I turned 30 last year. Even though it was a monumental birthday, or at least some believe it to be, it didn’t create in me a feeling of “being old” in my mind. It did however, cause me to reflect and realize I like myself much more than I did at age 20.

I decided I needed to reinvent myself. Not a lot, but I needed a tweak here and there. Being so wrapped up in being a mom and a wife...I forgot who I was. I forgot what I liked, and how much I liked it. So for my 30th birthday, I snagged my best friend and we headed off on a girl’s weekend. Lots of rest and relaxation...and some shopping was all that was needed.

And you know what? I liked it so much, I decided it was a MUST for every birthday from here on out.

This month I’m turning 31. I’m not quite as introspective as I was about my 30th birthday, and it’s probably because I’ve been planning my girl’s weekend since summer!

The Product:
The Mall of America is probably pronounced THE Mall of America rather than just the Mall of America. And the reason for that is because it’s the biggest darned Mall in the country. I love a good mall just like 99% of all chicks do, but this mall is unfathomable. You can’t even describe to anyone how big it is.

THE Mall of America is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Located just five miles from the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport and ten minutes from downtown Minneapolis/St. Paul.

It’s opened seven days a week and the retail hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 9:30 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 7:00 pm. There are a few restaurants and evening entertainment establishments whose hours vary from the mall itself.

THE Mall of America is not only a mall but also a fully enclosed family entertainment complex. Camp Snoopy is at the center of the mall, with the stores and shops surrounding the outer edges of the amusement park. Camp Snoopy is the largest indoors themed entertainment park in America. It’s open year round and covers a whopping 7-acres! I was shocked to look into the theme park and actually see a roller coaster AND a water flume ride. Unbelievable!

With 25 rides, three entertainment stages and six shops, it’s a great place to keep the kids busy while you shop till you drop...and trust me, you will.

Camp Snoopy’s admission is free, but you’ll have to purchase a pass to ride the rides. There are two ways to ride. You can either buy an all day unlimited ride bracelet, or you can purchase points. Each ride is worth a certain number of points. Example: The Skyscraper Ferris Wheel is worth 4 points and the Mighty Axe is worth 6 points. Your pass points are good for one year, and your unlimited ride bracelet is good only on the day of purchase.

Once you’ve done Camp Snoopy, or at least sent your kids there to bum around...it’s time for you to begin the ultimate shopping experience.

THE Mall is broken down into four equal areas. North, South, East and West. The West being named West Market, East is East Broadway, North is North Garden and South is South Avenue. Each are designed differently with architecture to represent each direction differently.

THE Mall has four floors, one through three being nothing but shopping and food, and level four being a 14-theater complex, Planet Hollywood, bowling, sword play, nightclubs and comedy clubs. The fourth floor is called Upper East Side. Oh and there’s also an Aquarium and Legoland for you to visit.

The number of shops in THE Mall of America is phenomenal. You can’t even imagine the vastness and size of this mall...it’s overwhelming. The four main department stores in THE Mall of America are Macy’s, Nordstrom’s, Bloomingdale’s and Sears.

Now of course I’m going to name each and every of the 500 plus stores in alphabetical order...here goes:

Afterthoughts, abercrombie, Abercrombie & Fitch, Ann Taylor...yeah right! Forget it. Just know there are almost 550 shops and it takes at least 2 full days to “do” the whole mall. And that’s starting when it opens, and going all day until they kick you out of stores at closing time.

These are chrisceb’s “don’t miss it” stores if you choose to visit THE Mall:

•Kiwi Beach –Really cute kids clothes
•Bead It!-Amazing assortment of bead to make your own jewelry. I’m not into beading, but man was it a cool store!
•Sarno’s Gelato- Oh my gosh you have got to try Gelato...it’s amazing! Try the Dolce...can you say TO DIE FOR! Sure beats the hell outta one of those crappy nutrition bars!
•Cereal Adventure Cafe-You can actually sit down at the bar and have a bowl of General Mills Cereal...or even a rice crispy treat. Way fun for the kids!
•The Afternoon-Cool gift shop with funky items, book and cards.
•Cereal Adventure Store: Anything and everything with a General Mills cereal on it! Very fun for the kids.
•Basin-Amazing bath products and soaps that puts Bath and Bodywork’s to shame
•Mary Englebreit-A gift shop filled to the brim with all kinds of Mary Engelbreit “stuff”. Very fun!

