Mall-icious

Before I delve into the Mall of America recap, I wanted to mention something that occurred on my way to the mall. While driving through downtown Minneapolis, I saw a building with a silver version of the Target logo. I asked the driver if that was a Target store and he said, "No, that's the headquarters." ::cue the angelic chorus and beam of light:: It was my mecca. If I had time, I would have worshipped at its alter, lit some candles and sung my praises. But I had to get to the mall...

The mall is HUGE! More than 400 stores, a roller coaster, aquarium and wedding chapel! I had approximately 4 hours before I had to leave for the airport, so I made a decision to only go into stores that I don't have in Los Angeles. I must admit that it was difficult to not go into Old Navy, especially since that one seemed so clean and tidy compared to the always-messy versions here.

My mall excursion resulted in some earrings, a necklace, skirt and a pair of shoes. I bought some cute black ballet flats from DSW, which I'd always seen advertised on tv but never in person. I got some fun stickers for my Europe scrapbook for a huge store that specialized in scrapbooking supplies. I also had enough time to get a manicure. My last purchase came from the second kind of restaurant I'd open if I had the chance - P.B. Loco - which specializes in gourmet peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! (As you may recall, this is the first kind of restaurant I'd open.) I had the Yummer, which includes white chocolate peanut butter, banana & Nutella spread. I ate it on the plane and it was delic! You can check out more menu options here.

I think I met the most wacky folks on this business trip than ever before. It included:
- My shuttle bus driver, who is a physics major at University of Minnesota. He looked like Josh Groban.
- A cab driver who came over from Kenya after being offered a scholarship in high school. His sister's favorite show is Lost.
- A cab driver with a white mustache that had yellowed from all the cigarette smoke. He also kept chuckling to himself in a manner that was a little too maniacal for me. I didn't put my seatbelt on for fear that I'd have to flee the cab. Luckily this was the shortest cab ride of the trip.
- A very nice VW engineer from Germany. He has one of those cool U2 ipods and plays in an 80s/90s cover band. I couldn't pronounce his name.
- A woman who told me I looked Hawaiian
- Another woman who loved my last name and tried to guess its meaning. She also balked at the idea that I am planning to change it when I get married, but was reassured when I told her I'd use it as my middle name instead.
- A guy who told me he knew I wasn't from Minneapolis, whatever that means. I guess I didn't know the secret handshake.

From what little I saw, Minneapolis seems like a cool city, like a watered-down version of San Francisco. If you get the chance, you should go. Just be sure to learn the secret handshake.

"Just when you think that a person is just a backdrop for the rest of the universe, watch them and see that they laugh, they cry, they tell jokes ... they're just friends waiting to be made." - Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein