Mall of America fun facts
520 retailers, restaurants and attractions.
Almost 5 million square feet.
Could fit seven Yankee Stadiums and 258 Statues of Liberty inside mall.
Has its own counter-terrorism unit. It took 13,300 tons of steel to build. Four out of every 10 visitors are tourists.
7,000 weddings have been performed at the mall.
Boasts a 1.2 million-gallon aquarium. Would take 86 hours to complete tour if you spent 10 minutes in each store.
It feels like, more than anything else, how a Super Bowl should feel, more about the folks from the host city than the billionaire suits preparing for their fancy parties in even fancier suites. Local taxes helped subsidize a percentage of U.S. Bank Stadium. You’re darn right Minnesotans need to be part of this, and they have been.
Families at the Fan Experience. Kids wearing jerseys covered in autographs. Daily activities. Nightly fireworks. Winter carnivals being extended.
“We came to the mall to see people, anybody,” said Becky, a resident of nearby Apple Valley. “Sure, it’s cold for this time of year, but this is great for Minnesota. It’s too bad the rest of (the country) has to think we’re cold all the time. Last week, it was in the 30s.”
Break out the board shorts and flip flops!
If you’re lucky, you might even be able to snap a picture with a few of your favorite local celebrities, as Bonnie Hugley did with R&B songwriting and record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
She would even take that photo over one with Brady.
“Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis belong to us,” she said. “You always have to support Minnesota.”
Much as it has supported Super Bowl LII.
The most efficiently run in recent memory.
Perhaps all memories.
What cold?
Contact columnist Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702383-4618. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.