Well, things have ALREADY changed at American Dream. The Nickelodeon theme park has now changed from it's crazy entry price to a pay-per-ride system. So you can now enter the park for free, you just have to pay for the actual attractions one by one. To get everything it's now just $60 which is a lot better than what it was before. The water park has also dropped to $80 which is also more reasonable. Maybe they've listened or maybe their attendance is really bad... twitter.com/SoCal360/status/1561806897468030976
I feel like this is really good news for the mall. I reckon this winter's xmas shopping season will tell all. Hopefully they can convince the big luxury stores to move in like Louis Vuitton, Gucci etc and then the rest will follow.
Its very odd that you would choose to go to a Mega Mall on a Saturday, and then feel "uncomfortable", when droves of people start showing up (On)...(A)....(Saturday), the day when most people & families venture out and go places together. What made you "uncomfortable" about those people anyway?🤔
I still can't get over the just jaw dropping amount of stone and tile work they did for this place to have it crash hard like this. I mean, the floors alone are magnificent.
If our entire society collapses, leftover malls will probably be archaeological marvels (or trivialities) lol. A decayed mall with empty vestiges of rooms and nice floors and decorations (Caesar’s Palace) would probably confuse future people as to their real purpose 😂
Architecture is no replacement for purchasing power [or disposable income]. The big companies filling most malls fund the very same pols intense on their war against the middle class - their customers. The vacant floorspace will remain a permanent feature as long as idiocracy continues on.
This is one of the most unsettling malls I've seen that wasn't literally falling apart. It's like a fever dream and an open concept hospital blended together
Empty kiosks, unfinished construction wings, abandoned/defunct outlets, poorly-lit spartan hallways, and escalators that lead to nowhere: the king of liminal spaces. Oh, and freaking $90 for an all-day pass at the Nickelodeon Universe attraction.
oh my god THATS what it looks like, a hospital!!! Ive been to hospitals that had white marble hallways and flooring that looks EXACTLY like that. Thats why i was getting such an uneasy feeling watching this, holy crap!!
As someone who’s worked at the Mall of America, having a Walgreens (and a Holiday convenience store) in the mall is a godsend for mall employees. Whether it’s a lunch break errand or if it just saves me a stop on my way home, it’s a significant QoL amenity.
I will say, having a Walgreens there is really good for (as Jake said) headache-medication, menstrual products, hand sanitizer, or even just a box of bandaids. If little Timmy scrapes up his knee while running down a hallway, now we can buy Neosporin for him! Honestly, I wish more malls would have Walgreens… it actually seems like it would be useful.
@@paytonriley6981 Most malls back in the day usually had some sort of Pharmacy chain in them, but they have pretty much all closed over the years in favor of freestanding locations.
MOA walgreen's has a limited selection of products and added area with skin care items. Next to the walgreen's (or was? I haven't gone for several months) is a clinic, adding to potential foot traffic. . For tourists and those who use mass transit, it's convenient to have walgreen's in the mall.
Honestly having convienence stores and supermarkets inside of a mall is one of the biggest ways to save a mall from closing. Almost every other country in the world has supermarkets and drug stores inside of their malls, and it makes the whole thing far more appealing because you get more random foot traffic. If my Target was inside of a mall, I would do a lot more window shopping than I am now, that's for sure.
You should do another update for 2023, the mall has definitely grown more and as a New Jersey resident, the mall fells at place now. Many stores have opened up and many stores are fully planned, the mall is getting more and more packed as the months go by, it’ll be great to see an update to the mall within.
the state this mall is in reminds me of the weird malls you see in your dreams. too tall of ceilings, weird WEIRD decorations, almost no stores and the ones that are there you cant really explore bc they're closed. absolutely bizarre. love it. also the walgreens makes sense to me! used to go to the mall of america a lot since it was close in college and often there were moments where being able to grab something like an antacid or tylenol was really useful.
I used to have reoccurring dreams about a very “minimalistic/sterile looking” mall with white walls, poor lighting and “yuppie shops” that I’d get lost in and pissed off about and leave for Garden State Plaza. A few years later when this place opened it looked just like my dream and it freaked me out lol
@@CandisClassicGameShrine I wouldn't want to spend the night all alone in a mall. Those mannequins staring back at me from the store windows and wondering what I'd do if I saw one blink!
@@isabellind1292 haha I think that was part of a Twilight Zone episode too lol. Back when I was in high school a few of my friends worked at Garden State Plaza mall and I used to hang out in the mall after it was closed with them and it was the creepiest fucking thing lol
@@CandisClassicGameShrine Lol! Yes, TZ has had mannequins who came to life & got to take turns going out into the real world after dark. They probably hung out at Cherry Hill Park w/Mary Hill (she was such a thrill after dark)!💓🎵
One of my biggest complaints with American Dream’s Nickelodeon Universe (outside of the absurd prices) was how it just looks like a giant white warehouse that they slapped some rides into. I had no idea that the entirety of the mall gives off the same feeling both inside and out and the entire thing really just feels incredibly strange, unappealing to look at, and disjointed.
That's exactly what I'm thinking for the whole building! I think with more theming/actual colors it could work better. The Mall Of America Nickelodeon Universe location at least has some patterned walls/a colorful atmosphere (and it's 50 bucks for an all day wristband)
It really is a design failure - totally ignores how it feels to be in the space. So often it doesn’t cost any more to make spaces a delight to inhabit.
As a New Yorker without a car, I'm actually super grateful that Big Snow exists. This is a year round snowboard/ski slope available that only requires a 15 minute bus ride from New York Port Authority to American Dream. The nearest proper ski resort is at least an hour away from Manhattan by car and there's no public transit option by comparison, so the shuttle bus costs can become prohibitive. Not only that but Big Snow has a 6 pack that gets discounted to $100 during holiday sales (which means each lift ticket only costs $17). Its perfect for someone like me who just wants to snowboard in the morning and get back to Manhattan by the afternoon.
I'll second that. My sister, who lives in Australia and has never seen snow, wanted to try it out and big snow is probably the best place for people to learn near Manhattan.
As someone who lives a few towns away from this mall, and who's visited a few times, I have to say for anyone who's wondering: the way to get into the mall and the parking area also depends on if you live nearby, it makes it easier to get around. Otherwise, the whole mall itself is just a bit...sad. I honestly dislike the place because of how it screws with traffic for me even more. They really messed this up, it offers nothing for those who actually live in the area. Except for, maybe, the Toys R Us store. Sadly my high school graduation party took place in the theme park (but somehow cost more than a normal ticket. I didn't go). This was a great look into the monstrosity.
It surprises me that the tickets are so expensive. At the mall of America you can walk around nickelodeon univers. And if you wanna ride rides you just buy points band
Now you need to go to the OG, Mall of America which celebrated its 30th Anniversary yesterday. It's obviously seen its ups and downs and right now after it's most recent face-lift, a lot of it looks like American Dream. Still, it has free parking and the vast majority of the stores are open. It would be fun to see your comparison.
I LOVVEE MOA. 😭🥰🥺 I grew up going to the American girl doll store there haha. I cried when they closed lol. But it’s such a fun place and definitely has managed to outlive the dying mall epidemic.
I think it's the future for malls in order to survive. The shopping is not enough nor an experience people are willing to walk miles for in a big building. Especially with online retail. They have to aim for uniqueness essentially they have to be tiny walkable cities where every corner has something you need or want. Entertainment? You have the parks and snowboard. Essentials? You have a Wallgreens and general goods. It doesn't make sense for new jersey since it's so dense but for flyover states with boring suburbs that require a 30 or an hour drive to place to place? A thing like this between metroplexes could be inviting to those residents who never got a taste of that Euro-like walkable city.
What comes to mind are the Casino Hotels in Vegas. They are essentially malls and tiny cities inside with restaurants shops etc etc. They never have trouble pulling in tourists hell they don't even rely on in person gambling since you now have sports betting apps and online gambling. It can definitely work imo but Malls have to ditch the 80s mentality of stores being the main attraction. Anchors need to be something you can't get anywhere else. Not a SEARS or JC Penny.
I'm shocked at the state of the approach roads and the exterior - as others have said it seems to exist in a strange limbo between unfinished and abandoned. Those large 'blank' areas around the mall are really unsettling too, and makes the whole place really unappealing.
Because it's meant to be accessed by car. If this mall was built in a dense neighborhood and accessed by public transit, I'm sure the exterior of the mall, as well as the land surrounding the mall, would be much more pleasant to people. Here, people are supposed to arrive at the mall in their car and head directly inside; they're not supposed to spend any time outside the mall unless they're inside a car.
Walgreens definitely seems like a winner with all the excursions IMO. - Motion sickness from roller coasters or water park, sore from snowboarding… 🤷🏻♂️
It's a gorgeous building. If they can survive until their occupancy rate hits a turning point I think they'll be fine. I think most of the people you saw at the mall were there just to window shop. People who are looking to make a specific purchase don't usually hang around at the mall.
Yes, the mall is absolutely beautiful. Good array of shops and attractions. Sadly , like other businesses they were affected by the pandemic shutdown. But it has apparently grown a lot since this video.
It used to look like stacked shipping containers - an absolute eyesore - before they painted it white. Northern New Jersey has malls every 10 miles or so, and not in any of the others do you have to pay for parking. It abuts the Giants stadium and who would want to tackle game day traffic to walk an empty mall? Unless you want to snowboard in July, I can't think of a reason to go there.
Yah ask me, it's gonna end up either sold or abandoned again. If they don't pay off those taxes, the city will foreclose on the property. 555 don't have a leg to stand on with thier "this isn't opened so we don't have to pay" bullshit. And even if they get away with it in the short-term, the longer they use this excuse the less convinced a judge would be. It's only a matter of time if they don't get thier shit together and the world economy's a complete clusterfuck which isn't helping.
The mall is increasing attraction since Mr. Beast Burger opened up. Also, they are adding more things like the immersive art exhibit of Van Gough. I’m hoping that it can stay open for a bit longer because I enjoy it. I always go shopping at Primark when I can because I shopped at that place when I was in England.
Even without the pandemic looming, I have no clue how anyone in their right mind thought this would be a good idea. Malls were already on the decline. They should have leveled half of it and turned that into green space and mixed use development, then built a unique, but closer to normal sized mall fit for both locals and tourists.
While watching this I kind of had a similar thought, but.. I do think there is a bit of an issue with just going "green spaces". I mean, besides the fact that it becomes a tax sink - i.e. something that the public values, but will watch burn to the ground as they vote people into office that promise to cut their taxes - its got other issues. There are two parks that I "knew" existed in the city I live in, only to recently find out there are probably at least 3 more smaller ones, which are "kind of" neighborhood parks. The problem here is that, in summer, there is rivers, lakes, shade, etc., and the air temp can get up to 120+F. No one in their right mind would go to any of the smaller parks, which leaves the ones near the lake, and that is over run with tourists most weekends, and people that live and work here don't really have much hope to be able to go there "during the week", when they could avoid the tourists. For a big city, without even a lake in it, this would be 500 times worse - ironically because the tourists wouldn't be there to provide revenue, to maintain the property. But, I think there is another issue, and its one faced by anyone, in any, city, especially its its public transportation is spotty, or non-existent - its a pain in the ass, if you don't have a car, and the time/means to get there, to even bother with such spaces, because most of your effort to go any place is probably going to be buying groceries, buying clothes, buying other necessities, or maybe visiting a restaurant. Now... where I live we had an "English Village" thing near the main park, and the lake. But, it was run down, the businesses where not doing well, even pre-pandemic, the store fronts needed a major rework, etc., but the city council refused to convert it to something like a river walk, with the sorts of places that do well in such places... What we got instead was - 1) most of the village closing for repairs, 2) loss of many of the businesses still there, 3) an overpriced eye sore (uh, sorry, I meant hotel), which is utterly out of place compared to the existing hotel that was "already there", and English themed, 4) a refusal to allow a lot of popular businesses to set up shop in the main town, and/or in the village, and finally, 5) an outdoor mall, with no shade, 10 miles outside of town, where half the freaking businesses are empty, and have been since it was built (and this was 10 years before Covid, at least). In other words, there is still nothing new to draw people to the main tourist attraction, outside the lake itself, that the city had, and no one wants to, unless they have to, shop at the "new stores" that exist at the mall, because its too damn far, and inconvenient, even when the oil companies are not gouging everyone for massive profits. To me, this kind of all is the same problem, in some respects, for a while, one of the most popular "malls" in Escondido was not the old, run down, giant box, but the newer, outdoor, multilevel, well shaded, etc. complex that was built nearby - then... because the city refused to see the value of this design, or expand on it, and they, i.e. the council, who also owned most of the downtown, didn't want to sell, or allow anyone else to compete with "downtown", someone built a full sized mall, 15 miles outside of town, and ALL of them inside the city failed, practically over night. Now, we have this one in the video - and they get something 100% dead right - its not just "locals" they need to draw in, and provide something they can't get "locally". But, they have no vision regarding how to do this, so they resort to one semi-OK idea - the ski thing, but they a) also rent out space to big companies for indoor theme park space, instead of finding some way to provide something like this using local business/resources, and b) they build shit that almost no one uses, or at least in the way that they still insist of thinking of such things being used, like the skate facility (which looks to be the old style rink, instead of the modern board park, which again, makes for a decent "add on", for those than use it, but only in the same sense that its nice to put in exercise stations along a walking/running route in a real park, or area for variations of Pétanque, horse shoes, etc. Its not something that is going to "bring in" a bunch of people by itself, its simply an amenity. And, such "parks" unless they are some place close to businesses that can supply food, etc.... well... Basically, you have, seemingly, three options - try to turn the mall into a theme park, with stores in it, try to run it like a real mall, with just stores, but bring in "big names" to fill it, since those, in theory, bring in big bucks, or level the whole thing, and put in a park, which a lot of people will use, but won't make anyone a damn cent in the long run - not that the other options do either. I can't help but think that the only thing they haven't considered doing is creating something like a "in city camping area"/overnight thing. And I am sure they would manage to screw that up too, if they did. lol But, I also can't help but think that maybe they seriously need to rethink "all of it", and find something that mixes these things - a "themed park", which brings elements of fantasy, or even culture, that isn't local, which does include restaurants and shops, which fit into the theme, and don't just serve up the what the malls do, offers picnic, or even camping, options, in city, which "no one does", outside of a few fringe elements (like naturists, who, in most cases are probably also not found "inside" the city), and present something that both benefits the locals *and* attracts people from the outside, without a) charging them an arm and a leg for something built by Disney, or someone, whose pricing is like, "Well, if it costs $200 to get into a full park we run, lets just charge them 25% of that for one ride! Seems good, right?", b) provides them with nothing to do, not even what a "green space" would, c) definitely doesn't include a green space, and c) ... was a food park even mentioned in this video? Do they have one? I mean.. if you "need" it to make money, instead of just turning into a place that is dead at night, and collects homeless and police patrols, while barely being used in the day, then be flipping creative with what you come up with, and mix some things together. Come up with something that people "want to go to", and still lets you offer some businesses for people to shop at, at the same time, and entertainment, etc.? Why does it have to be either just a park, or the next Disney land, or some giant empty building, which just looks like someone tried, badly, to build some weird architectural marvel, then abandoned it, when they ran out of money? If what you are doing isn't working, stop giving money to rich twits, that only see the "money" they imagine it can get you and them (but won't) and not its "utility".
Agreed. The only reason I go to my town’s mall is Bath and Body Works. From what I’ve heard, BBW is the only thing holding a lot of the failing malls in smaller towns and cities.
@@patrickelliott2169 i mean green spaces dont need to make money, they can just be therre to be used by animals/wildlife, and trees which produce oxygen which you need to live, not everything must be paved in concrete or made to make a profit.
@@SombreroGato Oh, I know what you meant. And in general I agree, but realistically very few cities are going to trade even a failing business area for something the just sucks up city funds. It's short sighted, but sadly the most likely argument and the reason that masses of abandoned facilities already exist and have not been changed over to such. So.. why if shopping centers need to adapt, can't such green spaces, if the city can't, or won't, create a purely noncommercial space?
I mean like your saying "Just locals" as if its not located in one of the largest metro areas in the US. It has decent public transit options for the loads of tourists in NYC
its amazing how such a huge building manages to make you feel claustrophobic. i went there back in 2019 when it was mostly empty white corridors and it was suffocating
Went into a Westfield shopping centre and had a mild panic attack because it was so enclosed. Managed to find the way out. Never again. My local has a atrium taller than St Paul's Cathedral so it's full of light everywhere
@@Albatross-365 This mall is so big, customers would be better off tooting around in electric scooters. And isn't the Food Court the most popular place in a mall? I didn't see any Food Courts! Not even the Golden Arches! 😊
@@isabellind1292 Haha, well, the Mezzanine (Food Court) in malls is always the most popular and in demand places within malls of all sizes. People will literally just go to the mall for the mezzanines and once they've gotten their food, leave.
