Travel Talk | Shopping for Miles
“Hey Ash? I’m trying to maintain my A-List with Southwest next year + I’m a few flights short. Wanna go to Minneapolis in December to go to Mall of America?”
And that’s how last weekend began. I’d been dreaming of going to Mall of America since “You’re Invited to Mary-Kate & Ashley’s Mall Party” came out in 1997. Where else can you go shopping, to an aquarium, mini golfing + a theme park? AKA where else can I go to SPEND ALL OF MY MONEY ON ACTIVITES? Yes, Disney does this to me, but this was SO CONVENIENT being in the same building. We booked flights for ~$200 on Southwest + I found our hotel on Southwest, too! Did you know you can use Southwest to book hotels + earn Rapid Reward points? I just discovered that a few months ago + have been using Southwest to book all my hotels since.
As Chicago’s brief fall faded to winter, I got more + more excited to finally be checking MOA off my bucket list. Not that I didn’t have plenty to be excited about in the weekends leading up to last weekend, but I LOVE going to a new place for the first time. I’d been talking to one of my coworkers last Friday about my trip + another coworker overheard. She asked if I’d been to Mall of America before + when I told her I hadn’t, she said I was really going to like it. I mean, how could I not? But also thank you for encouraging me! She asked where we were staying + I told her we were booked at the AC Hotel by Marriott Bloomington Mall of America right across the street. She asked me if I knew we could take the Minneapolis Light Rail system right from the airport to the mall. I said I didn’t + she said it would only be $2. Well, shoot! Airport rides are usually so expensive + I’m always nervous about taking public transit in a new city for the first time by myself but it seemed that it couldn’t be easier. So I texted Ashley to gauge her feelings on taking the train. She was in, so I finished packing + went to sleep.
Saturday morning, Ashley arrived at my house just as I was throwing the last few items in my suitcase (+ almost forgot my phone). After a quick stop at Starbucks for coffee (for me), tea (for Ashley) + baked goods to munch on, we headed to the airport. We checked our bags (yes, we checked bags for a one night trip—how else was I supposed to bring all my swag home from the mall?) + breezed through security thanks to TSA opening an additional scanner + metal detector for the TSA PreCheck customers. If you don’t have TSA PreCheck, GET IT! Honestly the best money I’ve ever spent. I’m already two of my five years into mine + love never having to take my shoes off. Airport floors are gross. Ashley, being more nervous than I am about flying, decided she needed a shot before we got on the plane. Me, being the supportive (or enabling—your call) friend, bought a shot, too. We toasted to our girls’ weekend + threw our shots back.
I boarded the plane about 60 some people before Ashley because I have Southwest A-List + therefore, an early boarding position most of the time. I boarded, ended up in my preferred seat again (2A), wiped down my seat + the middle seat + sat down with my purse on the middle seat to save for Ashley. Another passenger grabbed the aisle seat + a third was very annoyed when I told him someone was already sitting there. It’s not the emergency exit row, so I’m free to save it. Not to mention, Ashley would not have gotten on the flight if we couldn’t sit next to each other. Luckily, she boarded soon + we were ready to go. When the captain came on the intercom, he told us the flight was going to be pretty bumpy to start so the flight attendants would remain seated for most of the flight. Ashley + I didn’t get to use my drink coupons that I’d been saving but now we get to use them for Vegas in January + get the party started early. We spent the flight talking to our seatmate who was on his second flight that morning. He was from Boston but originally from Miami, a Dolphins fan + heading to Minneapolis to see the Dolphins/Vikings game with his brother. We shared travel stories + stories about college. Before long we were landing in Minneapolis + Ashley + I were ready to go.
Once we grabbed our bags, we followed the signs in the airport to the Light Rail. I should have tracked on my Fitbit how long we walked because you basically walk the length of the terminal, head up the escalator, walk for what seems like forever, go down an escalator + you’re at the station. We grabbed tickets + it seemed odd to us that there was no way to scan, swipe or punch them prior to or as we boarded the train. Three stops later + we’d reached the end of the line. We headed upstairs + outside to make our way to the hotel. The route isn’t really suitcase friendly as there’s a pretty long stretch without sidewalks, but we made it safely to our hotel.
