The WEST EDMONTON MALL And My New Hat

Most people who have been to Alberta have heard of the West Edmonton Mall. The West Edmonton Mall is the largest shopping mall in North America and the tenth largest in the world  The mall was founded by the Ghermezian brothers, who immigrated from Iran in 1959. Until 2004 it was the largest mall in the world.   The Mall covers a gross area of about 490,000 m2(5,300,000 sq ft). There are over 800 stores and services and parking for more than 20,000 vehicles. More than 24,000 people are employed at the property. The mall receives 32.2 million visitors per year; it also attracts between 90,000 and 200,000 shoppers daily, depending on the day and season.   And today I was one of those “shoppers”. I have never been, nor will I ever be, a potentially interested shopper in ANY mall. Bea knows that to the fullest. But I needed a special hat for my job and as far as I know there is only 1 specialized hat store in the city. The name is Chapel and we found it at the end of a long walk through the mall. Naturally, they didn’t have the colour I wanted, but I finally went with a blue one.        Having the hat we went photo shooting.   There is f.ex. the replica of the Santa Maria, adorned with all kind of fantasy figures.               Getting’ some food here…..and I want more! Right below the ship they got sea lions which we watched working for their food.   Tropical water………………………………………..and skating rink And if you feel for a swim they got this huge water park. After the swim you might want to go skating in the ice palace or,if you got the kids with you, a trip into GALAXYLAND might be in order.      What ever you do, you need to have your wallet with you – with a lot of Credit Cards, cause everything is just a tad more expensive than every where else. My guess is that the store rents are quite juicy around these parts.    Another interesting part of the mall is the EUROPA BOULEVARD.  Now, I don’t know where these false facades were imported from, but they kind of look like an old European-style city. Sad part is the boulevard has very few visitors. Maybe it’s just too exotic for Albertans.   With Christmas coming up, the mall is decorated for the “Holidays”, and I just observed a looong line of parents waiting with their young ones to say hello to Santa, who was sitting on stage surrounded by glittering Christmas Trees. Gotta be patient there.    Win me…….                                                            A FERRARI for me? Of course, the mall also has its very own hotel and IMAX theatre. But we were done here. No Ferrari and no more fancy hats.