I think huge malls have the same problem that huge houses have: the scale outpaces the ability to decorate or even personalize to the point that it doesn't just feel like a structure for stuff.
To experience all of the attractions, you almost have to pay around $300 per person. That means $1200 for a family of four. For a trip to the mall - in New Jersey? Are they insane?
I have a problem with them just charging for parking,you need people in there,as many as possible,paying for parking alone keeps people away,it’s a big mall and you need bodies in there.Then you have the price the attractions are charging and forget about it the place doesn’t stand a chance.For the amusement park they should go to a pay per ride system,knowing you can just go walk around alone will bring people in and obviously each ride will not be cheap but having the bodies in there will make people ride,the mall is a mess,I was excited about the news they were building another one in S Florida but if they do it this way the place won’t work.It’s an overpriced money grab and with the state of malls they’re doing it completely wrong,you have to make the place extremely busy and charging for everything crazy prices wont do that
I was there 2 weeks ago on a Friday night and it was packed and a hive of activity. Surprisingly, I think the idea of having everything, waterpark, theme park, ski park, etc.. under one roof as a mall attraction seems to have actually paid off. I was expecting a ghost town when I arrived but I am happy to report that the mall seems to have finally taken off. I expect to go back a few times in the next year and see how it evolves. It certainly was an experience. We did the NYC Aquarium at Coney Island and then the mall. Was a great day.
Thank you, thought I was the only one. This mall to me is pretty darn cool. Take me back to when I first went to a big mall as a kid. I think this RUclipsr and some of the commenters are way too harsh. Have to give something time to truly see if it works as well as experience it for oneself before just trashing it and saying just cuz they struggled to get off the ground that they aren’t going to be successful. Disney had so many problems even on opening day and they still became one of the biggest attractions/theme parks in the world. Part of the beauty of creating something from nothing but a vision and an undying will no matter what others say.
@@TripBloggers It's very likely those opened after this video was made. From what I understand, the Mall is still in a very risky financial shape.. but I do hope it survives. It is a very interesting place to visit and shop. They continue to open and expand with new stores every month.
@@bschulerLegoland opened May 2021. It seems he didn’t explore the entire complex. Even the part about the ski slope being closed until 2022 in the video was incorrect. I skied there in 2020. They made us wear masks because of Covid.
Those admissions prices are insane. It’s 35 dollars per person for the regular tier admissions to Six flags. The premium tier is 85 dollars, which is still cheaper! What justifies such an outrageous price tag for what looks like one roller coaster and a wave pool?!
@@AdamSmith-gs2dv I live in Mineesota where the mall of America is and we have are own nickelodeon park. no water park but there is one nearby. but you get in for free and merely pay for tickets. may not have as many roller coasters but it is an old mall but still far more active and better deal then this shit
Everyone wants a budget park, but there's a darker side of that then we are first realize. When ticket prices are low, everyone comes. Yes. Everyone. Let's be honest. Not everyone has the best of intentions inside a place. With prices low, there's little to keep malcontents at bay. It's why Disney and Universal have far fewer incidents on property than do Six Flags parks nationwide. Also, with prices so low, the profit margin is low. That is important because park companies use the profits to improve the park. Do you want a pretty, well-maintained park? You have to pay for it. Finally, a higher price means a higher caliber of experience. Or rather. It should. If people are balking at it, that can be a good thing. That means the people who want it are paying for it, and they should get what they pay for. If they don't, they won't come. So it forces the park company to constantly improve. Again. This is why Disney and Universal can afford to boast higher prices. They are committing to customer experience.
Even better is Dorney Park/Wildwater Kingdom, which may not be in NJ but is not too far into PA. For about $55, you get two parks and lots of fun. Of course food, lockers and souvenirs could easily bring that up another $100 pp! But that’s up to you. This American nightmare does sound like a big rip-off though.
@@wendym1234 Correction. You bet a park and a water park. It's not exactly two parks. Two parks would be two parks just like Dorney Park, which is very unusual. The park and water park combo is very common nationwide. Almost every Six Flags park has this same combo.
A Case Study of Two Massive Malls: I live about 15mins from the Mall of America in MN. Most locals do not shop there unless it is around the holidays. But "going to the mall" is something we all do. You go on a quiet day. You walk around each floor to get in steps. You stop in many stores "just too look". You buy lunch and a maybe a drink as you meander. You send time together and talk as you walk. You stop into a sweet shop perhaps near the end. And then you leave- maybe with only buying 1 or 2 retail items... often less. Its a thing to go and DO. To fill the day and do something dynamic out of your everyday life. This kind of outing happens between 1 to 3 times a year from me. (not including holiday shopping) Heck, we just went the other day to mini golf cuz it was too hot for our typical hike outside. But we still could mosey around the mall and stay cool! I know many who are like this. And I believe this is happening at America Dream. Especially with the lower income locals. BUT- The MOA's main sources of money isnt from thier middle class locals!! Its is either from the upper class locals who CAN afford to shop there or the TOURISTS. So many tourist! (Hense why locals will most often shop on a dead day or elsewhere to avoid the crowds) For gods sake its the MALL OF AMERICA! ... That draws in a lot. I know of rural high schools that would take clubs to the MOA as field trips just so the kids could say they've been. And thats just refuring to the tourists from IN-STATE.... It baffles me cuz I grew up with the MOA - but there are actual ppl from out of state that come to MN on vacation just to go to the MOA.... they stay at the hotels on site and do everything- mini golf, nickelodeon, the aquarium, lego land, multiple restaurants, meticulously comb through all the stores, go to the near by waterpark, go to the ikea in the parking lot, etc... they are stuck on campus and they spend much of thier time and money there. This is something I think America Dream greatly lacks in order to even try for success. Tourists. In-state or out. Just like me- thier locals cant afford to go there to shop. But they do go just as something to do.. America Dream isn't built in a hub of lots of other things. The opposite in fact! They're off on the outskirts. Its not surrounded by hotels and other attractions...Its just a big mall. A big empty mall. Its not something for tourists to seek out. But it can be a cheep thing to do as a local... And in that lies so much of thier problems.
totally agree this place seems like it wants the tourists but isnt impressive enough or close enough to NYC to lure them in. I think they would do much better by aiming for locals to get foot traffic up by getting something like free recurring art installations or free indoor playground/ pool in to attract recurring customers. They spent so much on useless wall graphics and fountains they could have done a really sweet playground for moms that want a nice latte and air conditioning while little Timmy runs around. if they did that and maybe had designated a better event space to do conferences they would have had a more solid income flow from locals who use it as a community space instead of a bank breaking outing. It looks like every attraction starts at like $20 though so for an average family of 4 they are shelling out at least $100 to do even the cheapest attraction at that mall 400-500 for the more exciting parks. its kinda nutty who wants to drop all that on a mall trip?
This makes total sense. The last time I went to a mall to actually shop was 2001, but I did have to run in a few years ago to return an item I ordered online. Most of the stores were empty but the hallways were full of people chatting, moseying, and lots and lots of elderly people speed walking in small groups. When it's 100 degrees outside, the mall is the best place to go walking.
I’m from Minnesota as well. MOA was cool as kid. My Girl Scout troop went there. Had a blast. Now a days the only time I’m even close to MOA is the go to IKEA next door.
Everything about this mall is a great representation of what the reality of an “American Dream” is. You start off thinking the sky’s the limit and unlimited potential. Then after a bit reality hits and you get tossed around and struggle to keep the dream alive. But you keep working at it and after years of hard work the dream starts to come true, but just not how you expected or planned on.
Or the dream doesn’t even really come true but instead you’re just struggling to stay afloat and borrowing from Peter to pay Paul and making little sacrifices here and there just to pull through.
I like a couple stores and the weird liminal spaces, but it's not really worth the drive or the hassle of getting in and walking around for a long time. It's a mess in it's current form. There's some hope if they fill the empty spaces out, but the layout problems are probably unfixable. Also, screw the prices of the themepark stuff.
"The American Dream Mall" is a pretty apt name for an already broke monument to a bygone era that was never fully realized for all of America outside of a fantasy for more than a select few. Could say the writing is on the wall but it looks like Shrek is already there lol Lovely work. Thank you.
That Walgreens came into a clutch when we went to the WaterPark and my kid got hurt leaving the waterpark to go get items to care for him in the hotel room. It also has the ONLY ATM that is an Allpoint and no fees if you need cash. As a family of 4 we went to Nickelodeon Park, The Water Park and about $200 of shopping on my kids. With the hotel, eating park tickets, eating dinners out etc, we spent $2k. We saved for it, my kid wanted it because we do a "big birthday" every other year and it was the highlight to end the summer. We did a bunch of other free/affordable things outside the mall which is why we didn't spend more the $2k in 4 days for everything excluding our gas EZ Pass. Will I do it again, NOPE because you can go to 8 theme parks around NY,NJ,CT with gas and food for that same 2k 2 years later. How do I know?I did that this past summer for that same child and had more memories, money was better spent and more variety. The Parks in my opinion is a good meeting ground for like friend groups, family reunions ALOT of those especially in the Waterpark
That is... SHOCKINGLY overpriced. Part of me was curious to visit for some of the novelties like the theme/water park and Ferris wheel, but I'm not paying $220 for the "pleasure." I have a hard time envisioning ANYONE paying that much. Those are Disney prices. Absolute insanity.
When he said 90 dollars for the Nickelodeon park I start coughing. I was expecting a normal if-wallet straining 50-something, but no, that's how much a private car on the ferris wheel costs! I get they're struggling financially but those price points are at "drive away most customers" levels, not "gouge a little on all the crowds" levels.
What the Mall wanted to be was like the Trafford Centre in the UK, Indoor ski slopes, amazing interiors etc. But just became a larger version of a mall we see everywhere, lifeless interiors and exteriors with no touch of individuality, just with some cladding stuck haphazardly on the side.
Even the avenue area isn't so much of an improvement and is just one part of the mall, which makes it seem odd, why doesn't everywhere look nice rather than just the posh section.
@@AcornElectron how is it cack? It's considered one of the best malls on the planet, not just in the UK. There are also 44 over 70,000 Square metres, so not really not many and our city centres are a lot more competition compared to American cities.
I went to Mall of America a couple months ago and wow, the difference is night and day. Free parking at MOA, Nickelodeon theme park is in the middle of the mall and charged per ride (I just got a pass good for 3 rides and called it was a good value), most of the store locations are occupied, very bright, and large where it doesn't feel cramped. Not to mention a couple of nice hotels attached. No water park or ski hill but there is an aquarium and Minnesota doesn't need an artificial ski hill haha.
I went to both Southdale and MoA over the summer ... night and day. MoA is a busy, bustling place. I was there on a Saturday, and it was jam-packed with people. Take Jake's image in the film where he says this mall was crowded, add three times as many people. Most storefronts were occupied, and people definitely were buying things. Southdale, on the other hand, is near death. Whole wings are closed, and over half the storefronts in the open areas were vacant. Only one anchor store (Macy's), and it was a sad shadow of what it could be. But (as CityNerd would say), there is a Cheesecake Factory.
I feel from a development standpoint, something that could help this mall would be an attached casino, with a hotel. As of now this is like a trade center mall without the trade center
Exactly. Many nice high end hotels have a shopping mall (see Vegas and Miami) plus offer food and hotel stay with pool areas. Add a hotel and add some colors to this place and it would be THE place to stay while in NYC areas.
I think the biggest way the mall can make more money, is to make the attractions more accessible financially. It will draw in more people. Like a Ferris wheel should not be $30 for a 2 minute ride. I think they would gain a much larger crowd and thus make more money, if they just lowered the price. Or offered cheaper options. Also, the parking charge is ridiculous. They used to only charge when MetLife had an event 🙄
The Nickelodeon park actually just changed to a pay per ride system which I think works out better, similar to how most boardwalks are here. So you can ride the ride you want and people who have no interest in riding dont have to pay to get in and waste money. I think this is better than charging to get in, and the cost, if I recall, is pretty fair. I have also gone on the ferris wheel because my mom insisted. It was a nice ride, mor like 20m, not 2, we had the car alone, and was about what we had paid to ride the london eye in england, so I don't really think its insanely bad, but I think $15/p would be more fair. I think the mall is pretty decent for what it has, and I do like it much better than Garden State/Westfield which is the next closest big mall. The parking charge does blow though, and they ONLY have pay station on the bottom floor of the parking garage, so you have to find it, instead of having one by each exit. The first time i went, I gave up trying to find the pay station and the guy at the exit of the garage just let my car go through without paying lol
@@alexdaley7616 oop! Didn’t know it was 30 minutes! Thank you for the correction! Okay but in that note then, does a Ferris wheel ride need to be 30 minutes? That feels like a long time
@@Ravibun yeah, my mistake about the Ferris wheel. I thought it was shorter. Since you have been on it, do you feel it needs to be a 20-30 minute ride? Ik the area and the views aren’t that stellar. I think for me, garden state wins, because over all, it is cheaper to go to. If this mall didn’t charge for parking or just charged on concert days at MetLife, I would be much more of a fan of this mall. I used to love this mall when it was empty and there was free parking.
I just went the other day to see an update on it. So far there is a lot opening up in spring of 2023. The third floor now has the first Mr. Beast burger and I believe 10-15 new restaurants coming to it by spring of next year. I'll go back to see if they are any good. But I hope they bounce back.
I’ve never seen a place that looks simultaneously under construction and abandoned at the same time. Going here was a mind fuck back in 2021. Props where it’s due, the wave pool is sick. I’m glad you caught the stairs to nowhere too. Those blew my mind last year.
@@MrNiceGuy1422001 I have friends that went a couple months ago. It’s still the same. It felt abandoned because of the structure and things like the stairs to nowhere. There was no lack of people when I went.
The craziest thing about this mall is that there are clearly so many problems, and yet no one is conducting surveys or interviews with shoppers about their shopping experience in order to make changes. Its like they are committed to letting this mall die a slow death. I remember there is a particular chocolate store in that mall that gave me a free taste of a delicious chocolate covered hazelnut. When I asked what the price was, the saleswomen looked at the floor sheepishly and muttered "....$50 for 10 pieces". I could tell I wasn't the first to walk out of that store empty handed, but what this showed me is that everyone in that mall, including the employees, know that this mall is expensive and offers little value. Edit: Those touch screens in the mall that are supposed to tell you where you are, are the most unusable pieces of tech I have ever had the misfortune to use.
Why people are at mall: AIR CONDITIONING IN JULY and CLEAN BATHROOMS More fun to take the family on a walk in a 70 degree mall than in a 90 degree park with no bathrooms, plus $5 admission (parking) is cheap.
There are free malls in the area that offer more stores, the same air conditioning and free parking. The garden state mall is about 15-20 minutes from American Dream and it is infinitely cheaper. The palisades mall is under an hour and is big, and has a Ferris wheel.
You mentioned you would not visit again, but I would be keen to see you do a yearly update and visit again in 2023 :) Maybe make a comparison on what has opened? What has closed? Price increases/decreases? It's crazy they had their parking fees so high to begin with - a huge deterrent Keep up the great content man :)
It also doesn’t help that the mall is practically closed on Sundays due to the local “blue laws” which prohibit non-essential stores from opening on Sundays…it’s an old school law but one that impacts the entire county. Also, the Westfield Garden State Plaza is a mall that’s much more comparable to the American Dream mall in the sense that most if not all spaces are rented and is completely packed all the time. That mall is in Paramus and also has free parking and is much easier to navigate
I actually miss blue laws that we once had decades ago where I live. It may not be economically viable in today's environment but it's nice to have at least one day off from retail where you can go to church or spend quality time with your family instead of having to work on Sunday to satisfy the consumer greed of idle people.
@@chrisb.1214 - Bergen County, NJ is the last place in the entire country with one closing nearly all retail though. This also causes problems for Jewish shoppers who, in the summer, must shop online or weekdays only. They can’t shop Sunday there because malls are closed…and they can’t prepare to shop on Saturday because of religious observance…sundown from late May to mid-August is right before most malls close. At Garden State Plaza, the stores that can be open on Sundays have special Sunday entrances, but mass transit typically bypasses the malls on Sundays.
I was at the mall on a Sunday in late November (some family went to the Giants game). What was closed and what was opened seemed almost haphazard. You’d pass an open shoe store only to pass a closed one shortly after. Same thing with clothing stores. Primark and Uniqlo closed but Aland and Boxed Lunch were open.
The new intro is fab (: happy 10 year anniversary BSF 🔆 It seems to me that the retail spaces were architecturally planned, built and then offered to lease once almost completed. Rather than securing Tennant's first and planning/building the space around what stores are coming to the mall. Hence why there are so many gaps between stores and random retailers you wouldn't expect to find there.
@@fazver917 yeah I kept an eye out to see if any anchors even had a "coming soon" sign anywhere, but didn't see any. Anchors tend to survive even when their malls die, so it's really weird to see a mall in this state without one.
@@ohnoitschris Well.. I somewhat remember seeing an article, where the plans of the mall having a Cabela's was pulled due to the pandemic. Another article I saw was the inclusion of a Mexican movie Chain and 'edutainment' center is being considered to be Bulit. So, I hope that neither attraction/company are force to pull out like most of the other's business did before and after it is opening. While were talking about it, if I have to guess any retail and/or entertainment That should/is ever considered to be added, I hope it's either a sporting good like Dick's or Cabela's and a bowling alley with an arcade like Round 1 or Dave & Busters. But whatever it may be, I'm certain that the entire complex will not include tractional anchor store like JCPenney's or Macy's for example. I hope to see the mall grow into a fun place to hang out when I'm older enough to drive there (for like a road trip or such).
If the parking garage is already patched and wonky, the stairs are crumbling, and the ski slope STILL has fire damage... just imagine what all the supports wrapped up in plastic paneling are gonna look like after a decade of leaks and shoddy/rushed construction takes its toll
West Edmonton mall is a good example of just this future. The mall is way better overall but is starting to look really rough in areas and the parking garage….moves a lot. And is constantly under construction.
When it rains the parking garage leaks all over🤭 Not to mention they had that massive leak in to the main lobby this past winter while the big snow thing was shut down for months. They also have all of the maintenance guys shovel the snow off the roofs. That bougie hallway once you get down by sacks in the bougie restaurant smells like skunk or a dead animal I don’t know but it’s been like that for several months
I can just imagine being a little kid, having a great time in a massive mall and my dad telling us our time is up because he has a headache, strolling past the Walgreens and dad swinging in for a bottle of ibuprofen and a tub of gold bond and then raging for another couple hours.
I’ve lived in New Jersey my whole life. Prior to the mall’s opening, especially when the project was still called Zanadu, the project was more the footnote of a joke than something anybody looked forward to. It was painted that terrible orange and sat doing nothing for so long. When it changed names and eventually opened I don’t think most people even knew. I agree with others saying it just doesn’t offer much for people who live in the area… there is no incentive to go besides maybe the theme park for kids to go. North Jersey residents are better off going to Westfield Garden State Plaza, all of an 18 minute drive north of American Dream and where pretty much everyone I know actually shops during holidays. I used to go all the time with friends just to hang out, but I could never see myself doing that at American Dream. It’s irrelevant for residents, too far from tourist destinations, and too expensive to expect any bleed over from MetLife stadium events. I think most people who’ve grown up with this project in the area just wish they’d finally take it around the back and put it down humanely. Sure they’ve committed so much money why not keep trying, but imho it is destined to fail so why keep it on life support?
I live just over the border in PA, and everything I've heard about this mall is that it is likely some kind of massive fishy money laundering scheme or construction contract kick back cover. I mean, putting aside the fact that there are several large malls and shopping destinations already nearby, malls have been on decline for 20 years even before the pandemic. If this is a legitimate business venture, what were they even thinking?
I’ve never been to New Jersey, but based on what I’ve seen and read, this poor giant of a building should have never been built in the first place. Seems to me it was willed to existence due to sheer hubris. Imagine how it could have actually benefitted the public if every inch of That land could be optimally utilized for multiple purposes, with fleshed out and full of life designs.
Dreamworks Water Park and Big Snow is the only two positive areas. Both are extremely fun. The prices are sad though. I don’t how they expect people to actually want to go here when they could just go to Great Adventure and have way more fun there
In my opinion, malls need more outdoor parts to it. Giant buildings can be daunting. The beauty of the architecture has fallen on these huge buildings. I’d rather it be 1-2 story building but it has beauty to it. If it’s going to be something memorable it can’t be simple and forgettable.
yeah the outside looks like a creepy warehouse and all the white, bright lights would give me a headache after a while. Trees would have been much appreciated
@@thebronywiking Culturally, people in the northeast dread the winter months and rarely go outside in the cold. The only real draw in the winter months would be an ice skating rink or holiday market, but 9/10 people in that region would prefer for both to be indoors. The only locations in the Northeast you’ll see people voluntarily stroll outside in the winter are NYC, Boston, and Philadelphia.
Something you wouldn't know if you weren't local to the area....there is actually a law in new jersey, specifically in Bergen County...the blue law, that allows retail and department stores to be closed on sunday...another huge issue with this mall, on Sundays 85% of the stores are CLOSED.
They need to seriously make some exceptions to this law. I understand trying to relieve traffic, but its pathetic I can’t buy an electric toothbrush, electronics, office, or home improvement supplies. If anything, most of these categories I feel are busier in traffic on the weekdays to begin with. This isn’t the malls fault, and just makes matters worse for the mall.
@@fastcombo33Jersey won’t even make exceptions to their antiquated law against self serve fueling (which btw is a heavily politicized state issue that for some reason a lot of Jersey natives don’t wanna let go of)
The “blue law” is not new.. its actually been on the books for over 50 years. It was up for a vote to abolish those laws in 1980 and again in 1993.. both times defeated by residents who want them kept in place
I drove past this on the way to NYC recently and never would have thought it was built in the last two decades. Malls are just not a profitable thing anymore and driving past all the rides and ski slope just seemed gimicky. They built way more space than they needed. It would seem way better if they just built an entertainment complex and ditched the mall part of it.
As someone who grew up in Dubai I’ve pretty much seen every type of attraction within a shopping mall and I’ve also seen them go from the infancy, to the talk of the town & then as it declines. This kinda thing works when you’ve got a really dense population and a few million people living within an hour of the mall. It feels like they wanted to cram absolutely everything possible into a single mall that’s not convenient to visitors
Minnesota is actually where the U.S. Mall Culture was born - and it's because of our longer, colder winters. We wanted town centers for people to get away from snow and rain, so starting with Southdale in 1956 we built the first fully-enclosed malls in the U.S. - which were later copied all over the country. The decline of malls in the U.S. is far slower here than all the other states as a result. If anything, the Mall of America is MN's magnum opus.
@@dubaisilver You can have Dubai and it's Sharia law. That place has been bankrupt for almost 10 years now and Sharia Law is the reason why. Enjoy. You don't even have to come back.
I live in NYC and I remember at some point last year a friend wanted to go to the Nickeledeon theme park. I had heard about it and thought it looked fun, and was set to agree, when I decided to look up the price of the theme park. I assumed the tickets would be $50-$60, and couldn't believe when I saw they were $90. We both decided not to go, especially since I kept hearing about the mall having difficulty attracting stores and that much of the mall was actually empty. It just didn't seem worth the trip. It's ironic how well the name suits the mall: the American Dream of being able to shop til you drop isn't actually possible for most people.
from a design pov, the insane amount of art/ colour/ chaos on all of the work walls is probably psychologically exhausting people's subconscious. Actual storefronts blend in with artificial walls & all end up equally passable.
That’s funny considering Jimmy open his first mr beast burger there. Are you even from nyc or jersey? Maybe if the pandemic happened it wouldn’t of been this bad.
@@Merrybandoruffians ???? You realize where that mall is located is also one of the most expensive places to live in the country? Just because you’re broke doesn’t mean we are too 🤡
@@ADHD_Lothario yes sweetie. We all know where New Jersey is. The Nuevo riche capital of the country. The Mecca of suburban housewives buying gaudy shit on credit, lol.
Before this was completed my husband used to call this a sunken cruise ship. It’s amazing to finally see it completed as it was sitting there for many years!
I grew up in North Jersey. I used to take Route 3 to Hoboken or the Bergen Park & Ride pretty regularly. The highway ran through the Meadowlands and past the abandoned mall project which has been there for quite literally as long as I can remember. I always thought it would be the perfect set for a zombie apocalypse movie or something because of how eerie and imposing the structure was, even with the bright colors that they had on the indoor ski slope for all that time. Looking back now, the property was probably too well-maintained for that. I feel lucky now to have grown up near such an iconic “abandoned” property, but it’s much more iconic to the people of NY/NJ who lived to see it at a standstill.
This mall would've been a huge success if it were in the Philippines. SM Mall of Asia (Philippine's largest mall) also has a theme park and Ferris wheel but is nothing compared to this. Well, at least the prices of our rides don't cost a fortune, the rides just range about $1-5 per ride and you have the coastal view of Manila Bay, which by the way have a beautiful sunset view.
And quests what I believe if they lower their prices they will make more money because it will encourage more people to partake rather than being a window watcher!!!!
the philippines is knee deep in mall culture. a part of this is probably because there's literally nothing else to do in manila besides going to malls. the only well known (and probably most well preserved) historic place to my knowledge is intramuros. there are no recreational centers, parks that are well maintained besides that one in tagaytay and bgc (luna park doesn't count, don't even try), and any other place where you can appreciate the nature and beaches are either blocked off in a private high-end resort that can't even be accessed most of the time because you need to get/know someone with membership or rent an airbnb, or you'd have to fly to cebu, boracay, or palawan. i've lived here for a decade and not once have i ever seen a mall empty. you could probably say tagaytay is a decent place, except for how difficult it is to navigate the tight single/double lane roads there. i would say that manila bay really is beautiful, as long as you hold your breath lol it's kinda interesting too because japanese investors have recently started investing in malls here, and there's one that just had their soft opening recently in bgc. if american mall investors could invest in building malls in the ph, they'd never have to worry about majority of their market being pushed to online shopping, since going to the mall is literally the only thing you could do here. buy your groceries, go to the pharmacy, even some hospitals and healthcare centers are inside/connected to malls, hang out with friends, meet family, eat out, etc.
Looks like you got some good "before" shots for the "Abandoned American Dream Mall" video that's probably not too far down the road. "Bath and Body Works" is already there so it shan't be long!
I feel like if you have more economically-friendly entertainment venues like Round 1 or Dave & Busters, there would be a lot more foot traffic that would lead into the main mall itself.
7:38 I do this on occasion with my local mall (the much more reasonably sized Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge) for a very specific reason. Baton Rouge is one of the worst examples of urban sprawl in the US, so if I feel like just going for a walk in a relatively pleasant space, MoLA is my go-to, regardless of whether or not I feel like buying anything there. That's probably the same for a lot of people here as well.
I live just a few minutes away from this mall. It is definitely a place to take some friends if they're visiting and don't want to go into NYC. But the price of everything inside is insane -- from the minigolf to the museums to the tiny aquarium. It's usually really empty and most stores are closed on Sundays due to a county law. I can't imagine them ever making their money back. The only attractive part for anyone coming in out of state is that NJ has no tax on clothing. If you plan to shop big at one of the luxury retailers, you'd save a good amount of money -- but I also guess if you're shopping there, you're not concerned about that.
Lol funny you say that.. was about to go to the city with my girl last year on the SI ferry and she had a panic attack. So she was like let's go to American Dream instead. We go and it happens to be Sunday and almost everything is closed lol. I was pissed.
the same owners own the MOA in Bloomington MN. The difference between the two is DRASTIC. MOA has a hotel, they just expanded added a new food court a few years ago. The mall is very contemporary in design and honestly kind of comfy to just chill at a coffee place. The rides at the MOA aren't insanely expensive (last i recall, its been a while). oh and the parking is completely free. The mall has been experiencing vendor turnover a lot lately but still compared to this?
I've been to SM MOA (Mall of Asia) when I was a kid, best mall ever. Aside it had a Department Store, Supermarket or any of that retail stores but also had too many restaurants, Amusement Park right by the bay, Arena, Skating Rink, Bowling Center and yet it had the World's Largest Ikea store built. Exploring the mall is fascinating but might wanna take a break from time to time lol
The other smart thing about Mall of America is that it's not long and drawn out but rather in a big square so getting around it isn't too difficult and things aren't too hard to find.
I think this project may have been more successful if it was dramatically scaled down. An amusement park and water park is fine (indoors as weather there is bad in winter), and outlet stores instead of full price. Better road access, parking, more windows with natural light, etc.
Well when it was Xanadu the size of it was for all the sports related activities there. There was supposed to be more stuff than just the snow ramp and skating rink. That all changed when the badly multicolored eyesore was handed over to the MoA developers. That’s when the amusement and water park were added being a fresh construction extending the mall. Also since most of the other sports related activities were curtailed that’s why you see soo many white walls. Probably that stairwell to nowhere lead to another floor of activities that got cut. What needed to go there wasn’t another mall but an indoor New “Palisades Park “ amusement area. Then you could have the water park along with any other amusement you’d see at Six Flags. Just that around each would be window framing it.
There is another huge flaw that was not mentioned. I was there on Father's Day as my family stopped on the way home from visiting relatives in NY. We got there as the mall opened, but couldn't figure out why the stores weren't opening right up. It was fun to walk around and see everything then get li Unch, but the stores were still not open. That's when we found a sign by the entrance to the Old Navy that said about local Blue Laws that prohibited stores from being open on Sunday. Why in the world would you ever put a small where stores cannot be open on Sundays?
Are they closed for a whole day? I currently work in Saudi Arabia and the only time the malls are half day is in Friday for religious reasons but they are full blast in the afternoon and night sched is extended by a hour. Hearing this is in an American state not named Utah is strange.
@@lipstickzombie4981 all the attractions--amusment park, water park, big snow, ferris wheel, mini golf, ice rink, etc were all open. All of the restaurants were open. The only stores that were open were Toys R Us and It's Sugar and I think they are only able to be open because they sell food (candy).
Wait so a county in New Jersey that votes 57% for Democrats has stores close on Sunday but my county in rural Tennessee that voted 80% Republican doesn't? That's hilarious
At 5:38 there's a sign for H Mart, a Korean store. US malls should use the models of Korean malls: an anchor is a giant grocery store. Because of that, there's always a reason to go there. This then leads to a temptation to check out the other stores.
Most of the video is woefully inaccurate or out of date though lol. Particularly that it gives off a false impression that this mall is dead or empty feeling, which couldn’t be further from the truth. This mall is crowded more often than not, and on weekends you can barely walk through the halls. New stores are being added all the time, and the mall itself recently updated their business plan, so it’s poised to keep growing over the next few years.
BSF: I came to the mall on a Saturday in July, and I was surprised at how packed it was. And the stores were empty. Me: Because they came to get out of the heat, not to shop. And if it's that big, walking the place makes a good workout.
I’m literally from Northern New Jersey and I CONSTANTLY forget that this mall exists.happy to see that people are actually going to it, however, I’ll continue going to the malls I’ve traditionally been going to and continue to enjoy some good ole Free Parking lol
I have stayed at the hotels near this property many times over the last 20 years (I have family that live nearby) and anyways wondered what the heck the big building was behind the trees. I have been following the progress for the last few years, and what a disappointment this place looks like. The prices on the indoor attractions are beyond ridiculous. I get that it's not that far from NYC, but $90-100/person for an indoor attraction is beyond insane. I bet they would get 3-4x as many people visiting if they halved those prices.
again Mall of Amercia which has many similar features is far cheaper since you can enter for free, park for freee and enter their nickleon park for free.
The new intro is amazing... How i wish malls in the Philippines were designed this way. Usually malls here are always packed to the brim with people. Especially when eating out
Wait, wait, wait. This mall has a ski slope, an indoor water park and indoor amusement park but not one damn movie theater!? How does that work? Even the Mall Of America has that and its smaller!
I think the ideal customer for the Dream Wheel is someone who has a warrant out for their arrest in New York and wants to sadly look out at the City while an indie song plays on the soundtrack
I think a big thing the developers missed is that in America there has been more of a push for "shop where you live" sort of developments with condos going up that have restaurants and boutiques right under them so convenient and that you see everyday it can compete with the ease of online shopping. Outdoor shopping malls do this too with condos dispersed throughout or built around them. This Mall is in the middle of highway with impractically large and crumbling infrastructure that charges you just to park. The amenities are all gimmicky and spectacles that no one would weave into their daily lives so it would be a better service for tourists except its too far away from the destinations they would visit and isn't enough of a draw to pull them over. Overall they built this to be overwhelming and awe inspiring instead of a comfortable and useful addition to peoples lives.
That "shop where you live" idea is so ancient in Europe it's actually shocking to see it's not the case in US (at least it was for me because I haven't paid attention to that aspect of living in US before). Extend the courtesy to GM, that's their doing.
@@AkarZaephyr yeah there were a lot of pros and cons to the suburban dream. The major pro being it made it quite affordable for people to own single family homes back in the day which is a great way to retain generational wealth, plus you could escape crime in dense urban capitals and you could make use of the vast open undeveloped land available in America without having to invest a ton into trains and bus routes to get to them started. Big con is that real-estate is expensive everywhere now because of shady investment strategies and over priced developments. So ironically the only shop I can comfortably walk to from my home is a gas station that's 15 minutes away. I think the European concept is booming in popularity again because of how expensive gas has become for commuters and how young people are largely unable to afford single family homes even on the outskirts of cities so renting apartments and buying condos/town homes has become the norm for them.