AC Hotel by Marriott Bloomington Mall of America is a beautiful hotel. I’ve stayed at the AC Hotel in Chicago a few times + have really enjoyed it. This was just as wonderful if not better. Meriden welcomed us to AC Hotel + to Bloomington + from that moment on, we felt like we were home. Meriden asked what brought us to Bloomington + we laughed as we said “the mall” together + I added that I was a few flights short of maintaining my A-List with Southwest, so I dragged Ashley on a trip with me. Meriden asked if I traveled a lot for work + I said “No, I’m a travel blogger.” She thought that was really cool + I said it hadn’t taken off yet but was hoping it would soon. She reminded me that it’s all about passion which inspired me to get my ish together to write these travel week posts. She kindly offered us complimentary breakfast tickets, which was so sweet. She was able to check us in early, so we could drop off our bags, freshen up + get on our way—but not before we got to take in our beautiful room. The TV was turned on to the information channel with a welcome message addressed to me + while that’s a thing at fancier hotels, I just get so excited when my name is there. The rooms are modern, the beds are comfy + there are always enough outlets. A hotel I stayed at in LA this year had almost no outlets, so I’ve become even more appreciative of outlets.
When we arrived at the mall, the first thing we wanted was lunch, but we wanted to store our coats for the day. We rented a $6 locker that you can access as many times as you like + set off in search of Wahlburgers for lunch. Unfortunately, the wait was going to be at least an hour + we were too hungry to wait. So we quickly scanned the food court for something to eat + decided on Melt Shop. Remember Melt Shop from my Eight Hours in NYC post? Yep, same chain. The MOA location is the only non-East Coast location. We ordered patty melts + tots + smiled as we ate our first bites. Honestly, I’m sure we’d have reacted the same way to whatever we were going to eat but dang it was good. Ashley got cheesy tots while I got “plain” tots with a side of Melt Sauce.
One of our first stops after lunch was to the Old Time Photos store where I all but begged Ashley to do a photo with me + offered to pay for it to get her on board. I LOVE old time photos + have only taken two prior to this weekend: one in South Dakota with my family in a Civil War style and one at the Illinois State Fair with my friend Lisa in a western style when I’d first moved to Springfield. Ashley asked to do western again, so we donned corsets, skirts, pears + fishnets (mine would not cooperate—it was rather annoying. After some photos staged by the photographer, we staged our own + that’s the one we bought. My mom rolled her eyes, but it was totally worth it.
After our trip to the old west, we headed to Sea Life aquarium. I’ve been to a few aquariums of note: Chicago, Baltimore, Dubai. But nothing is quite like Sea Life. It’s on the smaller side but most of your time is in the walk through area where fish, sharks + turtles swim beside + above you. It’s really cool! We stayed for the Turtle Talk as turtles are Ashley’s favorite animals. We learned about the difference between turtles (completely underwater creatures except when they lay eggs), tortoises (completely land creatures) + terrapins (they spend much time on land + in the water). They also told us about the three sea turtles they have at the aquarium. You probably know that sea turtles are an endangered species so the only way an aquarium can have them is if they can’t survive in the wild on their own. The first sea turtle we saw was a green sea turtle named Seymour. She was hit by a boat in the Gulf of Mexico which damaged the side of her shell. Now air can get in her shell + she floats. They call this “bubble butt syndrome.” They are able to keep her in the water with weights they attach to her shell, but because the scoots on turtle shells are shed (+ she likes to rub against the sides of the tank to get hers off), Seymour gets to stay at the aquarium. The other two sea turtles are Calypso + Emilio + they are loggerheads. Calypso is a very stubborn turtle + repeatedly beaches herself in the wild so after being rescued several times, they could tell she needed a safer home. Emilio was brought in to the aquarium in a Cool Whip container with a J shaped tail + missing part of his right foot. He’s doing alright now, as he’s now over 16 lbs! The aquarium tour ends with a visit to the sting ray pool + we would have stayed to feed them, but it was so warm in the aquarium we were anxious to find something to drink. Next time!
