My Town Monday - Malls That are Probably way to big Edition

Wow, it seems like forever ago that I last posted anything. Last week was pretty busy and crazy leaving me no time to post. Any free time I had went to reading Trish Ryan's new book which was a fantastic read, demanding all of my attention until it was finished.

As most of you know, Minnesota is not the warmest of places in the winter. In the Twin Cities, roughly a fourth of the year is spent in below freezing temperatures. Great news for bundled ice skaters and hockey players, but terrible for the rest of us. Forget about going outside at all if there's wind chill involved. Luckily, Minnesota is home to a heart warming place called The Mall of America (AKA - The largest mall in America.)



Here are some fun facts about the MOA:

1) The mall is built where the Twins' and Vikings' Metropolitan Stadium was located. When the mall was constructed they commemorated the exact place where home plate was by putting a plaque there.



2) Only the entrances to the mall are heated, even in the winter. Because the overhead windows, light bulbs, and people create so much heat they actually have to air condition the mall year round. Crazy!

3) There are over 500 retail stores inside the mall and 32 of them are shoe stores. (Did you read that Heidi? 32 Shoe stores!)

4) The mall includes Nickelodeon Universe (the largest indoor amusement park in the US), an A.C.E.S flight simulation area, a LEGO store and play area (one of my favorite spots), a large 18 hole mini-golf course, an aquarium (they let you touch sharks), a bowling alley, a movie theatre, and an indoor stock car racing facility (you won't find me anywhere near there).




5) They are in the process of expanding the mall to include 400 more stores, 3 hotels, an ice rink, a dinner theatre, and a waterpark.

6) The mall gets over 40 million visitors a year making it the most visited mall in the world.


7) Apparently there is a chapel inside the mall somewhere and over 4200 couples have been married there. Why would anyone want to get married in a mall? Seriously? I can think of a million other places I'd rather be married. No offense to any blogging friends who got married in a mall.

I have to admit that as much fun as it can be to go wander aimlessly when I have enough money and time to do so, most of the time I hop on over to a smaller mall in The Cities. All the shoe shops, screaming amusement park kids, tourists, and random mall performers have a way of getting to you after a while. Still, I do like to do my Christmas shopping at the MOA because I find the best gifts hidden away in tiny one-of-a-kind stores. How could I not? They have everything at the Mall of America.

PS - For a full list of My Town Monday posts visit Travis Erwin's blog here.

My Town Monday - One of the Most Beautiful Bridges Edition

A couple of the blogs I've been reading recently (One Word, One Run, One Day and Barrie Summy) participate in something called My Town Monday. Every Monday they share fun facts, pics, and stories about local places. I love their posts so much that I've decided to start participating. Maybe not every Monday, but on a semi-frequent basis at least. I've lived so many places and loved so many unique things about each one that I want the opportunity to share them with all of you.




This week I've decided to blog about the St. Paul Stone Arch Bridge, one of my favorite places to go in the Twin Cities. The beautiful bridge featuring 21 stone arch spans was originally built in 1883 by James J. Hill as a rail road bridge. It spans a total of 2100 feet across the Mississippi river and is a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.






In 1978, the railroad stopped using the bridge and it was eventually renovated to create a scenic pedestrian path. Several festivals are held on the bridge each year and it's a great place to watch the fireworks during 4th of July celebrations because they are launched from an island in the middle of the river.


The bridge is a great place to see the city and other Mississippi bridges down and up river. St. Anthony's falls can also be seen clearly from the bridge and it contributes to the charm of the location. All in all, the bridge is a beautiful St. Paul retreat located in the middle of the bustling city.



Note: As much as I wish I had taken these photos, I didn't. They are on my blog compliments of wikipedia images :)