This place brings to mind that time honored quote: "[they] were so preoccupied with whether or not they _could,_ that they didn't stop to think if they _should."_
So it's a gigantic, half-finished mall full of low-effort cookie-cutter art, generic retailers, overpriced novelty attractions that few can afford, an unsustainable business model, all wrapped up in an experience that is ultimately void of substance? Sounds like the perfect encapsulation of the "American Dream".
Wow, you were in the mall really recently! I actually work in the mall and the amount of dead space you didn't even show is astounding. People who work for the mall usually chill in the empty retail space because of the lack of development. The back hallways still remain unfinished and are a time capsule of people writing on them over all these years. And the amount of stores constantly leaving is worse by the weeks.
I know someone that used to work in the maintenance department and there are some juicy stuff going on behind closed doors . As for the hallways they will never be finished- ever ever ever ever ever. Some weirdo Supervisor little white guy with glasses and short hair almost going bald stated that it’s too much money to blow on the mall when they can’t get other things done ( he said that with A chuckle) All these comments!! Lol it’s a sad thing what’s going on with this crap whole
Honestly the malls name perfectly fits it, it’s like the perfect representation of America. Your thoughts sum it up, it feels like overkill, everything is obnoxiously in your face, wanting you to either spend a ton of money or eat a bunch of unhealthy food, everything is still needlessly large and over the top, yet somehow it still feels so empty and boring and fake and just not fun to be in.
Yes, you are right. Other countries don’t have large malls and unhealthy food, only the US. Thank you again for your words of wisdom oh Great RUclips Philosopher.
Theme malls are obviously a thing of the past my local mall has always been based on large anchor stores yet the interior has pretty much zero gimmicks and is solely based upon retail shops. It's going pretty well.
Ikr my local mall is always packed. The Sears is pretty depressing and the area near the Sears is pretty depressing since ever since Sears closed that part of the mall has been dying but the rest of it is full of stores and people shopping constantly
i cannot believe it was $24 for parking in 2019. Also it’s currently $90 for the Nickelodeon Park. AND $100 for the Water Park is ridiculous and $30 for a regular cabin and $55 for a private cabin on the wheel. What the heckkkk
This is the biggest problem with this mall. I was considering going to the amusement park but $90 for a Eurofighter, a spinning coaster, and a unique Intamin that wasn't even open wasn't worth it
5:38 "Who's running down to American Dream to pick up Tylenol?" Greetings from Bloomington, MN, home of the Mall of America. Not only does the MoA have a Walgreens, it has a Holiday, which is a local gas station chain. Of course the gas pumps are just decorations, but it's a full featured convenience store. Since the mall positions itself less as a shopping center than as a tourist destination, these shops are there to serve the tourists staying in the surrounding hotels.
On a related note, they are talking about expanding the Mall of America with a waterpark. They say it'll be built with private financing but also that we're going to shovel public funds at it in the form of "tax increment financing." For all that, it's expected we'd be paying something in the neighborhood of $60-70/guest. Coincidentally, we aren't building the community recreation center with indoor swimming pool we'd planned, and even more coincidentally, the water park is being done by the same Triple 5 group as your mall in NJ!
The traffic, tolls, and ridiculous entry fees keep us far away from the place. (Even though it’s only an hour away) But thanks for taking one for the team and confirming my suspicions!
This place is an art piece. It’s called American Dream, and it’s a big empty house with a few things in it that you can’t afford and too many cars in the garage
This mall is the absolute perfect analogy for the American Dream. If aliens landed and asked me what those two words mean, I'd send them to this mall. But the end of the day, they would understand the concept.
Actually this is pretty scary coming from someone who lives in Edmonton. Triple Five Owns the mall here which was once the worlds biggest and i heard they put up %49 of it as collateral to build American dream. If it goes bankrupt could be bad news for one of the top employers in the city 😭
I would hope they don't compromise the mall in Edmonton. I hope they don't do any asthetic upgrades to further eat up an already shrunken budget. The commercial real estate crash is everywhere, I hope the attractions and activity sections of WEM remain intact. That mall was done near perfectly. The last time I was there in the late 2000s they still had original floor tiles, and I assumed it was to keep maintanance costs low. I wonder how much that would cost to replace. I think it looks fine and I would leave it alone. I hope the mall prospers. Great amusement park and waterpark at WEM. There used to be a few different mini putts in there, the one near the pirate ship was the one I played. At one time they had submarines and we did those way back in the 80s when they were new. IMO I think the submarines were dangerous. Always loved Minebender, I rode it back when it was a full length train. That Schwarzkopf is well preserved being indoors for 35 years. It was a sister coaster of Dreir Looping/Chimera, possibly reversed though. Toronto lost their 2 loop Doppel over 20 years ago. It was a Shwarzkopf too and afterward it got a new paint scheme and went to the Miami-Dade State Fair for about a decade, and now I think that coaster is in Italy. Shwarzkopf is long out of business, and most of their coasters are part of outdoor traveling fairs so they take a lot of abuse with weathering, as well as being disassembled and reassembled numerous times a season. Mindbender at WEM has only been built once and it has been in climate-controlled atmosphere the whole time. It is one of the best Shwarzkopf specimens in the whole world. Too many rebuilds wear down a traveling coaster until it is too bumpy and unpleasant to make any money and ends up sold for scrap. The manufacturer is defunct and their coasters can only be retired. Trains can be custom built, but the track eventually ends up being sold for scrap.
American companies seem to leverage against their Canadian stores and lead to closures a lot, don't they? Blockbusters, Starbucks, etc. Definitely a yikes. I hope it's able to pull through.... good luck quq
It depends on what type of bankruptcy. There are two types in the US. One allows for operations to continue (like when some airlines file for bankruptcy). The other essentially closes all operations and liquidates all assets. Regardless, assuming Edmonton Mall is profitable, the likelihood that it will close is slim. Some other operator will simply get a massive deal.
@@junkbox_ they actually re did the floors, they are pretty much all marble now, they did a major facelift around 2016ish I believe. I think there’s only one mini golf area now, the one by the food court.
That’s the norm here in Australia (Adelaide), my nearest shopping centre has two (maybe 3??) pharmacies. Aswell as a total of 4 supermarkets (2 big brands, 1 organic whole foods and 1 Asian grocer), they’re all grouped together so it’s pretty convenient!
Places like this are GOLD in winter. I really hope it takes off! I'm a 90's kids so I have a soft spot for Malls. Thank you for this videos , because of you we are visiting this year from FL :)
From the Abba song and movie- "When an enchanted muse is sent from heaven to help a struggling artist open a roller-disco, a love story ensues that you need to see to believe! Featuring an incredible soundtrack by Olivia Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra, you'll love being transported to the magical world of Xanadu in this dazzling musical spectacular!"
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A mosterous missary-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred polluted river, ran Through decaying infrastructure measureless to man, Down to a sunless sea. So twice five miles to reach one shop, With walls and towers already falling down; Can't think of anymore lines of the poem to riff off.
Reminds me of the mansion and excessively large private entertainment center that was never finished building from Citizen Kane. The symbol of excessive wealth and loneliness
Seeing the aerial view of the mall at the beginning of the video feels like a travel back in time because depending on which mall we are talking about. Some started out being surrounded by almost nothing, that or when the surrounding area had only little amounts of homes.
I live right outside of this mall and I can say it's everything that this video says it is. I didn't drive, but walked, and it took me ten minutes to find the actual entrance to the place because of all the construction that was going on around the outside. I will however note that I have never seen the Ferris Wheel move even slightly in all this time.
Great video, Jake! This mall is obviously going for the one time visitor with their price points, instead of developing a returning local clientele. Then they can try to attract tourists from NYC. Good luck to them with that! It's probably why they have the high-end stores. Here in Hawaii, Waikiki is filled with Channel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, etc. At one time, the exchange rate favored eastbound Asian tourists to come for shopping. Not anymore. Now we mostly get US tourists, and they definitely aren't shopping there!
In Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, the 7 11 is doing lots of business. I used it because the ATM in the store has fee free withdrawals from most Credit Unions in the US.
I actually work here sometimes, in the Toys R Us. It's... even stranger than it looks. Some points: A: You're exactly correct about the layout and financial struggles. B: I can explain the Walgreens very easily: it's for employees (and tourists who forgot stuff.) Getting an Excedrin in there has saved my life on occasion. C: There's also diverse communities in the local demographics, so, for example, almost all the food (including the ice cream at the Toys R Us) has to be Kosher. There's a lot of interesting culture vs capitalism conflicts in there. D: Parking is an absolute nightmare. For some reason getting in and out requires spiraling through the lot of the Meadowlands stadium. It's unclear who benefits from this arrangement. E: I'm not sure you're aware of the Blue Law situation, but on top of all that other stuff, several of the stores in the mall can't even open on Sunday because of atavistic local ordinances that are some bizarre puritanical holdover from when the most important thing in Jersey was fighting the British and perhaps hanging witches. Insane. It's gonna be a hell of an excavation site for whatever aliens find it after we're gone.
After we're gone? Ha! I give it 10, MAYBE 15 years...TOPS! Maybe the theme parks are salvageable, but that land is far too valuable to take up with a giant, failing mall.
When I learned about the blue law I couldn't help but laugh. My county in Tennessee is extremely religious and votes Republican yet we don't have such a law
Not too tough on American Dream at all. The Mall of America just had its 30th anniversary. It works because the layout is easy to navigate, parking is free, it’s close to the airport, it is beautiful inside. The mall has a glass roof for a lot of the building that lets in a lot of light. It’s cold in the winters, so it is nice to walk indoors and get sunlight and stay warm. It has a Nickelodeon Universe theme park. It’s the entire middle of the mall, making it easy to jump on rides as you go through the mall. I know the prices aren’t that high because I would never pay that much for my kids! It also has two hotels attached and several unique themed restaurants. There have been years where the mall has struggled, but it always seems to find a way to remain relevant. Nordstrom is an anchor store, and it’s the main reason I keep going there even though I am local.
I’m from Minnesota and went to the mall of America every month as a kid. I still go there frequently. Parking is feee, the rides aren’t that expensive and it’s still full of stores and people. One of my go to dates with my ex was to just go there and walk around and people watch because it was so cold outside in the winters and there wasn’t much for us to do. I remember hearing about this mall and thinking it was a bold move to be building in the late 2010s. It looks just like the MOA but emptier. Like you could show me photos of it and I would think it would be a part of the MOA that I just haven’t seen before.
Nice to see an update. Keep up the amazing work, Jake. You're one of the best on RUclips. On a weirder note, this mall reminds me of when I used to play Sims and would build the biggest house and then get frustrated cause I couldn't figure out what the game was playing ominous music for.
That's a really beautiful mall and such a large amount of space. This is one of those malls I wish was doing better, I'd love to see it do well just because it would feel like such a waste if not. hopefully one day I can visit here with more stores and cheaper attractions xD.
It was themed as an entertainment centred mall, but they forget that you still had to make people want to use the shops in the place. Not walk a mile for the one shop they wanted, yet before they even get there the entertainment has drained their bank accounts.
![Stroads are Ugly, Expensive, and Dangerous (and they're everywhere) [ST05]](/img/1.gif)
Well, things have ALREADY changed at American Dream. The Nickelodeon theme park has now changed from it's crazy entry price to a pay-per-ride system. So you can now enter the park for free, you just have to pay for the actual attractions one by one. To get everything it's now just $60 which is a lot better than what it was before. The water park has also dropped to $80 which is also more reasonable. Maybe they've listened or maybe their attendance is really bad...
twitter.com/SoCal360/status/1561806897468030976
What you guys think will be put in it's place when it closes down? Maybe an Amazon Fulfillment center?
I feel like this is really good news for the mall. I reckon this winter's xmas shopping season will tell all. Hopefully they can convince the big luxury stores to move in like Louis Vuitton, Gucci etc and then the rest will follow.
Hershey park is like this
Its very odd that you would choose to go to a Mega Mall on a Saturday, and then feel "uncomfortable", when droves of people start showing up (On)...(A)....(Saturday), the day when most people & families venture out and go places together. What made you "uncomfortable" about those people anyway?🤔
@@TheM8trixHasYou you're reaching LOL
The entire project, name and all, feels like something my eight-year old would design in a game like Mall Tycoon.
This is spot on.
Hahahaha the Pizza Wing!
If you win THE mrbeast challenge that's only enough to ride the water park 100 times
Except worse
@@RatBürgerSk8 lmao
I still can't get over the just jaw dropping amount of stone and tile work they did for this place to have it crash hard like this. I mean, the floors alone are magnificent.
As a pro tiler that has worked on some big projects......... you're absolutely right.
@@armoris66 As a small private residential contractor... it's astounding the amount of work put into the place.
If our entire society collapses, leftover malls will probably be archaeological marvels (or trivialities) lol. A decayed mall with empty vestiges of rooms and nice floors and decorations (Caesar’s Palace) would probably confuse future people as to their real purpose 😂
I heard they haven't paid for it yet. That's the America Dream, getting slaves to do it and not pay them.
Architecture is no replacement for purchasing power [or disposable income]. The big companies filling most malls fund the very same pols intense on their war against the middle class - their customers. The vacant floorspace will remain a permanent feature as long as idiocracy continues on.
This is one of the most unsettling malls I've seen that wasn't literally falling apart. It's like a fever dream and an open concept hospital blended together
Im sure you haven’t seen many in your dragon ball z living gen z/alpha years. Never seen hospitals look this slick. 🤡
Empty kiosks, unfinished construction wings, abandoned/defunct outlets, poorly-lit spartan hallways, and escalators that lead to nowhere: the king of liminal spaces.
Oh, and freaking $90 for an all-day pass at the Nickelodeon Universe attraction.
oh my god THATS what it looks like, a hospital!!! Ive been to hospitals that had white marble hallways and flooring that looks EXACTLY like that. Thats why i was getting such an uneasy feeling watching this, holy crap!!
@@WestCoastCultured aye aye aye don’t disrespect drag on ball z like that, that shot ain’t for gen z’s lol
As someone who’s worked at the Mall of America, having a Walgreens (and a Holiday convenience store) in the mall is a godsend for mall employees. Whether it’s a lunch break errand or if it just saves me a stop on my way home, it’s a significant QoL amenity.
I will say, having a Walgreens there is really good for (as Jake said) headache-medication, menstrual products, hand sanitizer, or even just a box of bandaids. If little Timmy scrapes up his knee while running down a hallway, now we can buy Neosporin for him!
Honestly, I wish more malls would have Walgreens… it actually seems like it would be useful.
@@paytonriley6981 Most malls back in the day usually had some sort of Pharmacy chain in them, but they have pretty much all closed over the years in favor of freestanding locations.
MOA walgreen's has a limited selection of products and added area with skin care items. Next to the walgreen's (or was? I haven't gone for several months) is a clinic, adding to potential foot traffic. . For tourists and those who use mass transit, it's convenient to have walgreen's in the mall.
True for CVS at a lot of malls too.
We have one in our mall I’m not mad at all so useful!
Honestly having convienence stores and supermarkets inside of a mall is one of the biggest ways to save a mall from closing. Almost every other country in the world has supermarkets and drug stores inside of their malls, and it makes the whole thing far more appealing because you get more random foot traffic. If my Target was inside of a mall, I would do a lot more window shopping than I am now, that's for sure.
I think the only thing keeping the mostly dead mall in my area alive is a Target.
It's probably the main reason I stop in there today.
This is also why walkable communities are inherently better for business foot traffic than car centric suburbs
Man thats actually crazy everything is in malls in Australia
Yep, here in the UK nearly every shopping centre has a supermarket and at least one drugstore
Yep, here in the UK nearly every shopping centre has a supermarket and at least one drugstore
You should do another update for 2023, the mall has definitely grown more and as a New Jersey resident, the mall fells at place now. Many stores have opened up and many stores are fully planned, the mall is getting more and more packed as the months go by, it’ll be great to see an update to the mall within.
Lol this mall will be done from all the lawsuits
Damn. Good for them, I'm surprised it wasn't DOA
Yeah for all the shit it's getting at least it's getting care put into it. More can be said for other dead big malls like Century III
Its still not being able to properly pay its bills on time, but soon enough i think it will be able too.
And as you speak, there were 💣 threats to the mall today for Black Friday early in the morning
the state this mall is in reminds me of the weird malls you see in your dreams. too tall of ceilings, weird WEIRD decorations, almost no stores and the ones that are there you cant really explore bc they're closed. absolutely bizarre. love it.
also the walgreens makes sense to me! used to go to the mall of america a lot since it was close in college and often there were moments where being able to grab something like an antacid or tylenol was really useful.
I used to have reoccurring dreams about a very “minimalistic/sterile looking” mall with white walls, poor lighting and “yuppie shops” that I’d get lost in and pissed off about and leave for Garden State Plaza. A few years later when this place opened it looked just like my dream and it freaked me out lol
I do remember once being at some gigantic mall and what a relief it was to find a Walgreens.
@@CandisClassicGameShrine I wouldn't want to spend the night all alone in a mall. Those mannequins staring back at me from the store windows and wondering what I'd do if I saw one blink!
