of playtime if you've got little kids, but it's a magnet for pushy kids and obnoxious parents.

IKEA is next door. If you like shopping and haven't been to one before, it's likely worth a stop. They have dirt cheap lunches, especially cheap for little kids.

I've heard good things too about the NASCAR Simulation. They recently interviewed one guy on the local news that has logged something like 4 million hours driving at the place. I'm sure you'll run into him. I think he pretty much lives there.

Otherwise, lots and lots of stores that you can find pretty much in Detroit, I would think. The Apple Store is interesting if you like Macs and haven't been to one before. Rainforest Cafe is kind of interesting to eat at, if you haven't been to one before.
Izulde
05-26-2006, 02:19 AM
I haven't been to MoA in a good eight or nine years. Man, do I feel old.

It's a fun shopping experience, though.
Hurst2112
05-26-2006, 02:24 AM
What blows is living here, trying to 'run in and run out'. Weekdays around noon usually work.
Hurst2112
05-26-2006, 02:25 AM
Can't make your own cereal anymore either.
Honolulu_Blue
05-26-2006, 04:57 AM
[quote=DeToxRoxDVHStyle]For the helluva it we're going to the Mall of America tomorrow. Leaving here (Detroit) at 9 PM, should get to the Mall by noon. quote]

Ah, the impetuouness of youth. . . How I miss those days (sort of).

Enjoy, DeTox! I was there once. About 10 years ago now. It was after a similar road trip (leave Ann Arbor around 7 or so and arrive in Minny the next morning). I was still really tired when we visited the place (a day or two after we arrived). I remember the place being very large. That's about it.
dixieflatline
05-26-2006, 10:59 AM
The mall is on the south part of town not really all that close to downtown. Downtown has some nice things including the <a href=http://info.walkerart.org/visit/directions.wac#Directions>Walker Art Center</a> which is a very nice. They mostly have modern art there though so if you don't like that kind of stuff make sure you skip it.
Mustang
05-26-2006, 11:05 AM
Can't make your own cereal anymore either.

Those BASTARDS! :mad:
Hurst2112
05-26-2006, 11:06 AM
The mall is on the south part of town not really all that close to downtown. Downtown has some nice things including the <a href=http://info.walkerart.org/visit/directions.wac#Directions>Walker Art Center</a> which is a very nice. They mostly have modern art there though so if you don't like that kind of stuff make sure you skip it.

The art institute museum is free. I live over there. That's just south of downtown.
Castlerock
05-26-2006, 11:18 AM
Make sure you check out Sears and Macy's. For food, you just HAVE to try Ruby Tuesday.

Just busting ya. I miss the days of a pointless road trip.
MikeVick7
05-26-2006, 11:21 AM
Oh..and if it's still open....check out the magnet store. Not because it's great or anything, I'm just fascinated that a store selling only refrigerator magnets can survive in a mall.

God bless those kids.
Mustang
05-26-2006, 12:01 PM
Too bad Hulk Hogan's Pastamania wasn't still open.. you could get some Hulk-A-Roos...
revrew
05-26-2006, 01:41 PM
As a former MN resident, I echo some of the above sentiments. Skip the amusement park in the middle; it's really not all that. I do, however, recommend the LEGO land, as it's something my kids have always remembered, and frankly, I thought was pretty cool, too. We enjoyed the aquarium, though the walk-through is a little overrated.

And, IME, it is NOT just a bigger mall. It's more like a village under a roof. As for food, unfortunately, I didn't find anything worth noting, though Gatlin's (if it's still there) is the first place I ever had a bloomin' onion, so there's places worth trying.
Cards4ever
05-26-2006, 02:29 PM
No need to look for Gatlin's, it's been closed for years and after the smoking ban went into effect, the rest of the bars on the 4th floor closed too.
Joe
05-26-2006, 07:26 PM
No need to look for Gatlin's, it's been closed for years and after the smoking ban went into effect, the rest of the bars on the 4th floor closed too.


no more hooters?
sovereignstar
05-26-2006, 09:51 PM
There are plenty of hooters in that mall.
Craptacular
05-26-2006, 11:11 PM
This is the first Memorial Day weekend in four years that we will NOT be at the MoA. We've gone with another couple ... the guys play as much disc golf as we can (they have a lot of courses in the area), and the gals go shopping. LegoLand is cool ... I can't wait 'til the kids get old enough for those.

On a side note, for any of the Twin Cities folks, what happened to the condos that were supposed to be included in the phase II development of the MoA? I saw in the news a few days ago that the development is on hold until the gov't and the developers can agree on some tax stuff, but the article only mentioned things like hotels, performing arts, offices, an ice rink, etc, and not residential units. I was interested to see if the concept of a self-contained city worked.
Cards4ever
05-27-2006, 12:03 AM
no more hooters?

I believe Hooters might be the only one that was able to make it, the huge sports bar didn't though.

Craptacular, there is a article in the current local paper about the tax thing, I haven't read it but here is the online version of it:

http://www.mnsun.com/articles/2006/05/26/news/bl25tif.txt
ice4277
05-27-2006, 09:38 AM
For the helluva it we're going to the Mall of America tomorrow. Leaving here (Detroit) at 9 PM, should get to the Mall by noon.

Any thing a real must to do there? Or is it just like any mall .. just bigger?

Gar. I was going to see if you wanted to catch the Tigers on Sunday :mad:
Craptacular
05-27-2006, 12:46 PM
Craptacular, there is a article in the current local paper about the tax thing, I haven't read it but here is the online version of it:

http://www.mnsun.com/articles/2006/05/26/news/bl25tif.txt

Thanks for the link. That was a more detailed article, but it doesn't mention condos as part of the development either. If there were residential units included, you could pretty much live, work, shop, and be entertained in one building ... like the SimCity 2000 arcologies. ;)