After acquiring a bottle of water, we put our name in for a table at Wahlburgers + really began shopping. Our first spot was Live Love Dream where I spent $52 on leggings + long sleeve shirts. Finding good leggings is getting to be so difficult because sometimes I just want good cotton ones to lounge in or throw on under a dress, but I don’t want to put real activewear on because my solid black ones are never plain. Then we headed to PINK to grab more leggings, a sweatshirt, a coffee cup that I did not need + a face mask Ashley grabbed for part of a gift. Wahlburgers texted + it was time for dinner!
I dragged my parents to Wahlburgers in Boston last year + really enjoy it so I was VERY excited to have another opportunity to go. Ashley hadn’t been yet, so I was also excited to bring her as well. We started with glasses of sangria while we decided what to order. Ashley ordered mac & cheese with a side of pasta salad while I had the Our Burger, swapping “government cheese” out for white cheddar, + French fries. We talked strategy over our meals for the rest of our day + for our evening. We sought out the Minnesota stores where I bought a shot glass, a sweatshirt + a gift for one of my aunts. We also popped into one of the mall’s liquor stores + got a flight of cookie dough at Dough Dough before collecting our jackets + heading back to the hotel.
We dropped off our bags + took a Lyft to Total Wine Bloomington. Why? Because we listen to the Wine & Crime podcast + when they don’t get their wine from Winc, Amanda gets it from Total Wine. That’s why we had to go to Total Wine. I mean it’s the same reason people go see the apartment building from Friends or the house from Full House. Our Lyft drivers both ways were very confused as to why we had to go so far (seven minutes) to get wine. We had to explain Wine & Crime to them. They had no idea that pop culture was happening right in their own back yard! We spent an inordinate amount of time trying to choose wines, hoping we might agree on something Minnesotan but that proved to be impossible + we each got our own bottles.
When we got back to the hotel, I was way too tired to grab a drink at the bar, so we came upstairs, put PJs on + turned on Fuller House. I also got struck by the munchies somehow + had to order Grub Hub. Soon after I finished my food + we finished two episodes we decided to turn on Friends to settle in + fall asleep. I don’t remember Friends even starting. I was out!
The next morning, we got dressed, packed up the room, checked out, dropped our bags for the day + sat down at a table by the windows for breakfast. Breakfast at AC Hotel was anything but ordinary with fresh cheese, quiche, bread + meats, it really fit the hotel chain’s modern European style. You could still get your cereal but there was no suspicious-looking vat of scrambled eggs in sight. Thank goodness. The nicest touch? The milk selection. Having a diary sensitivity, I typically tend to pass on milk, especially at hotels. Occasionally, a hotel will offer soy milk, but that’s not really my jam + I’ll just go without. But much to my surprise + gratitude, there was also almond milk as an offering that I split between my Special K + my coffee. After staging the stereotypical influencer breakfast spread photo, we enjoyed our breakfast + discussed all our must dos for the day.
My first purchases of the day were a replacement pair of my favorite UGGs + a new fleece from The North Face. The UGGs I wore are five years old + it’s about time to retire them. My new ones are even taller + so much warmer. Here’s hoping I get to take them on some cool adventures next year! The new fleece wasn’t planned. I had actually been looking at a new puffer vest, but you show me those fluffy Otiso jackets + it’s done. How many do I have? Please don’t ask. We also made a stop at the Mall of America stores + I wished I’d waited to buy my shot glass until we went there but unfortunately it was already packed away in my suitcase. That didn’t stop me from buying a MOA quarter zip for me + MOA chocolate bars for mom. Soon we realized we needed to stash hour bags, so we could go to Nickelodeon Universe (the theme park) so we ended up needing two lockers that day. But the XL lockers are only $8 + you can access them as many times as you want!