@@isabellind1292 haha I think that was part of a Twilight Zone episode too lol. Back when I was in high school a few of my friends worked at Garden State Plaza mall and I used to hang out in the mall after it was closed with them and it was the creepiest fucking thing lol
@@CandisClassicGameShrine Lol! Yes, TZ has had mannequins who came to life & got to take turns going out into the real world after dark. They probably hung out at Cherry Hill Park w/Mary Hill (she was such a thrill after dark)!💓🎵
One of my biggest complaints with American Dream’s Nickelodeon Universe (outside of the absurd prices) was how it just looks like a giant white warehouse that they slapped some rides into. I had no idea that the entirety of the mall gives off the same feeling both inside and out and the entire thing really just feels incredibly strange, unappealing to look at, and disjointed.
That's exactly what I'm thinking for the whole building! I think with more theming/actual colors it could work better. The Mall Of America Nickelodeon Universe location at least has some patterned walls/a colorful atmosphere (and it's 50 bucks for an all day wristband)
You are exactly right. I've been to the one in the Mall of America and the way you described it is spot on.
they're still working on it lmfao
It really is a design failure - totally ignores how it feels to be in the space. So often it doesn’t cost any more to make spaces a delight to inhabit.
As a New Yorker without a car, I'm actually super grateful that Big Snow exists. This is a year round snowboard/ski slope available that only requires a 15 minute bus ride from New York Port Authority to American Dream. The nearest proper ski resort is at least an hour away from Manhattan by car and there's no public transit option by comparison, so the shuttle bus costs can become prohibitive. Not only that but Big Snow has a 6 pack that gets discounted to $100 during holiday sales (which means each lift ticket only costs $17). Its perfect for someone like me who just wants to snowboard in the morning and get back to Manhattan by the afternoon.
I’m glad somebody’s getting some use out of it
I'll second that. My sister, who lives in Australia and has never seen snow, wanted to try it out and big snow is probably the best place for people to learn near Manhattan.
As someone who lives a few towns away from this mall, and who's visited a few times, I have to say for anyone who's wondering: the way to get into the mall and the parking area also depends on if you live nearby, it makes it easier to get around. Otherwise, the whole mall itself is just a bit...sad. I honestly dislike the place because of how it screws with traffic for me even more. They really messed this up, it offers nothing for those who actually live in the area. Except for, maybe, the Toys R Us store. Sadly my high school graduation party took place in the theme park (but somehow cost more than a normal ticket. I didn't go). This was a great look into the monstrosity.
Agreed, we visited once and it was a big mess. The kids play places are a disappointing and prices are ridiculous.
@notfiveo lol 😂😂
I could imagine the crowds were for the deal you get on a day of air conditioning in July for the parking price of $5.
It surprises me that the tickets are so expensive. At the mall of America you can walk around nickelodeon univers. And if you wanna ride rides you just buy points band
As a local, do you know of any way to visit without paying for parking?
Now you need to go to the OG, Mall of America which celebrated its 30th Anniversary yesterday. It's obviously seen its ups and downs and right now after it's most recent face-lift, a lot of it looks like American Dream. Still, it has free parking and the vast majority of the stores are open. It would be fun to see your comparison.
The Mall of America’s journey over the years is a video in itself.
Hm
West edmonton mall in Canada is the OG. The same developer made MoA after. They also own American Dream
I LOVVEE MOA. 😭🥰🥺 I grew up going to the American girl doll store there haha. I cried when they closed lol. But it’s such a fun place and definitely has managed to outlive the dying mall epidemic.
@@anonomuse9094 It's located in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Considering so many malls are boring, I do appreciate American Dream for trying to do something ambitious and different.
Malls are not boring
@@assassin8636 yes they are. you just have a food court or a music go round that's it...
I think it's the future for malls in order to survive. The shopping is not enough nor an experience people are willing to walk miles for in a big building. Especially with online retail.
They have to aim for uniqueness essentially they have to be tiny walkable cities where every corner has something you need or want. Entertainment? You have the parks and snowboard. Essentials? You have a Wallgreens and general goods. It doesn't make sense for new jersey since it's so dense but for flyover states with boring suburbs that require a 30 or an hour drive to place to place? A thing like this between metroplexes could be inviting to those residents who never got a taste of that Euro-like walkable city.
What comes to mind are the Casino Hotels in Vegas. They are essentially malls and tiny cities inside with restaurants shops etc etc. They never have trouble pulling in tourists hell they don't even rely on in person gambling since you now have sports betting apps and online gambling.
It can definitely work imo but Malls have to ditch the 80s mentality of stores being the main attraction. Anchors need to be something you can't get anywhere else. Not a SEARS or JC Penny.
@@RAAM855 Online shooping is wasteful too. Half of the products don't work or broken from either amazon or worse, Temu
I'm shocked at the state of the approach roads and the exterior - as others have said it seems to exist in a strange limbo between unfinished and abandoned. Those large 'blank' areas around the mall are really unsettling too, and makes the whole place really unappealing.
They could build an awesome hotel and pools on those empty areas.
Yeah that’s New Jersey for you. Badly patched and pray you don’t need to fix it anytime soon.
Because it's meant to be accessed by car. If this mall was built in a dense neighborhood and accessed by public transit, I'm sure the exterior of the mall, as well as the land surrounding the mall, would be much more pleasant to people. Here, people are supposed to arrive at the mall in their car and head directly inside; they're not supposed to spend any time outside the mall unless they're inside a car.
I was extremely confused when I went to this mall last week and the entrance for parking lot was....
Yeeeeeeeahhh
@@RobertWilke pretty much. Its around newark area after all. Literal armpit of nj.
Walgreens definitely seems like a winner with all the excursions IMO. - Motion sickness from roller coasters or water park, sore from snowboarding… 🤷🏻♂️
Sore from walking and eye strain from stark walls.
It's a gorgeous building. If they can survive until their occupancy rate hits a turning point I think they'll be fine.
I think most of the people you saw at the mall were there just to window shop. People who are looking to make a specific purchase don't usually hang around at the mall.
Yes, the mall is absolutely beautiful. Good array of shops and attractions. Sadly , like other businesses they were affected by the pandemic shutdown. But it has apparently grown a lot since this video.
It used to look like stacked shipping containers - an absolute eyesore - before they painted it white. Northern New Jersey has malls every 10 miles or so, and not in any of the others do you have to pay for parking. It abuts the Giants stadium and who would want to tackle game day traffic to walk an empty mall? Unless you want to snowboard in July, I can't think of a reason to go there.
Yah ask me, it's gonna end up either sold or abandoned again. If they don't pay off those taxes, the city will foreclose on the property. 555 don't have a leg to stand on with thier "this isn't opened so we don't have to pay" bullshit. And even if they get away with it in the short-term, the longer they use this excuse the less convinced a judge would be. It's only a matter of time if they don't get thier shit together and the world economy's a complete clusterfuck which isn't helping.
The mall is increasing attraction since Mr. Beast Burger opened up. Also, they are adding more things like the immersive art exhibit of Van Gough. I’m hoping that it can stay open for a bit longer because I enjoy it. I always go shopping at Primark when I can because I shopped at that place when I was in England.
Gorgeous?! The Westfield in San Francisco may be smaller but it is way better looking than this white out rectangle of a shopping mall
Even without the pandemic looming, I have no clue how anyone in their right mind thought this would be a good idea. Malls were already on the decline. They should have leveled half of it and turned that into green space and mixed use development, then built a unique, but closer to normal sized mall fit for both locals and tourists.
Green space is a good idea. Also they should make some of the space into rental condos or something. Like, an entire floor or more.
While watching this I kind of had a similar thought, but.. I do think there is a bit of an issue with just going "green spaces". I mean, besides the fact that it becomes a tax sink - i.e. something that the public values, but will watch burn to the ground as they vote people into office that promise to cut their taxes - its got other issues.
There are two parks that I "knew" existed in the city I live in, only to recently find out there are probably at least 3 more smaller ones, which are "kind of" neighborhood parks. The problem here is that, in summer, there is rivers, lakes, shade, etc., and the air temp can get up to 120+F. No one in their right mind would go to any of the smaller parks, which leaves the ones near the lake, and that is over run with tourists most weekends, and people that live and work here don't really have much hope to be able to go there "during the week", when they could avoid the tourists. For a big city, without even a lake in it, this would be 500 times worse - ironically because the tourists wouldn't be there to provide revenue, to maintain the property.
But, I think there is another issue, and its one faced by anyone, in any, city, especially its its public transportation is spotty, or non-existent - its a pain in the ass, if you don't have a car, and the time/means to get there, to even bother with such spaces, because most of your effort to go any place is probably going to be buying groceries, buying clothes, buying other necessities, or maybe visiting a restaurant.
Now... where I live we had an "English Village" thing near the main park, and the lake. But, it was run down, the businesses where not doing well, even pre-pandemic, the store fronts needed a major rework, etc., but the city council refused to convert it to something like a river walk, with the sorts of places that do well in such places... What we got instead was - 1) most of the village closing for repairs, 2) loss of many of the businesses still there, 3) an overpriced eye sore (uh, sorry, I meant hotel), which is utterly out of place compared to the existing hotel that was "already there", and English themed, 4) a refusal to allow a lot of popular businesses to set up shop in the main town, and/or in the village, and finally, 5) an outdoor mall, with no shade, 10 miles outside of town, where half the freaking businesses are empty, and have been since it was built (and this was 10 years before Covid, at least).
In other words, there is still nothing new to draw people to the main tourist attraction, outside the lake itself, that the city had, and no one wants to, unless they have to, shop at the "new stores" that exist at the mall, because its too damn far, and inconvenient, even when the oil companies are not gouging everyone for massive profits.
To me, this kind of all is the same problem, in some respects, for a while, one of the most popular "malls" in Escondido was not the old, run down, giant box, but the newer, outdoor, multilevel, well shaded, etc. complex that was built nearby - then... because the city refused to see the value of this design, or expand on it, and they, i.e. the council, who also owned most of the downtown, didn't want to sell, or allow anyone else to compete with "downtown", someone built a full sized mall, 15 miles outside of town, and ALL of them inside the city failed, practically over night.
Now, we have this one in the video - and they get something 100% dead right - its not just "locals" they need to draw in, and provide something they can't get "locally". But, they have no vision regarding how to do this, so they resort to one semi-OK idea - the ski thing, but they a) also rent out space to big companies for indoor theme park space, instead of finding some way to provide something like this using local business/resources, and b) they build shit that almost no one uses, or at least in the way that they still insist of thinking of such things being used, like the skate facility (which looks to be the old style rink, instead of the modern board park, which again, makes for a decent "add on", for those than use it, but only in the same sense that its nice to put in exercise stations along a walking/running route in a real park, or area for variations of Pétanque, horse shoes, etc. Its not something that is going to "bring in" a bunch of people by itself, its simply an amenity.
And, such "parks" unless they are some place close to businesses that can supply food, etc.... well...
Basically, you have, seemingly, three options - try to turn the mall into a theme park, with stores in it, try to run it like a real mall, with just stores, but bring in "big names" to fill it, since those, in theory, bring in big bucks, or level the whole thing, and put in a park, which a lot of people will use, but won't make anyone a damn cent in the long run - not that the other options do either.
I can't help but think that the only thing they haven't considered doing is creating something like a "in city camping area"/overnight thing. And I am sure they would manage to screw that up too, if they did. lol
But, I also can't help but think that maybe they seriously need to rethink "all of it", and find something that mixes these things - a "themed park", which brings elements of fantasy, or even culture, that isn't local, which does include restaurants and shops, which fit into the theme, and don't just serve up the what the malls do, offers picnic, or even camping, options, in city, which "no one does", outside of a few fringe elements (like naturists, who, in most cases are probably also not found "inside" the city), and present something that both benefits the locals *and* attracts people from the outside, without a) charging them an arm and a leg for something built by Disney, or someone, whose pricing is like, "Well, if it costs $200 to get into a full park we run, lets just charge them 25% of that for one ride! Seems good, right?", b) provides them with nothing to do, not even what a "green space" would, c) definitely doesn't include a green space, and c) ... was a food park even mentioned in this video? Do they have one?
I mean.. if you "need" it to make money, instead of just turning into a place that is dead at night, and collects homeless and police patrols, while barely being used in the day, then be flipping creative with what you come up with, and mix some things together. Come up with something that people "want to go to", and still lets you offer some businesses for people to shop at, at the same time, and entertainment, etc.? Why does it have to be either just a park, or the next Disney land, or some giant empty building, which just looks like someone tried, badly, to build some weird architectural marvel, then abandoned it, when they ran out of money?
If what you are doing isn't working, stop giving money to rich twits, that only see the "money" they imagine it can get you and them (but won't) and not its "utility".
Agreed. The only reason I go to my town’s mall is Bath and Body Works. From what I’ve heard, BBW is the only thing holding a lot of the failing malls in smaller towns and cities.
@@patrickelliott2169 i mean green spaces dont need to make money, they can just be therre to be used by animals/wildlife, and trees which produce oxygen which you need to live, not everything must be paved in concrete or made to make a profit.
@@SombreroGato Oh, I know what you meant. And in general I agree, but realistically very few cities are going to trade even a failing business area for something the just sucks up city funds. It's short sighted, but sadly the most likely argument and the reason that masses of abandoned facilities already exist and have not been changed over to such. So.. why if shopping centers need to adapt, can't such green spaces, if the city can't, or won't, create a purely noncommercial space?
They need hotels in there, it’s so big and so much to do, you can’t expect just locals to visit.
There are hotels nearby intended for this tourtist trap
There are hotels less than a mile away
I mean like your saying "Just locals" as if its not located in one of the largest metro areas in the US. It has decent public transit options for the loads of tourists in NYC
@@lisaharris5667 so it could still have a hotel in it
@@markfaraday9204 The only time, I'd charge for parking in this mall is if there's an event at MetLife Stadium or the Meadownlands race track.
its amazing how such a huge building manages to make you feel claustrophobic. i went there back in 2019 when it was mostly empty white corridors and it was suffocating
Went into a Westfield shopping centre and had a mild panic attack because it was so enclosed.
Managed to find the way out. Never again.
My local has a atrium taller than St Paul's Cathedral so it's full of light everywhere
@@Albatross-365 This mall is so big, customers would be better off tooting around in electric scooters. And isn't the Food Court the most popular place in a mall? I didn't see any Food Courts! Not even the Golden Arches! 😊
@@isabellind1292 Haha, well, the Mezzanine (Food Court) in malls is always the most popular and in demand places within malls of all sizes. People will literally just go to the mall for the mezzanines and once they've gotten their food, leave.
I think huge malls have the same problem that huge houses have: the scale outpaces the ability to decorate or even personalize to the point that it doesn't just feel like a structure for stuff.
To experience all of the attractions, you almost have to pay around $300 per person. That means $1200 for a family of four. For a trip to the mall - in New Jersey? Are they insane?
yes
I have a problem with them just charging for parking,you need people in there,as many as possible,paying for parking alone keeps people away,it’s a big mall and you need bodies in there.Then you have the price the attractions are charging and forget about it the place doesn’t stand a chance.For the amusement park they should go to a pay per ride system,knowing you can just go walk around alone will bring people in and obviously each ride will not be cheap but having the bodies in there will make people ride,the mall is a mess,I was excited about the news they were building another one in S Florida but if they do it this way the place won’t work.It’s an overpriced money grab and with the state of malls they’re doing it completely wrong,you have to make the place extremely busy and charging for everything crazy prices wont do that
be cheaper to just go the the mall of amerca
Lmao, waiting for their bankruptcy filing
I bet they will say it's cause the p@andméic
I was there 2 weeks ago on a Friday night and it was packed and a hive of activity. Surprisingly, I think the idea of having everything, waterpark, theme park, ski park, etc.. under one roof as a mall attraction seems to have actually paid off. I was expecting a ghost town when I arrived but I am happy to report that the mall seems to have finally taken off. I expect to go back a few times in the next year and see how it evolves. It certainly was an experience. We did the NYC Aquarium at Coney Island and then the mall. Was a great day.
Thank you, thought I was the only one. This mall to me is pretty darn cool. Take me back to when I first went to a big mall as a kid. I think this RUclipsr and some of the commenters are way too harsh. Have to give something time to truly see if it works as well as experience it for oneself before just trashing it and saying just cuz they struggled to get off the ground that they aren’t going to be successful. Disney had so many problems even on opening day and they still became one of the biggest attractions/theme parks in the world. Part of the beauty of creating something from nothing but a vision and an undying will no matter what others say.
The video made no mention of the Legoland and Aquarium.
@@TripBloggers It's very likely those opened after this video was made. From what I understand, the Mall is still in a very risky financial shape.. but I do hope it survives. It is a very interesting place to visit and shop. They continue to open and expand with new stores every month.
@@bschulerLegoland opened May 2021. It seems he didn’t explore the entire complex. Even the part about the ski slope being closed until 2022 in the video was incorrect. I skied there in 2020. They made us wear masks because of Covid.
