Mall Of America

August 23, 2011

So today was the big shopping day! We got up after having a great sleep and a decent sleep in, headed down for a good breakfast in the hotel dining hall. This was the best one yet, with hot waffles, omelets, hash-browns plus a passel of fruit, yogurt and cereals to choose from. Very delicious. Once finished, we grabbed our effects and then walked over to the biggest mall in North America.

It's a little overwhelming when you first experience it. With 552 stores, plus a 7 acre amusement park right in the middle.

We wandered the mall, hitting up some stores we recognized plus some we didn't know. Both of us had a successful day, getting some new clothes and trinkets. Kim went a little overboard, as she likes to do on holidays, coming back with quite a handful of treasures.

While venturing between stores and walking the long shop lined hallways, we decided to take a short cut through Nickelodeon Universe and see what it was all about. The rides were insane! One roller coaster we stood and watched, had a vertical incline that almost touched the roof of the mall, before roaring down a massive hill into a long line of loop-de-loops.

Another we saw is very similar to the Pirate Ship at the PNE, but this was a giant skateboard that went back and forth on a giant ramp. The seats were all boxes, that spin when the ride goes up or down. Kim is ban for life even though she's never been on it.

We spent about 4 hours shopping, a record for both of us, before our feet started to scream and exhaustion hit.

To take a break we found a really nice restaurant on the upper levels of the mall called the Napa Valley Grill. Very posh atmosphere and upper-class style. The service was excellent, very quick. Food was phenomenal. We both ordered the grilled atlantic salmon with roasted fingerling potatoes in a white wine reduction. When the waitress asked how we wanted our salmon cooked, we were quite taken a-back. Never been asked this before, as normally you cook fish until it was cooked right through. We both asked for Medium, and the fish just melted in your mouth. Mauvereen got herself a white wine spritzer, which was extremely flavourful and sweet. Kim ordered herself a Strawberry Rhubarb pie with Rum Caramel and Whip Cream for dessert. Very rich flavour, but quite delicious. Makes you want to go back again and again.

After lunch we came back for a nap through the afternoon, before Kim headed back to the mall to pick up some food for dinner and last minute goodies.Walking back to the hotel was a bit of a chore. You're already tired, and it's a balmy 90 degrees outside, and Kim was wearing jeans...not a great idea.

So far we've found the people here in Minnesota very pleasant and helpful. We had help from a young lady in Columbia who was very knowledgeable of the product, plus very excited to be helping out. She was telling us all about why the 3-in-1 jackets are one of the greatest products that Columbia makes especially for those cold Minnesota winters. Another girl that was amazing was a young lady working at the Disney Store. She was all by herself helping out a long line of people. While working on each transaction, she was extremely chipper telling the customer about the re-usable bags you could purchase for $2.50 or that you could pre-order the Lion King on DVD for only $24.99. While the customer was getting out their wallet she would acknowledge the rest of the line saying "I'll be with you in just one moment", or she would turn around really quick and answer the phone with a "Thank you for calling the Disney Store, hope you're having a magical day, how can I help you?". Wonderful to see such enthusiasm.

Now we're enjoying a relaxing evening in the hotel room, checking e-mail, watching some TV and checking out our goodies.

Tomorrow is back on the road for a "short" 5 hour jaunt to Madison, Wisconsin, then setting up the tent at the KOA.

Shall update again tomorrow!