Secrets of the City

Mall of America counter-terrorism security targets a guy for behaving in a suspicious manner. What did he do? [S]he wrote in her report that … she had been watching Allen for 15 minutes because he was a “suspicious person” who had been talking to a female, writing in a notebook, looking around at people and looking at his watch.

Oh, and he was black.

Matt Snyders of City Pages spent one week at the Mall of America during all open hours. In other news, you wouldn’t believe the number of people who do the exact same thing for more than a week – they’re called MOA employees.

The place to run for your life…. Mall of America!

Loved, derided, lambasted, adored, critiqued — anything but ignored. This has been the 15-year history of the Mall of America, which lands today in the NY Times Magazine “Consumed” column. After a couple graphs of space filler (wow, 2 million t-shirts sold, eh?), the action kicks in with the introduction of Rosemary Williams, a St. Cloud State art prof who has created a sculpture called The Wall of Mall, which consists solely of shopping bags from every MOA shop (previous coverage: MPR, MNartists.org). As recounted in her blog/podcast Rosemary Goes To The Mall, collecting these bags was apparently quite an endeavor, as most stores wouldn’t just give her a bag without purchase. So she wanders around the mall and rhapsodizes about shopping while getting high at the oxygen bar and buying a $500 GPS system from Radio Shack. All is not futile though, because, as she tells the Times, the project “kind of helped me get over my fear of shopping.”

Mall of America officials said this morning that they have signed a branding-rights deal with Nickelodeon that will bring characters from the network’s cartoons, including SpongeBob SquarePants, to the former Camp Snoopy.

Setting aside politics and race, let’s focus on an interesting development in regard to “The Park” at the MOA: Spongebob and characters from two other Nickelodeon shows could become the new licensed occupants of “The Park.”

Camp Squarepants. I find this exciting.

The folks behind the Mall of America filed their plans for an expansion of the megalopolis known as the Megamall with the City of Bloomington last Thursday. In keeping with the relatively recent trend of turning malls into lifestyle centers, the plans feature everything from space for performing arts, a museum, and a Bass Pro shop — an elegant space sure to draw the discerning, urbane shopper they crave. Now, what worries me is that this might not bode well for the two downtowns, as there’ll be even more reason for surburbanistas to stay in the ‘burbs and not spend money downtown if these plans go forward.

“Nichole was discovered at the Mall Of America & you could be too!” (And maybe they will spell your name right!) You deserve an early lunch break — for more histrionics than anything this side of Laguna Beach, check out tomorrow’s America’s Next Top Model casting call at the MOA. Oh, you want to model? Qualifications: 18-27 years old, 5′7″ and above. And female, I presume.

Tragedy struck the Mall of America last week when the mall’s contract with United Media wasn’t renewed, forcing MOA to change the name and characters (but not the fun!) at Camp Snoopy. Fark has some mock-ups for replacement themes.

The Mall of America just announced that it can’t come to agreement with United Media, the rightsholder for the Peanuts gang. So Camp Snoopy will be no more (as of January 19). For the time being, they’re going to call it “The Park at MOA.” But I know you have some better ideas. Let’s hear them!