Yea it’s just that it costs way too much, won’t be going for a while
Those admissions prices are insane. It’s 35 dollars per person for the regular tier admissions to Six flags. The premium tier is 85 dollars, which is still cheaper! What justifies such an outrageous price tag for what looks like one roller coaster and a wave pool?!
They have 5 rollercoasters. Still not worth it, I expect a Dollywood experience for that price which they are definitely not offering
@@AdamSmith-gs2dv I live in Mineesota where the mall of America is and we have are own nickelodeon park. no water park but there is one nearby. but you get in for free and merely pay for tickets. may not have as many roller coasters but it is an old mall but still far more active and better deal then this shit
Everyone wants a budget park, but there's a darker side of that then we are first realize.
When ticket prices are low, everyone comes. Yes. Everyone. Let's be honest. Not everyone has the best of intentions inside a place. With prices low, there's little to keep malcontents at bay. It's why Disney and Universal have far fewer incidents on property than do Six Flags parks nationwide.
Also, with prices so low, the profit margin is low. That is important because park companies use the profits to improve the park. Do you want a pretty, well-maintained park? You have to pay for it.
Finally, a higher price means a higher caliber of experience. Or rather. It should. If people are balking at it, that can be a good thing. That means the people who want it are paying for it, and they should get what they pay for. If they don't, they won't come. So it forces the park company to constantly improve. Again. This is why Disney and Universal can afford to boast higher prices. They are committing to customer experience.
Even better is Dorney Park/Wildwater Kingdom, which may not be in NJ but is not too far into PA. For about $55, you get two parks and lots of fun. Of course food, lockers and souvenirs could easily bring that up another $100 pp! But that’s up to you. This American nightmare does sound like a big rip-off though.
@@wendym1234 Correction. You bet a park and a water park. It's not exactly two parks. Two parks would be two parks just like Dorney Park, which is very unusual.
The park and water park combo is very common nationwide. Almost every Six Flags park has this same combo.
A Case Study of Two Massive Malls:
I live about 15mins from the Mall of America in MN. Most locals do not shop there unless it is around the holidays. But "going to the mall" is something we all do. You go on a quiet day. You walk around each floor to get in steps. You stop in many stores "just too look". You buy lunch and a maybe a drink as you meander. You send time together and talk as you walk. You stop into a sweet shop perhaps near the end. And then you leave- maybe with only buying 1 or 2 retail items... often less.
Its a thing to go and DO. To fill the day and do something dynamic out of your everyday life. This kind of outing happens between 1 to 3 times a year from me. (not including holiday shopping) Heck, we just went the other day to mini golf cuz it was too hot for our typical hike outside. But we still could mosey around the mall and stay cool! I know many who are like this. And I believe this is happening at America Dream. Especially with the lower income locals.
BUT- The MOA's main sources of money isnt from thier middle class locals!! Its is either from the upper class locals who CAN afford to shop there or the TOURISTS. So many tourist! (Hense why locals will most often shop on a dead day or elsewhere to avoid the crowds)
For gods sake its the MALL OF AMERICA! ... That draws in a lot. I know of rural high schools that would take clubs to the MOA as field trips just so the kids could say they've been. And thats just refuring to the tourists from IN-STATE....
It baffles me cuz I grew up with the MOA - but there are actual ppl from out of state that come to MN on vacation just to go to the MOA.... they stay at the hotels on site and do everything- mini golf, nickelodeon, the aquarium, lego land, multiple restaurants, meticulously comb through all the stores, go to the near by waterpark, go to the ikea in the parking lot, etc... they are stuck on campus and they spend much of thier time and money there.
This is something I think America Dream greatly lacks in order to even try for success. Tourists. In-state or out. Just like me- thier locals cant afford to go there to shop. But they do go just as something to do.. America Dream isn't built in a hub of lots of other things. The opposite in fact! They're off on the outskirts. Its not surrounded by hotels and other attractions...Its just a big mall. A big empty mall.
Its not something for tourists to seek out. But it can be a cheep thing to do as a local... And in that lies so much of thier problems.
totally agree this place seems like it wants the tourists but isnt impressive enough or close enough to NYC to lure them in. I think they would do much better by aiming for locals to get foot traffic up by getting something like free recurring art installations or free indoor playground/ pool in to attract recurring customers. They spent so much on useless wall graphics and fountains they could have done a really sweet playground for moms that want a nice latte and air conditioning while little Timmy runs around. if they did that and maybe had designated a better event space to do conferences they would have had a more solid income flow from locals who use it as a community space instead of a bank breaking outing. It looks like every attraction starts at like $20 though so for an average family of 4 they are shelling out at least $100 to do even the cheapest attraction at that mall 400-500 for the more exciting parks. its kinda nutty who wants to drop all that on a mall trip?
Free parking too. I was there yesterday for the 30th birthday party and I typically go a few times a week to walk around.
@@SeverStreams "to walk around" Exactly!!!
This makes total sense. The last time I went to a mall to actually shop was 2001, but I did have to run in a few years ago to return an item I ordered online. Most of the stores were empty but the hallways were full of people chatting, moseying, and lots and lots of elderly people speed walking in small groups. When it's 100 degrees outside, the mall is the best place to go walking.
I’m from Minnesota as well. MOA was cool as kid. My Girl Scout troop went there. Had a blast. Now a days the only time I’m even close to MOA is the go to IKEA next door.
Everything about this mall is a great representation of what the reality of an “American Dream” is. You start off thinking the sky’s the limit and unlimited potential. Then after a bit reality hits and you get tossed around and struggle to keep the dream alive. But you keep working at it and after years of hard work the dream starts to come true, but just not how you expected or planned on.
Or the dream doesn’t even really come true but instead you’re just struggling to stay afloat and borrowing from Peter to pay Paul and making little sacrifices here and there just to pull through.
I like a couple stores and the weird liminal spaces, but it's not really worth the drive or the hassle of getting in and walking around for a long time. It's a mess in it's current form. There's some hope if they fill the empty spaces out, but the layout problems are probably unfixable. Also, screw the prices of the themepark stuff.
speen
Yeah, if they drop the prices then they can attract people, and making less is better than making nothing
This place was an eyesore on my horizon for almost my entire childhood - wish they'd just left it to rot.
Your time is better spent at Wildwood
@@eaglesblades definitely an eyesore
"The American Dream Mall" is a pretty apt name for an already broke monument to a bygone era that was never fully realized for all of America outside of a fantasy for more than a select few. Could say the writing is on the wall but it looks like Shrek is already there lol Lovely work. Thank you.
this is very well said
Plus it lives on financing and is dodging its taxes.
I was thinking the same thing. It almost feels like the name alone cursed the project.
@@ScooterinAB I'm glad someone said it about the name. Bc the comedy writes itself
That Walgreens came into a clutch when we went to the WaterPark and my kid got hurt leaving the waterpark to go get items to care for him in the hotel room. It also has the ONLY ATM that is an Allpoint and no fees if you need cash. As a family of 4 we went to Nickelodeon Park, The Water Park and about $200 of shopping on my kids. With the hotel, eating park tickets, eating dinners out etc, we spent $2k. We saved for it, my kid wanted it because we do a "big birthday" every other year and it was the highlight to end the summer. We did a bunch of other free/affordable things outside the mall which is why we didn't spend more the $2k in 4 days for everything excluding our gas EZ Pass. Will I do it again, NOPE because you can go to 8 theme parks around NY,NJ,CT with gas and food for that same 2k 2 years later. How do I know?I did that this past summer for that same child and had more memories, money was better spent and more variety. The Parks in my opinion is a good meeting ground for like friend groups, family reunions ALOT of those especially in the Waterpark
That is... SHOCKINGLY overpriced. Part of me was curious to visit for some of the novelties like the theme/water park and Ferris wheel, but I'm not paying $220 for the "pleasure." I have a hard time envisioning ANYONE paying that much. Those are Disney prices. Absolute insanity.
That's what I was going to say. Those are Disney World prices in a sad part of New Jersey with questionable licensing.
When he said 90 dollars for the Nickelodeon park I start coughing. I was expecting a normal if-wallet straining 50-something, but no, that's how much a private car on the ferris wheel costs! I get they're struggling financially but those price points are at "drive away most customers" levels, not "gouge a little on all the crowds" levels.
It baffles me why they wouldn't at least consider lowering the admission prices when the parks just sit there EMPTY bleeding money by the second
Their greed is overwhelming. They deserve to fail.
@@rickrandall3174 American fuckin nightmare!
What the Mall wanted to be was like the Trafford Centre in the UK, Indoor ski slopes, amazing interiors etc. But just became a larger version of a mall we see everywhere, lifeless interiors and exteriors with no touch of individuality, just with some cladding stuck haphazardly on the side.
Exactly! Espcially the life less architecture
Even the avenue area isn't so much of an improvement and is just one part of the mall, which makes it seem odd, why doesn't everywhere look nice rather than just the posh section.
Trafford is cack though. Yes it’s open still but only because we have about ten “Malls” worth going to in the whole of the UK. Maybe even 5.
I was thinking more towards they wanted to be more like Mall Of The Emirates in Dubai.
@@AcornElectron how is it cack? It's considered one of the best malls on the planet, not just in the UK.
There are also 44 over 70,000 Square metres, so not really not many and our city centres are a lot more competition compared to American cities.
I went to Mall of America a couple months ago and wow, the difference is night and day. Free parking at MOA, Nickelodeon theme park is in the middle of the mall and charged per ride (I just got a pass good for 3 rides and called it was a good value), most of the store locations are occupied, very bright, and large where it doesn't feel cramped. Not to mention a couple of nice hotels attached. No water park or ski hill but there is an aquarium and Minnesota doesn't need an artificial ski hill haha.
A water park is by the MOA though. I don't know a lot about it however, but that might be why the MOA doesn't have one
Wisconsin dells are like a 3 or 4 hour drive from moa, if you are from the midwest thats where youd go for waterparks
I went to both Southdale and MoA over the summer ... night and day.
MoA is a busy, bustling place. I was there on a Saturday, and it was jam-packed with people. Take Jake's image in the film where he says this mall was crowded, add three times as many people. Most storefronts were occupied, and people definitely were buying things.
Southdale, on the other hand, is near death. Whole wings are closed, and over half the storefronts in the open areas were vacant. Only one anchor store (Macy's), and it was a sad shadow of what it could be. But (as CityNerd would say), there is a Cheesecake Factory.
I feel from a development standpoint, something that could help this mall would be an attached casino, with a hotel. As of now this is like a trade center mall without the trade center
Owww great idea for the hotel.
Definitely potential to set up a convention center, they would need to build a very large hotel
That's a great idea.
Exactly. Many nice high end hotels have a shopping mall (see Vegas and Miami) plus offer food and hotel stay with pool areas. Add a hotel and add some colors to this place and it would be THE place to stay while in NYC areas.
I could see the casino and maybe some high end suites, but then again, I wouldn't trust the plans to go through anytime soon.
I think the biggest way the mall can make more money, is to make the attractions more accessible financially. It will draw in more people. Like a Ferris wheel should not be $30 for a 2 minute ride. I think they would gain a much larger crowd and thus make more money, if they just lowered the price. Or offered cheaper options. Also, the parking charge is ridiculous. They used to only charge when MetLife had an event 🙄
FYI: The ferris wheel is a 30-minute ride, not 2. Not that I'm saying it's appropriately priced. Just correcting an error.
The Nickelodeon park actually just changed to a pay per ride system which I think works out better, similar to how most boardwalks are here. So you can ride the ride you want and people who have no interest in riding dont have to pay to get in and waste money. I think this is better than charging to get in, and the cost, if I recall, is pretty fair. I have also gone on the ferris wheel because my mom insisted. It was a nice ride, mor like 20m, not 2, we had the car alone, and was about what we had paid to ride the london eye in england, so I don't really think its insanely bad, but I think $15/p would be more fair.
I think the mall is pretty decent for what it has, and I do like it much better than Garden State/Westfield which is the next closest big mall. The parking charge does blow though, and they ONLY have pay station on the bottom floor of the parking garage, so you have to find it, instead of having one by each exit. The first time i went, I gave up trying to find the pay station and the guy at the exit of the garage just let my car go through without paying lol
Financially and in other ways for disabled people.
@@alexdaley7616 oop! Didn’t know it was 30 minutes! Thank you for the correction! Okay but in that note then, does a Ferris wheel ride need to be 30 minutes? That feels like a long time
@@Ravibun yeah, my mistake about the Ferris wheel. I thought it was shorter. Since you have been on it, do you feel it needs to be a 20-30 minute ride? Ik the area and the views aren’t that stellar. I think for me, garden state wins, because over all, it is cheaper to go to. If this mall didn’t charge for parking or just charged on concert days at MetLife, I would be much more of a fan of this mall. I used to love this mall when it was empty and there was free parking.
I just went the other day to see an update on it. So far there is a lot opening up in spring of 2023. The third floor now has the first Mr. Beast burger and I believe 10-15 new restaurants coming to it by spring of next year. I'll go back to see if they are any good. But I hope they bounce back.
Whenever we go there’s usually a 45 min to an hour wait to get a table at the restaurants. They really need more restaurants.
I’ve never seen a place that looks simultaneously under construction and abandoned at the same time. Going here was a mind fuck back in 2021. Props where it’s due, the wave pool is sick. I’m glad you caught the stairs to nowhere too. Those blew my mind last year.
When I saw that part i thought wtf? Did they just say screw it and drywall off that section because they didn’t have the funds?
“I’ve never seen a place that looks simultaneously under construction and abandoned at the same time.”
Basically this entire part of jersey.
like 1/2 of it's still being constructed while the first part is going out of business
You did go during a pandemic...
@@MrNiceGuy1422001 I have friends that went a couple months ago. It’s still the same. It felt abandoned because of the structure and things like the stairs to nowhere. There was no lack of people when I went.
Wow this mall just looks needlessly big with literally nothing, gotta love that people still enjoy the space to some degree
The owner's first mall was a lot more practical. West Edmonton Mall was built in four phases, as leases justified.
The craziest thing about this mall is that there are clearly so many problems, and yet no one is conducting surveys or interviews with shoppers about their shopping experience in order to make changes. Its like they are committed to letting this mall die a slow death.
I remember there is a particular chocolate store in that mall that gave me a free taste of a delicious chocolate covered hazelnut. When I asked what the price was, the saleswomen looked at the floor sheepishly and muttered "....$50 for 10 pieces". I could tell I wasn't the first to walk out of that store empty handed, but what this showed me is that everyone in that mall, including the employees, know that this mall is expensive and offers little value.
Edit:
Those touch screens in the mall that are supposed to tell you where you are, are the most unusable pieces of tech I have ever had the misfortune to use.
Why people are at mall: AIR CONDITIONING IN JULY and CLEAN BATHROOMS
More fun to take the family on a walk in a 70 degree mall than in a 90 degree park with no bathrooms, plus $5 admission (parking) is cheap.
There are free malls in the area that offer more stores, the same air conditioning and free parking. The garden state mall is about 15-20 minutes from American Dream and it is infinitely cheaper. The palisades mall is under an hour and is big, and has a Ferris wheel.
@@georgialaugher5708 And if you actually are a high-end shopper, there's Short Hills a half hour away.
You mentioned you would not visit again, but I would be keen to see you do a yearly update and visit again in 2023 :)
Maybe make a comparison on what has opened? What has closed? Price increases/decreases?
It's crazy they had their parking fees so high to begin with - a huge deterrent
Keep up the great content man :)
Assuming it's still open... or else it will be a dead-mall or abandoned-mall video...
It also doesn’t help that the mall is practically closed on Sundays due to the local “blue laws” which prohibit non-essential stores from opening on Sundays…it’s an old school law but one that impacts the entire county.
Also, the Westfield Garden State Plaza is a mall that’s much more comparable to the American Dream mall in the sense that most if not all spaces are rented and is completely packed all the time. That mall is in Paramus and also has free parking and is much easier to navigate
Exactly!!!
I actually miss blue laws that we once had decades ago where I live. It may not be economically viable in today's environment but it's nice to have at least one day off from retail where you can go to church or spend quality time with your family instead of having to work on Sunday to satisfy the consumer greed of idle people.
@@chrisb.1214 - Bergen County, NJ is the last place in the entire country with one closing nearly all retail though. This also causes problems for Jewish shoppers who, in the summer, must shop online or weekdays only. They can’t shop Sunday there because malls are closed…and they can’t prepare to shop on Saturday because of religious observance…sundown from late May to mid-August is right before most malls close. At Garden State Plaza, the stores that can be open on Sundays have special Sunday entrances, but mass transit typically bypasses the malls on Sundays.
I was at the mall on a Sunday in late November (some family went to the Giants game). What was closed and what was opened seemed almost haphazard. You’d pass an open shoe store only to pass a closed one shortly after. Same thing with clothing stores. Primark and Uniqlo closed but Aland and Boxed Lunch were open.
