Day 6: Your mall doesn’t have a flume?

As humans we are conditioned to try and find similarities between places we’ve been, people we’ve met, experiences we’ve had etc etc. We find links so our brains can file away these experiences based on the perceived similarities which make them easier to recall in the future.

Without realizing it, I’ve been doing that exact thing this entire trip. Go back and read the other posts. I’ve compared places to Boston. I’ve compared cities to each other. I’ve drawn on past experiences to find folders in my brain for all of these new experiences.

I actually caught myself doing it today in Minnesota. I had no big plans today just a trip to the Mall of America. I thought it would be cool to check out one of the largest malls in the country. As I walked passed store after store not remembering if that was the third Lids I’d passed or just the second, I found myself comparing the layout of the mall to that of a casino. I went to Foxwoods last summer and I remember having this exact same feeling. “Did I pass by here already?” “Have I seen that yet?” That was my constant thought as I meandered along the 4 floors and 4.2 million square feet of this mall. With 520 plus stores, countless restaurants, a theme park, an aquarium, and so much more it was actually more like a casino than I thought. The bright colors, catchy slogans, gorgeous models, delicious aromas all worked to separate the masses from their wallets.

In terms of intelligence this stop would rank pretty low for me. After going to 2 baseball games in the past 2 days I was now tasking myself with saving money while simultaneously exploring a place that is designed for the exact opposite.

Smooth move Joseph.

So I tried to focus on the uniqueness. Every mall has an Express or an Old Navy, but not ever mall has a log flume or roller coasters. Most malls don’t also have go karts, comedy clubs, and Margaritaville. This was not most malls, as proven by the fact that I allotted it a day on this trip.

It did not disappoint. It was in fact fun to turn the corner and be genuinely stunned when you see signs for an aquarium in a mall. It was also fun having to stifle my impulse for profanity at the sight of people getting food at Bubba Gump Shrimp.

Not everything on this trip is going to be profound. Something things are going to be touristy and I’ve accepted that and still made time to come check it out. Sometimes the best reason to see something is for the pure interest.

And alas, the mall did not disappoint. I was able to pick up some souvenirs and actually did enjoy checking out the mall. Plus, for what it’s worth now I can say that I’ve visited the Mall of America.

After the Mall I headed over to a place called Hell’s Kitchen for dinner. I got the state fair cheese curds as an appetizer because I figured I was still close enough to Wisconsin to defend ordering them. For my meal I ordered the Walleye BLT. From the beginning of this trip I vowed to myself that I would expand my pallet and step out of my comfort zone and try new things. Well having never eaten fish before, this was another chance for expansion. And let me tell you it was worth it. The addition of the Walleye to the typical BLT was excellent. It made the sandwich that much heartier as there was a huge chunk of fish on both halves of the sandwich. With no fishy flavor at all it was a great meal. It was topped off with a Bloody Heart Brownie. A heart shaped brownie topped with strawberry compote. The presentation on the dessert was excellent. The strawberry compote smeared across the brownie and white plate creating a delectably gruesome scene.

Overall Minnesota was a good stop. Like I said there was nothing profound and supremely moving about it, but it was fun and sometimes that’s all that matters. Sometimes you don’t need to go much deeper than fun.