(Bloomington, Minnesota)
Given their penchant to shop until they drop, Hawai`i travelers will find the biggest challenge of their lives at America's largest retail and entertainment complex, the Mall of America, in Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota. When Hawai`i residents go traveling to the mainland, they take along a reputation for being serious shoppers. And at the Mall of America, they find a challenge almost beyond description.
Big Mall
It's hard to find words to adequately describe the Mall of America. Gargantuan. Huge. Vast. Enormous. Monstrous. They all seem inadequate to a degree. Know this however. This place is BIG. Even Hawai`i's prolific shoppers aren't quite ready for this. Perhaps it's just the excitement of the place.
The Mall of America is so big it makes Ala Moana Shopping Center in Honolulu look like a corner mom 'n pop store. A day at the Mall of America doesn't begin to do it justice. Hardcore shoppers are going to need a minimum of two or three days just to get oriented here.
The Mall of America has it all, or at least probably more than just about any other mall in the country. You can find just about anything you're looking for at MOA. There are so many stores that you can't find in many other malls.
The Mall, opened in 1992 on 78-acres, is conveniently located just two miles from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The Mall is so popular, that international visitors come from all over on special shopping junkets. Over 35 motels and hotels within five miles of the Mall provide courtesy shuttle service.
The rectangle-shaped complex has four levels, anchored on the corners by noted department stores Sears, Macy's, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdale's. The Mall has more than 520 world-class shops and stores. In addition, it features Camp Snoopy, the nation's largest indoor family theme park (the Peanuts cartoon gang) and Underwater Adventures, a 1.2 million gallon walk-through aquarium. There is also a 14-screen movie theater and more.
Give Me a Break
If you get a tad tired out (trust me on this, you will), and need a break to rest your feet or to just sit down for a cool beverage or cup of coffee, it's no problem. There are several Caribou Coffee shops (the local answer to Starbucks. (Oh yeah, there's one of those too), and several other refreshment shops and cafes among the 40 or so specialty food stores in the mall.
If you're ready for lunch or dinner, no fear here. Choose from among the twenty or so sit down restaurants or the thirty fast food eateries located throughout the mall. The fast food courts offer up just about every popular cuisine under the sun, from burgers to tortillas, to pizza and teriyaki. For menus on the more exotic side, try the Rainforest Cafe, Famous Dave's BBQ, Stampede Steakhouse, Hooters, or the Twin City Grill. There's no need to go thirsty or hungry with a lineup like that.
Size Does Matter
The mall draws quite a crowd on most days. There are 12,550 onsite parking spaces in both outdoor and covered parking garage structures. The walking distance around one level of the mall is just over a half-mile. Did I mention that this place is BIG?
Shoppers need to come prepared to do some serious walking. Information counters at the entrances on each side of the complex provide maps to chart your adventure. And despite the seasonal extremes in Minnesota's climate, the weather inside the Mall of America is comfortably controlled at a perfect 70 degrees. So, whether it's June or January, it's always a fine day inside Mall of America.
Going for It
So, whatever it is you may be looking for, or even if you're not looking for anything, Mall of America is the place to go. If there was ever a monument built to honor American capitalism and consumerism, this must be it. It has to be seen to be believed. For shoppers at heart, and that's most Hawai`i residents, a trip to Minneapolis and the Mall of America is the pilgrimage of a lifetime.
The Mall is open daily, Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Sat 9:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.-7 p.m. For more information on Mall of America, check: {http://www.mallofamerica.com} For information on visiting the Twin Cities area, check: {http://www.visit-minneapolis.com}
Be sure to pack some comfortable walking shoes. Or buy a pair when you get there. More than anything else, you'll need them.
Side Trip - The Spam Museum
If Hawai`i residents have no other reason to visit Minnesota, then a stop at the Spam Museum in Austin is the only one they need. This is no joke. There is indeed a museum dedicated to that oft scorned and much beloved (in Hawai`i anyway) mystery meat in the little blue rectangle can.
Laugh if you must, but there's nothing funny about the Spam Museum. Oh for sure, there's a bit of levity in it all, but this place is serious about Spam and promoting its rightful place (some would question that!) in the culinary landscape of America.
Somehow it seems appropriate that Hawai`i residents seek out the place to pay homage to what has become a cultural culinary icon in the islands. Hawai`i is traditionally recognized as the state with the highest per capita consumption of the product. Spam is a fixture in Hawai`i's culinary scene.
Not surprisingly, there are regular Hawai`i tour groups, mostly from Honolulu, who travel all the way to Minnesota just to visit the Spam Museum. Even local celebrity chef, Sam Choy, made a recent guest appearance at the museum and fixed up a batch of his special Spam Musubi for an eager audience.
The Spam Museum is a modern red-brick structure with 16,500-sq. ft. of exhibits and displays tracing the history of Hormel Foods since its founding in 1891. Spam was developed in 1937 and proved an instant hit. Along with other Hormel products, Spam is highlighted throughout the museum.
Displays and exhibits include the Spam Theater and its short video on Spam - A Love Story,the Wall of Spam composed of nearly 3,500 cans of Spam, a recreated early-day Hormel Provisions Market, World War II Spamville (with attributions from soldiers and sailors on the merits of Spam), Chez Spam features famous chefs from around the world who share their own special Spam recipes and much more including the Spam Shop for logo gifts and more.<>
If you like Spam, you'll love the Spam Museum. It's a must see place for anyone from Hawai`i venturing to Minnesota and well worth the two-hour drive south of the Twin Cities.
The Spam Museum, 1937 Spam Blvd., Austin, Minnesota; 1-800-LUV-SPAM or on the web: {http://www.spam.com} It's just 100 miles south of Minneapolis via Interstate Highways 35 and 90. Open Mon-Sat 10-5, Sun 12-4. Closed Mondays after Labor Day & April 30, New Year'Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve & Day. Admission is free.