That's something I'd expect in the south but a place as business oriented and socially liberal as the NY/NJ area? Weird
The new intro is fab (: happy 10 year anniversary BSF 🔆
It seems to me that the retail spaces were architecturally planned, built and then offered to lease once almost completed. Rather than securing Tennant's first and planning/building the space around what stores are coming to the mall. Hence why there are so many gaps between stores and random retailers you wouldn't expect to find there.
Another thing I find strange is the lack of Anchor stores in the mall. Like seriously, looks like it can fit at least a dozen of them.
@@fazver917 yeah I kept an eye out to see if any anchors even had a "coming soon" sign anywhere, but didn't see any. Anchors tend to survive even when their malls die, so it's really weird to see a mall in this state without one.
@@ohnoitschris Well.. I somewhat remember seeing an article, where the plans of the mall having a Cabela's was pulled due to the pandemic. Another article I saw was the inclusion of a Mexican movie Chain and 'edutainment' center is being considered to be Bulit. So, I hope that neither attraction/company are force to pull out like most of the other's business did before and after it is opening. While were talking about it, if I have to guess any retail and/or entertainment That should/is ever considered to be added, I hope it's either a sporting good like Dick's or Cabela's and a bowling alley with an arcade like Round 1 or Dave & Busters. But whatever it may be, I'm certain that the entire complex will not include tractional anchor store like JCPenney's or Macy's for example. I hope to see the mall grow into a fun place to hang out when I'm older enough to drive there (for like a road trip or such).
If the parking garage is already patched and wonky, the stairs are crumbling, and the ski slope STILL has fire damage... just imagine what all the supports wrapped up in plastic paneling are gonna look like after a decade of leaks and shoddy/rushed construction takes its toll
That fire was deep - melted insulation/material was bleeding out until we finally managed to drown it out. Repair is going to be a pain.
They didn't bother making a new parking garage from the old Izod center and giants stadium
West Edmonton mall is a good example of just this future. The mall is way better overall but is starting to look really rough in areas and the parking garage….moves a lot. And is constantly under construction.
@@eaglesblades At this point it's better to tear it down, then repairing it.
When it rains the parking garage leaks all over🤭
Not to mention they had that massive leak in to the main lobby this past winter while the big snow thing was shut down for months. They also have all of the maintenance guys shovel the snow off the roofs. That bougie hallway once you get down by sacks in the bougie restaurant smells like skunk or a dead animal I don’t know but it’s been like that for several months
I can just imagine being a little kid, having a great time in a massive mall and my dad telling us our time is up because he has a headache, strolling past the Walgreens and dad swinging in for a bottle of ibuprofen and a tub of gold bond and then raging for another couple hours.
Yeah idk why he thinks its weird for a mall to have CVS or Walgreens.
I’ve lived in New Jersey my whole life. Prior to the mall’s opening, especially when the project was still called Zanadu, the project was more the footnote of a joke than something anybody looked forward to. It was painted that terrible orange and sat doing nothing for so long. When it changed names and eventually opened I don’t think most people even knew. I agree with others saying it just doesn’t offer much for people who live in the area… there is no incentive to go besides maybe the theme park for kids to go. North Jersey residents are better off going to Westfield Garden State Plaza, all of an 18 minute drive north of American Dream and where pretty much everyone I know actually shops during holidays. I used to go all the time with friends just to hang out, but I could never see myself doing that at American Dream. It’s irrelevant for residents, too far from tourist destinations, and too expensive to expect any bleed over from MetLife stadium events.
I think most people who’ve grown up with this project in the area just wish they’d finally take it around the back and put it down humanely. Sure they’ve committed so much money why not keep trying, but imho it is destined to fail so why keep it on life support?
I live just over the border in PA, and everything I've heard about this mall is that it is likely some kind of massive fishy money laundering scheme or construction contract kick back cover. I mean, putting aside the fact that there are several large malls and shopping destinations already nearby, malls have been on decline for 20 years even before the pandemic. If this is a legitimate business venture, what were they even thinking?
Fellow New Jersey (girl) citizen here & 💯 with what you said.
Big facts, I remember always cracking jokes of that shit never opening every time we drove t lol
I’ve never been to New Jersey, but based on what I’ve seen and read, this poor giant of a building should have never been built in the first place. Seems to me it was willed to existence due to sheer hubris. Imagine how it could have actually benefitted the public if every inch of That land could be optimally utilized for multiple purposes, with fleshed out and full of life designs.
Dreamworks Water Park and Big Snow is the only two positive areas. Both are extremely fun. The prices are sad though. I don’t how they expect people to actually want to go here when they could just go to Great Adventure and have way more fun there
In my opinion, malls need more outdoor parts to it. Giant buildings can be daunting. The beauty of the architecture has fallen on these huge buildings. I’d rather it be 1-2 story building but it has beauty to it. If it’s going to be something memorable it can’t be simple and forgettable.
yeah the outside looks like a creepy warehouse and all the white, bright lights would give me a headache after a while. Trees would have been much appreciated
It wouldn't work in NJ where this mall is located. Winter weather wouldn't be so kind, unless they decided to go for a large atrium
Or a sky garden on top of shopping malls like SM seaside Cebu or SM Aura in the Philippines.
@@user-vr2qp2hi8z How come we can have parks here in Sweden then? NJ has much milder weather then Norrland.
@@thebronywiking Culturally, people in the northeast dread the winter months and rarely go outside in the cold. The only real draw in the winter months would be an ice skating rink or holiday market, but 9/10 people in that region would prefer for both to be indoors. The only locations in the Northeast you’ll see people voluntarily stroll outside in the winter are NYC, Boston, and Philadelphia.
Something you wouldn't know if you weren't local to the area....there is actually a law in new jersey, specifically in Bergen County...the blue law, that allows retail and department stores to be closed on sunday...another huge issue with this mall, on Sundays 85% of the stores are CLOSED.
They need to seriously make some exceptions to this law. I understand trying to relieve traffic, but its pathetic I can’t buy an electric toothbrush, electronics, office, or home improvement supplies. If anything, most of these categories I feel are busier in traffic on the weekdays to begin with.
This isn’t the malls fault, and just makes matters worse for the mall.
@@fastcombo33Jersey won’t even make exceptions to their antiquated law against self serve fueling (which btw is a heavily politicized state issue that for some reason a lot of Jersey natives don’t wanna let go of)
With this Mall like it's the only Bergen county mall we have. It's not the mall's issue it's the county's
That is a good thing! There is more to life than shopping.
The “blue law” is not new.. its actually been on the books for over 50 years. It was up for a vote to abolish those laws in 1980 and again in 1993.. both times defeated by residents who want them kept in place
I drove past this on the way to NYC recently and never would have thought it was built in the last two decades. Malls are just not a profitable thing anymore and driving past all the rides and ski slope just seemed gimicky. They built way more space than they needed. It would seem way better if they just built an entertainment complex and ditched the mall part of it.
As someone who grew up in Dubai I’ve pretty much seen every type of attraction within a shopping mall and I’ve also seen them go from the infancy, to the talk of the town & then as it declines.
This kinda thing works when you’ve got a really dense population and a few million people living within an hour of the mall. It feels like they wanted to cram absolutely everything possible into a single mall that’s not convenient to visitors
Dubai isn't that dense tho, it's really car dependant
@@coastaku1954 that’s true but no matter where you are based you always are within less than an hour of Dubai Mall / MOE / Deira CC
@@jet0802 The malls in Greenville and Jacksonville NC are still running a stable enough business
Minnesota is actually where the U.S. Mall Culture was born - and it's because of our longer, colder winters.
We wanted town centers for people to get away from snow and rain, so starting with Southdale in 1956 we built the first fully-enclosed malls in the U.S. - which were later copied all over the country. The decline of malls in the U.S. is far slower here than all the other states as a result.
If anything, the Mall of America is MN's magnum opus.
@@dubaisilver You can have Dubai and it's Sharia law. That place has been bankrupt for almost 10 years now and Sharia Law is the reason why. Enjoy. You don't even have to come back.
I live in NYC and I remember at some point last year a friend wanted to go to the Nickeledeon theme park. I had heard about it and thought it looked fun, and was set to agree, when I decided to look up the price of the theme park. I assumed the tickets would be $50-$60, and couldn't believe when I saw they were $90. We both decided not to go, especially since I kept hearing about the mall having difficulty attracting stores and that much of the mall was actually empty. It just didn't seem worth the trip.
It's ironic how well the name suits the mall: the American Dream of being able to shop til you drop isn't actually possible for most people.
If you find yourself in the midwest, hands down go to Mall of America, cheaper while having the same rides, more stores, and a way better layout
from a design pov, the insane amount of art/ colour/ chaos on all of the work walls is probably psychologically exhausting people's subconscious.
Actual storefronts blend in with artificial walls & all end up equally passable.
It definitely lives up to its name. There’s nothing more American than vacant storefronts and crumbling antiquated infrastructure!
That’s funny considering Jimmy open his first mr beast burger there. Are you even from nyc or jersey? Maybe if the pandemic happened it wouldn’t of been this bad.
And people just wondering around aimlessly looking at luxury stuff they can’t afford
@@Merrybandoruffians ???? You realize where that mall is located is also one of the most expensive places to live in the country? Just because you’re broke doesn’t mean we are too 🤡
@@ADHD_Lothario yes sweetie. We all know where New Jersey is. The Nuevo riche capital of the country. The Mecca of suburban housewives buying gaudy shit on credit, lol.
@@Merrybandoruffians oh word? Come to Newark
Before this was completed my husband used to call this a sunken cruise ship. It’s amazing to finally see it completed as it was sitting there for many years!
Holy shit, those amusement park prices!! Cedar Point is $50 for a day pass and it's literally one of the best coaster parks. Insane!
Dollywood is $85 and that park has theming and is an experience to just walk around
It’s the coaster captial of the country and it’s cheaper that’s hilarious
I grew up in North Jersey. I used to take Route 3 to Hoboken or the Bergen Park & Ride pretty regularly. The highway ran through the Meadowlands and past the abandoned mall project which has been there for quite literally as long as I can remember. I always thought it would be the perfect set for a zombie apocalypse movie or something because of how eerie and imposing the structure was, even with the bright colors that they had on the indoor ski slope for all that time. Looking back now, the property was probably too well-maintained for that. I feel lucky now to have grown up near such an iconic “abandoned” property, but it’s much more iconic to the people of NY/NJ who lived to see it at a standstill.
This mall would've been a huge success if it were in the Philippines. SM Mall of Asia (Philippine's largest mall) also has a theme park and Ferris wheel but is nothing compared to this. Well, at least the prices of our rides don't cost a fortune, the rides just range about $1-5 per ride and you have the coastal view of Manila Bay, which by the way have a beautiful sunset view.
And quests what I believe if they lower their prices they will make more money because it will encourage more people to partake rather than being a window watcher!!!!
the philippines is knee deep in mall culture. a part of this is probably because there's literally nothing else to do in manila besides going to malls. the only well known (and probably most well preserved) historic place to my knowledge is intramuros. there are no recreational centers, parks that are well maintained besides that one in tagaytay and bgc (luna park doesn't count, don't even try), and any other place where you can appreciate the nature and beaches are either blocked off in a private high-end resort that can't even be accessed most of the time because you need to get/know someone with membership or rent an airbnb, or you'd have to fly to cebu, boracay, or palawan. i've lived here for a decade and not once have i ever seen a mall empty. you could probably say tagaytay is a decent place, except for how difficult it is to navigate the tight single/double lane roads there.
i would say that manila bay really is beautiful, as long as you hold your breath lol
it's kinda interesting too because japanese investors have recently started investing in malls here, and there's one that just had their soft opening recently in bgc. if american mall investors could invest in building malls in the ph, they'd never have to worry about majority of their market being pushed to online shopping, since going to the mall is literally the only thing you could do here. buy your groceries, go to the pharmacy, even some hospitals and healthcare centers are inside/connected to malls, hang out with friends, meet family, eat out, etc.
Looks like you got some good "before" shots for the "Abandoned American Dream Mall" video that's probably not too far down the road. "Bath and Body Works" is already there so it shan't be long!
callign Dan Bell
I feel like if you have more economically-friendly entertainment venues like Round 1 or Dave & Busters, there would be a lot more foot traffic that would lead into the main mall itself.
7:38 I do this on occasion with my local mall (the much more reasonably sized Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge) for a very specific reason. Baton Rouge is one of the worst examples of urban sprawl in the US, so if I feel like just going for a walk in a relatively pleasant space, MoLA is my go-to, regardless of whether or not I feel like buying anything there. That's probably the same for a lot of people here as well.
The fact that the mall is called American Dream is damn near amazing 😂
Quite the nightmare, isn't it?
The American not so dream of a Mall 😂🤣😂
I live just a few minutes away from this mall. It is definitely a place to take some friends if they're visiting and don't want to go into NYC. But the price of everything inside is insane -- from the minigolf to the museums to the tiny aquarium. It's usually really empty and most stores are closed on Sundays due to a county law. I can't imagine them ever making their money back. The only attractive part for anyone coming in out of state is that NJ has no tax on clothing. If you plan to shop big at one of the luxury retailers, you'd save a good amount of money -- but I also guess if you're shopping there, you're not concerned about that.
Lol funny you say that.. was about to go to the city with my girl last year on the SI ferry and she had a panic attack. So she was like let's go to American Dream instead. We go and it happens to be Sunday and almost everything is closed lol. I was pissed.
Why does the county law there have stores closed on Sunday? I live in NC. But never heard of that before!
With a such a massive debt...you'd think the stupid county law about being open on Sundays would be amended ...it's costing them millions
the same owners own the MOA in Bloomington MN. The difference between the two is DRASTIC. MOA has a hotel, they just expanded added a new food court a few years ago. The mall is very contemporary in design and honestly kind of comfy to just chill at a coffee place. The rides at the MOA aren't insanely expensive (last i recall, its been a while). oh and the parking is completely free. The mall has been experiencing vendor turnover a lot lately but still compared to this?
The MOA in Minnesota is dry and the store selections suck. I’ve been and wasn’t impressed at all.
I've been to SM MOA (Mall of Asia) when I was a kid, best mall ever. Aside it had a Department Store, Supermarket or any of that retail stores but also had too many restaurants, Amusement Park right by the bay, Arena, Skating Rink, Bowling Center and yet it had the World's Largest Ikea store built. Exploring the mall is fascinating but might wanna take a break from time to time lol
@@PinoyBowlerGS92 Sounds great, but it's in the Philippines!
The other smart thing about Mall of America is that it's not long and drawn out but rather in a big square so getting around it isn't too difficult and things aren't too hard to find.
@@frankfielder Yeah exactly !
I think this project may have been more successful if it was dramatically scaled down. An amusement park and water park is fine (indoors as weather there is bad in winter), and outlet stores instead of full price. Better road access, parking, more windows with natural light, etc.
If they built this in paramus it would have been successful. All the malls outside of paramus and wayne are pretty much dying
Outlet stores would've been a great idea in this behemoth.
Well when it was Xanadu the size of it was for all the sports related activities there. There was supposed to be more stuff than just the snow ramp and skating rink. That all changed when the badly multicolored eyesore was handed over to the MoA developers. That’s when the amusement and water park were added being a fresh construction extending the mall. Also since most of the other sports related activities were curtailed that’s why you see soo many white walls. Probably that stairwell to nowhere lead to another floor of activities that got cut.
What needed to go there wasn’t another mall but an indoor New “Palisades Park “ amusement area. Then you could have the water park along with any other amusement you’d see at Six Flags. Just that around each would be window framing it.
There is another huge flaw that was not mentioned. I was there on Father's Day as my family stopped on the way home from visiting relatives in NY. We got there as the mall opened, but couldn't figure out why the stores weren't opening right up. It was fun to walk around and see everything then get li
Unch, but the stores were still not open. That's when we found a sign by the entrance to the Old Navy that said about local Blue Laws that prohibited stores from being open on Sunday. Why in the world would you ever put a small where stores cannot be open on Sundays?
Are they closed for a whole day? I currently work in Saudi Arabia and the only time the malls are half day is in Friday for religious reasons but they are full blast in the afternoon and night sched is extended by a hour. Hearing this is in an American state not named Utah is strange.
@@lipstickzombie4981 all the attractions--amusment park, water park, big snow, ferris wheel, mini golf, ice rink, etc were all open. All of the restaurants were open. The only stores that were open were Toys R Us and It's Sugar and I think they are only able to be open because they sell food (candy).
Wait so a county in New Jersey that votes 57% for Democrats has stores close on Sunday but my county in rural Tennessee that voted 80% Republican doesn't? That's hilarious
All the malls in Paramus are closed on Sundays. It's the law in Bergen County.
Bergen County laws
At 5:38 there's a sign for H Mart, a Korean store. US malls should use the models of Korean malls: an anchor is a giant grocery store. Because of that, there's always a reason to go there. This then leads to a temptation to check out the other stores.