Yes I actually narrowed down 550 stores to these eight. These are must see stores for sure.

The Mall of America also has many eateries and restaurants. They have a number of sit-down restaurants to chose from, in all different price ranges. And like all the other malls in the country, this mall has a food court too, with your typical “food court” eateries.

The varieties of stores are endless. Everything from Men’s and Women’s Apparel to Dollar Stores to Pro Wrestling Shops. You name it; they’ve probably got it. It’s finding it that’s the hard part. This mall is very confusing. It’s very easy to get turned around and very difficult to find stores...even though each store has an address. For instance...Lake Wobegon USA’s address is E350. And the address is located at the top left or right hand corner of each shop.

When you arrive at The Mall of America be sure to get a map from one of the MOA Guest Services Centers. You’ll be glad you did.

My Experience:
This birthday I chose my mom as my travel companion. Up until last week, we’d never vacationed alone together, and we decided it was about time. We get along very well, and if I wasn’t her daughter, I’d still be love to have her as a friend.

We started our trip coming from two different locales. Mom was flying to Minneapolis from Orlando, Florida and I from Knoxville, Tennessee. We arrived late on a Friday afternoon and went straight to the mall...after I unpacked that is. We kept our costs low by not renting a car, because as luck would have it, many of the hotels close to the mall offer free shuttle service to and from the mall.

We arrived around 6:30 and decided to have dinner at Planet Hollywood. I’ll eventually do a review on it...but I’ll give you a little tip...don’t bother.

Then we shopped until closing. We awoke early and arrived again at the mall on Saturday when the doors opened. We decided we wanted to try some of the really amazing restaurants (which have been featured on FoodTV) available at the mall, so we made reservations upon arriving. I highly recommend doing this, as the restaurants fill up quite fast. (MOA tip 104...the MOA pamphlet has the phone numbers to all the stores/cart and restaurants at the mall...don’t lose this! It will become your best friend) The first night we dined at CafeOdyseey (superb!), and the second night at Tucci Benucch (great atmosphere...so-so food). Both will be review separately at a later date.

Our goal was to “do” the mall, and hit every store..., as we knew we’d probably never be back. The only major department store we didn’t “do” was Sears. Each of the major department stores were very pricey. Even the clearance and sales racks were high in price. Nordstrom’s being the most expensive in the bunch. I couldn’t find of pair of pants for under $50...and we’re talking even leggings. And those prices were on clearance! Many of the items of clothing, be it a sweater, pants, shirt or jacket were $100 and over, easy!

We were shopping for shoes in Macy’s and came upon a section of shoes we liked...only to find out there were none on the rounder for under $300. Sheesh, no wonder the salesman was hovering over us. I found most of my clothing in Marshall’s and Nordstrom’s Rack (outlet store to Nordstrom’s). I found some great clearance shoes that were regularly $60-$75 for only $25. Now that’s a deal!

Speaking of deals...if you’re a bargain shopper...forget The Mall of America. You won’t find many deals here worth taking advantage off. Don’t get me wrong...the mall is totally amazing, and worth seeing if you’re in the area. But don’t bother making a special trip up there just to see the mall unless you’ve won the lottery or just inherited some serious money.

The Mall of America has some truly unique stores, and some really fun ones at that. I had a ball window shopping and checking out things I’d never seen before. And I had a great time with my mom...hey; she even gave me a $50 Simon Gift Certificate for my birthday, so I could buy something for myself for my birthday. How cool is that?

One interesting fact about shopping in Minneapolis is they don’t charge you sales tax. So if you do spend $300 on those shoes...that’s all you’ll spend.

At the end of our “girl’s weekend”, we tallies up our total hours walked...and we ended up walking a total of 25 hours over the weekend. Phew! But you know what...it was worth every step.

Would I go back? No. Would I recommend it? Yeah, if you’re going to be close by. I mean the shear brilliance and hugeness of the place is worth at least a looksee. But don’t expect to get through it all in one day. It took us 6 hours to do just half of the first floor. But I’d have to say, I wouldn’t recommend making a special trip to the mall for a vacation, unless of course you like spending money...and lots of it.

Recommended: Yes

Best Suited For: Friends