Minnesota's Mall of America: the nation's premier shopping mall celebrates its 10th year in Bloomington, Minnesota

Travel America, Nov-Dec, 2002 by Randy Mink

Another showplace is the mall's four-story LEGO Imagination Center. It comes complete with LEGO bricks to play with, sets to buy, and models of dinosaurs, astronauts, and other figures.

When it's time to sit down for a meal, choices abound. Restaurants range from Tony Roma's steakhouse and Napa Valley Grille to theme spots like Planet Hollywood, Rainforest Cafe, and Cafe Odyssey. We had lunch at Cafe Odyssey, an adventure traveler's dream. In three themed rooms--the Lost City of Atlantis, the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, and Africa's Serengeti Plains--backlighted wall scenes gradually change as your meal progresses. The menu lists everything from jambalaya and fettuccine alfredo to barbecue ribs and mashed potato pizza.

At Twin City Grill, patrons step back to the 1940s, when meatloaf and mashed potatoes were the order of the day. Period fixtures and vintage Minnesota photographs help set the mood. The elegant California Cafe has a patio that overlooks Camp Snoopy.

To wind down our day at Minnesota's Mall of America, we enjoyed the steaks, burgers, and Friday night stage entertainment at the park's Western-style Stampede Steakhouse. Then it was good-bye to the stores and a short drive back to the Holiday Inn, where beds awaited our tired bodies. The hotel's pool, hot tub, saunas, and fitness center would have to wait for another day.

For information, contact Mall of America, 60 East Broadway, Bloomington, MN 55425-5550; (952) 883-8800; www. mallofamerica.com.

DID YOU KNOW?

* Mall of America's 4.2 million square feet would hold 24,336 school buses.

* Seven Yankee Stadiums can fit inside the mall.

* The mall is big enough to hold 32 Boeing 747s.

* More than 3,000 couples have been married at Mall of America since it opened in 1992.

* More than 3,000 individuals are registered in the "Mall Walker" program.

* Camp Snoopy theme park contains more than 30,000 live plants and has released more than 20,000 lady bugs to control pests in its indoor garden.

* Discovery Channel featured Mall of America as one of the Seven American Wonders in a documentary last year.

* The mall has 24 shoe stores (plus six that specialize in athletic shoes) and 17 jewelry stores.

* The body heat from Mall of America's guests, along with miles of lights, provide enough warmth to keep the entire complex toasty warm even during the middle of winter. Only the entrances from parking ramps are heated.

* Bus service is available to Mall of America every half hour from the Minneapolis/ Saint Paul International Airport. Many area hotels offer free shuttle service to the mall throughout the day.

* Bloomington, Minnesota, home of Mall of America, has more than 6,500 hotel rooms--more than the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul combined.

* More than 28 million people live within a day's drive of the mall.

* International visitors account for about 6 percent of the mall's annual traffic. Leading countries are Canada, England, Sweden, France, Ireland, and Japan.

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