Same in Europe unless it's in a historic city center or pedestrian zone which doesn't allow people to bulk shop
Oh great. What we all need ANOTHER H Mart… sarcasm here
The HMart has yet to be open, the interior is seemed to be unfinished and nowhere near it’s completion.
I love how honest you are. You almost hurt the malls feelings LoL
Most of the video is woefully inaccurate or out of date though lol. Particularly that it gives off a false impression that this mall is dead or empty feeling, which couldn’t be further from the truth. This mall is crowded more often than not, and on weekends you can barely walk through the halls. New stores are being added all the time, and the mall itself recently updated their business plan, so it’s poised to keep growing over the next few years.
BSF: I came to the mall on a Saturday in July, and I was surprised at how packed it was. And the stores were empty.
Me: Because they came to get out of the heat, not to shop. And if it's that big, walking the place makes a good workout.
Exactly what i was gonna say.......AIR CONDITIONING!!!
I’m literally from Northern New Jersey and I CONSTANTLY forget that this mall exists.happy to see that people are actually going to it, however, I’ll continue going to the malls I’ve traditionally been going to and continue to enjoy some good ole Free Parking lol
I have stayed at the hotels near this property many times over the last 20 years (I have family that live nearby) and anyways wondered what the heck the big building was behind the trees. I have been following the progress for the last few years, and what a disappointment this place looks like. The prices on the indoor attractions are beyond ridiculous. I get that it's not that far from NYC, but $90-100/person for an indoor attraction is beyond insane. I bet they would get 3-4x as many people visiting if they halved those prices.
again Mall of Amercia which has many similar features is far cheaper since you can enter for free, park for freee and enter their nickleon park for free.
The new intro is amazing...
How i wish malls in the Philippines were designed this way. Usually malls here are always packed to the brim with people. Especially when eating out
Wait, wait, wait. This mall has a ski slope, an indoor water park and indoor amusement park but not one damn movie theater!? How does that work? Even the Mall Of America has that and its smaller!
I think the ideal customer for the Dream Wheel is someone who has a warrant out for their arrest in New York and wants to sadly look out at the City while an indie song plays on the soundtrack
Is there something you need to confess?
@@sneakersmcfee97 /sweating profusely /
Coked.....
I think a big thing the developers missed is that in America there has been more of a push for "shop where you live" sort of developments with condos going up that have restaurants and boutiques right under them so convenient and that you see everyday it can compete with the ease of online shopping. Outdoor shopping malls do this too with condos dispersed throughout or built around them. This Mall is in the middle of highway with impractically large and crumbling infrastructure that charges you just to park. The amenities are all gimmicky and spectacles that no one would weave into their daily lives so it would be a better service for tourists except its too far away from the destinations they would visit and isn't enough of a draw to pull them over. Overall they built this to be overwhelming and awe inspiring instead of a comfortable and useful addition to peoples lives.
That "shop where you live" idea is so ancient in Europe it's actually shocking to see it's not the case in US (at least it was for me because I haven't paid attention to that aspect of living in US before). Extend the courtesy to GM, that's their doing.
@@AkarZaephyr yeah there were a lot of pros and cons to the suburban dream. The major pro being it made it quite affordable for people to own single family homes back in the day which is a great way to retain generational wealth, plus you could escape crime in dense urban capitals and you could make use of the vast open undeveloped land available in America without having to invest a ton into trains and bus routes to get to them started. Big con is that real-estate is expensive everywhere now because of shady investment strategies and over priced developments. So ironically the only shop I can comfortably walk to from my home is a gas station that's 15 minutes away. I think the European concept is booming in popularity again because of how expensive gas has become for commuters and how young people are largely unable to afford single family homes even on the outskirts of cities so renting apartments and buying condos/town homes has become the norm for them.
This place brings to mind that time honored quote: "[they] were so preoccupied with whether or not they _could,_ that they didn't stop to think if they _should."_
So it's a gigantic, half-finished mall full of low-effort cookie-cutter art, generic retailers, overpriced novelty attractions that few can afford, an unsustainable business model, all wrapped up in an experience that is ultimately void of substance?
Sounds like the perfect encapsulation of the "American Dream".
Wow, you were in the mall really recently! I actually work in the mall and the amount of dead space you didn't even show is astounding. People who work for the mall usually chill in the empty retail space because of the lack of development.
The back hallways still remain unfinished and are a time capsule of people writing on them over all these years. And the amount of stores constantly leaving is worse by the weeks.
Any way you can share pics? Xanadu is forever its orange tan and blue panel monster
I know someone that used to work in the maintenance department and there are some juicy stuff going on behind closed doors . As for the hallways they will never be finished- ever ever ever ever ever. Some weirdo Supervisor little white guy with glasses and short hair almost going bald stated that it’s too much money to blow on the mall when they can’t get other things done ( he said that with A chuckle) All these comments!! Lol it’s a sad thing what’s going on with this crap whole
Honestly the malls name perfectly fits it, it’s like the perfect representation of America. Your thoughts sum it up, it feels like overkill, everything is obnoxiously in your face, wanting you to either spend a ton of money or eat a bunch of unhealthy food, everything is still needlessly large and over the top, yet somehow it still feels so empty and boring and fake and just not fun to be in.
And on the verge of bankruptcy. Just like the real American Dream!
You're reaching so hard man.
@@gordo1163 seriously, he needs to chill. Everybody wants to act like they’re deep and can “see the truth”.
Yes, you are right. Other countries don’t have large malls and unhealthy food, only the US. Thank you again for your words of wisdom oh Great RUclips Philosopher.
Theme malls are obviously a thing of the past my local mall has always been based on large anchor stores yet the interior has pretty much zero gimmicks and is solely based upon retail shops. It's going pretty well.
Ikr my local mall is always packed. The Sears is pretty depressing and the area near the Sears is pretty depressing since ever since Sears closed that part of the mall has been dying but the rest of it is full of stores and people shopping constantly
The mall death wave us eventually gonna come for them too
i cannot believe it was $24 for parking in 2019. Also it’s currently $90 for the Nickelodeon Park. AND $100 for the Water Park is ridiculous and $30 for a regular cabin and $55 for a private cabin on the wheel. What the heckkkk
This is the biggest problem with this mall. I was considering going to the amusement park but $90 for a Eurofighter, a spinning coaster, and a unique Intamin that wasn't even open wasn't worth it
@@AdamSmith-gs2dv that just doesn't sound worth it at all
5:38 "Who's running down to American Dream to pick up Tylenol?" Greetings from Bloomington, MN, home of the Mall of America. Not only does the MoA have a Walgreens, it has a Holiday, which is a local gas station chain. Of course the gas pumps are just decorations, but it's a full featured convenience store. Since the mall positions itself less as a shopping center than as a tourist destination, these shops are there to serve the tourists staying in the surrounding hotels.
On a related note, they are talking about expanding the Mall of America with a waterpark. They say it'll be built with private financing but also that we're going to shovel public funds at it in the form of "tax increment financing." For all that, it's expected we'd be paying something in the neighborhood of $60-70/guest. Coincidentally, we aren't building the community recreation center with indoor swimming pool we'd planned, and even more coincidentally, the water park is being done by the same Triple 5 group as your mall in NJ!
That Bright Sun Films 10th Anniversary logo animation looks like something you'd see in the movie theaters ♥️😎📽️🎞️
The traffic, tolls, and ridiculous entry fees keep us far away from the place. (Even though it’s only an hour away) But thanks for taking one for the team and confirming my suspicions!
I'm glad someone else mentioned the traffic and the tolls.
This place is an art piece. It’s called American Dream, and it’s a big empty house with a few things in it that you can’t afford and too many cars in the garage
This mall is the absolute perfect analogy for the American Dream. If aliens landed and asked me what those two words mean, I'd send them to this mall. But the end of the day, they would understand the concept.
Thank you.
they would go back to their flying saucer and leave !
@@tarantellalarouge7632 They'd take a few mall-rats w/them..."To Serve Man" (it's a cookbook)!👽📖
Actually this is pretty scary coming from someone who lives in Edmonton. Triple Five Owns the mall here which was once the worlds biggest and i heard they put up %49 of it as collateral to build American dream. If it goes bankrupt could be bad news for one of the top employers in the city 😭
I feel the same, living near Mall of America. A lot of young people get their first jobs in the stores there because it's accessible by light rail.
I would hope they don't compromise the mall in Edmonton. I hope they don't do any asthetic upgrades to further eat up an already shrunken budget. The commercial real estate crash is everywhere, I hope the attractions and activity sections of WEM remain intact.
That mall was done near perfectly. The last time I was there in the late 2000s they still had original floor tiles, and I assumed it was to keep maintanance costs low. I wonder how much that would cost to replace. I think it looks fine and I would leave it alone. I hope the mall prospers.
Great amusement park and waterpark at WEM. There used to be a few different mini putts in there, the one near the pirate ship was the one I played. At one time they had submarines and we did those way back in the 80s when they were new.
IMO I think the submarines were dangerous.
Always loved Minebender, I rode it back when it was a full length train. That Schwarzkopf is well preserved being indoors for 35 years. It was a sister coaster of Dreir Looping/Chimera, possibly reversed though. Toronto lost their 2 loop Doppel over 20 years ago. It was a Shwarzkopf too and afterward it got a new paint scheme and went to the Miami-Dade State Fair for about a decade, and now I think that coaster is in Italy.
Shwarzkopf is long out of business, and most of their coasters are part of outdoor traveling fairs so they take a lot of abuse with weathering, as well as being disassembled and reassembled numerous times a season.
Mindbender at WEM has only been built once and it has been in climate-controlled atmosphere the whole time. It is one of the best Shwarzkopf specimens in the whole world. Too many rebuilds wear down a traveling coaster until it is too bumpy and unpleasant to make any money and ends up sold for scrap. The manufacturer is defunct and their coasters can only be retired. Trains can be custom built, but the track eventually ends up being sold for scrap.
American companies seem to leverage against their Canadian stores and lead to closures a lot, don't they? Blockbusters, Starbucks, etc. Definitely a yikes. I hope it's able to pull through.... good luck quq
It depends on what type of bankruptcy. There are two types in the US. One allows for operations to continue (like when some airlines file for bankruptcy). The other essentially closes all operations and liquidates all assets. Regardless, assuming Edmonton Mall is profitable, the likelihood that it will close is slim. Some other operator will simply get a massive deal.
@@junkbox_ they actually re did the floors, they are pretty much all marble now, they did a major facelift around 2016ish I believe. I think there’s only one mini golf area now, the one by the food court.
I'm not gonna lie normalizing pharmacies at places like this would be pretty rad
It use to the norm back in the 80s through the mid 90s. Having a Walgreens or Osco Drugs was a life savor many times.
That’s the norm here in Australia (Adelaide), my nearest shopping centre has two (maybe 3??) pharmacies. Aswell as a total of 4 supermarkets (2 big brands, 1 organic whole foods and 1 Asian grocer), they’re all grouped together so it’s pretty convenient!
Places like this are GOLD in winter. I really hope it takes off! I'm a 90's kids so I have a soft spot for Malls. Thank you for this videos , because of you we are visiting this year from FL :)
Depending on where you live, summer as well.
The fact that this mall was originally named "Xanadu" really tells you all you need to know.
From the Abba song and movie- "When an enchanted muse is sent from heaven to help a struggling artist open a roller-disco, a love story ensues that you need to see to believe! Featuring an incredible soundtrack by Olivia Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra, you'll love being transported to the magical world of Xanadu in this dazzling musical spectacular!"
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A mosterous missary-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred polluted river, ran
Through decaying infrastructure measureless to man,
Down to a sunless sea.
So twice five miles to reach one shop,
With walls and towers already falling down;
Can't think of anymore lines of the poem to riff off.
All I know of "Xanadu" is the hypertext project and it being a Serial Experiments Lain reference.
@@Alex-cw3rz hahaha that's amazing
Reminds me of the mansion and excessively large private entertainment center that was never finished building from Citizen Kane. The symbol of excessive wealth and loneliness
Seeing the aerial view of the mall at the beginning of the video feels like a travel back in time because depending on which mall we are talking about. Some started out being surrounded by almost nothing, that or when the surrounding area had only little amounts of homes.
I live right outside of this mall and I can say it's everything that this video says it is. I didn't drive, but walked, and it took me ten minutes to find the actual entrance to the place because of all the construction that was going on around the outside. I will however note that I have never seen the Ferris Wheel move even slightly in all this time.
Great video, Jake! This mall is obviously going for the one time visitor with their price points, instead of developing a returning local clientele. Then they can try to attract tourists from NYC. Good luck to them with that! It's probably why they have the high-end stores. Here in Hawaii, Waikiki is filled with Channel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, etc. At one time, the exchange rate favored eastbound Asian tourists to come for shopping. Not anymore. Now we mostly get US tourists, and they definitely aren't shopping there!
There’s a Wallgreens in the Mall of America and it’s always full. It’s not that weird.
In Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, the 7 11 is doing lots of business. I used it because the ATM in the store has fee free withdrawals from most Credit Unions in the US.
I actually work here sometimes, in the Toys R Us. It's... even stranger than it looks. Some points: A: You're exactly correct about the layout and financial struggles. B: I can explain the Walgreens very easily: it's for employees (and tourists who forgot stuff.) Getting an Excedrin in there has saved my life on occasion. C: There's also diverse communities in the local demographics, so, for example, almost all the food (including the ice cream at the Toys R Us) has to be Kosher. There's a lot of interesting culture vs capitalism conflicts in there. D: Parking is an absolute nightmare. For some reason getting in and out requires spiraling through the lot of the Meadowlands stadium. It's unclear who benefits from this arrangement. E: I'm not sure you're aware of the Blue Law situation, but on top of all that other stuff, several of the stores in the mall can't even open on Sunday because of atavistic local ordinances that are some bizarre puritanical holdover from when the most important thing in Jersey was fighting the British and perhaps hanging witches. Insane. It's gonna be a hell of an excavation site for whatever aliens find it after we're gone.
After we're gone? Ha! I give it 10, MAYBE 15 years...TOPS! Maybe the theme parks are salvageable, but that land is far too valuable to take up with a giant, failing mall.
I was gonna say, as a former mall employee it would be a godsend to have walgreens in the mall lol
Blue laws?? Geez they only regulate car sales here with that antiquated outdated religious moral code bullshit ….
Yeah I think all malls should have a drug store. I think it’s genius.
When I learned about the blue law I couldn't help but laugh. My county in Tennessee is extremely religious and votes Republican yet we don't have such a law
Not too tough on American Dream at all. The Mall of America just had its 30th anniversary. It works because the layout is easy to navigate, parking is free, it’s close to the airport, it is beautiful inside. The mall has a glass roof for a lot of the building that lets in a lot of light. It’s cold in the winters, so it is nice to walk indoors and get sunlight and stay warm. It has a Nickelodeon Universe theme park. It’s the entire middle of the mall, making it easy to jump on rides as you go through the mall. I know the prices aren’t that high because I would never pay that much for my kids! It also has two hotels attached and several unique themed restaurants. There have been years where the mall has struggled, but it always seems to find a way to remain relevant. Nordstrom is an anchor store, and it’s the main reason I keep going there even though I am local.
I’m from Minnesota and went to the mall of America every month as a kid. I still go there frequently. Parking is feee, the rides aren’t that expensive and it’s still full of stores and people. One of my go to dates with my ex was to just go there and walk around and people watch because it was so cold outside in the winters and there wasn’t much for us to do. I remember hearing about this mall and thinking it was a bold move to be building in the late 2010s. It looks just like the MOA but emptier. Like you could show me photos of it and I would think it would be a part of the MOA that I just haven’t seen before.
Nice to see an update. Keep up the amazing work, Jake. You're one of the best on RUclips.
On a weirder note, this mall reminds me of when I used to play Sims and would build the biggest house and then get frustrated cause I couldn't figure out what the game was playing ominous music for.
That's a really beautiful mall and such a large amount of space. This is one of those malls I wish was doing better, I'd love to see it do well just because it would feel like such a waste if not. hopefully one day I can visit here with more stores and cheaper attractions xD.
@Larry S maybe, lolol
Free parking is a no-brainer - Charging for parking is enough to deter people from coming who might end up spending hundreds anyway.
My thoughts exactly
8:37 That escalator and stairway gives me such liminal space vibes.
It leads to Old Jersey.
@@imwithstupid086 The Channel Island? I hear it's kind of nice.
This mall looks like a machine made it. Its like they typed in "American Dream Mall" into a software and this is what it produced.
Dall E Mini AI generated mall
Adding grocery stores and housing, along with connecting to transit would make this mall a lot more profitable and attractive to people
Property isnt zoned for housing plus not enough space for amymore construction
@@darealpapajon facts
It has an H Mart grocery store
It was themed as an entertainment centred mall, but they forget that you still had to make people want to use the shops in the place. Not walk a mile for the one shop they wanted, yet before they even get there the entertainment has drained their bank accounts.