We purchased the unlimited ride wristband for $35.99 + set off for our first ride—the carousel. We were both pleasantly surprised that the carousel went around at least eight times. We’ve both been personally victimized by carousels that barely go around twice. I also got to ride on a horse with flowers, like my favorite carousel horse on the carousel at Magic Kingdom. But the only reason I have a favorite horse at MK is because Snow White told me at seven years old that the horse with the yellow flowers was her favorite so that became my favorite, too! We rode the Splat-O-Sphere, their “Giant Drop,” which was totally not scary. But my hand was not the same after letting Ashley squeeze the life out of it. Next was the Fairly Odd Coaster, a four-person car that whips + spins around a roller coaster track. Ashley refuses to ride roller coasters with me after I dragged her on the roller coaster at Santa Monica Pier last year. So I rode “by myself” with three other kids. I really liked this one! Next, we hopped on El Circulo Del Cielo, the Dora the Explorer-themed ferris wheel. This ride was another pleasant surprise as we made five complete passes before it was time to get off the ride + it was the perfect time to make a quick FaceTime call to my sister who was incredibly jealous that she couldn’t join us. The biggest disappointment came next when the only Rugrats ride was the little kids’ bumper cars + we couldn’t ride them. The “big kid” bumper cars were not as cool, but we rode them anyway. I rode the Pepsi Orange Streak by myself as my last ride. This is the long roller coaster featured in Mary-Kate + Ashley’s “Meet You at the Mall” video. Again, this is another ride I rode alone because Ashley was not getting on. There were more rides I would have ridden, + Ashley would have waited, but it’s not as fun to ride them by yourself, so I’m saving those for when I come back with my mom + sister next year.
We decided to seek out lunch next + decided on Dick’s Last Resort. Despite having one in Chicago, neither of us had ever been but luckily, we were familiar with the concept. We had a hilarious waiter who kept yelling at Ashley for being on her phone. She had crab cakes + a Coke while I enjoyed a buffalo chicken wrap + a Moscow Mule. I’ve been drinking those pretty frequently lately + I’m trying to tell myself they’re healthy. But what did our hats say? We were sure Ashley’s would have something to do with her phone, but it did not. Mine was put on first + Ashley laughed, but I LOST IT when our waiter put Ashley’s hat on her head. I mean had I been drinking water or a sip of my mule, it would have come out of my nose. #gross. Before we left lunch, we made our plans for the remainder of the afternoon. We definitely wanted to see what the Crayola Experience was about, visit the game store that my friend Dan recommended + Carlo’s Bake Shop (Cake Boss). I also said that if we found the body piercing place, I was going to get another cartilage piercing, as if the 11 holes in my ears weren’t enough. So off we went.
The Crayola Experience wasn’t far from Dick’s + while definitely geared toward children, we were sold when the woman at the ticket counter told us we’d have the opportunity to make our own crayons. We were sold! That’s what we wanted to do. I already had dreams of a pale pink with gold shimmer + I knew Ashley’s would be hot pink with no sign of sparkle anywhere. The woman at the ticket counter suggested coming back after 5:00 so tickets would be half price but unfortunately that was after we had to leave for our flight. She asked if we were students, teachers, or military. We aren’t. So then she asks if our birthday was “yesterday, today or tomorrow” + when we were about to say “no,” she said “just say ‘yes.’” So we did. We had our cards out to pay but then she handed us free tickets! So kind! When our tickets were scanned, we were handed a plastic bag with two tokens. We used the tokens to name our own crayons. I printed a purple crayon for my sister named “Purple Snow,” because her nicknames are “Snowflake,” “Snowy” + “Snow,” (you can thank me for that nonsense—she was born in June) + a pink for myself named “Princess Chellie Pink.” Ashley printed “Princess Ashley Pink” (I stole the name from her) + Turtle Lady Green. We used a machine to wrap the crayons + they looked super official. We ventured on to stations where you could print yourself onto a coloring sheet + airbrush with melted crayon. There were a few other stations that we bypassed in search of the crayon making. We got in line to find out that, yeah, you’re making a crayon, but not in the way we thought. Your color selection is made for you—you grab an unwrapped crayon from a box (I chose purple) + you put it into a machine to make a car, a cow or a ring. Ashley + I chose rings. Our crayons were melted down, poured into a mold + blasted with air to dry. The air in my machine blew too hard + I was left with a really wonky-looking ring that had swirls of previous colors in it. As we ventured into the gift shop, both Ashley + I were very glad we did not pay for our time at the Crayola Experience. It definitely was not worth the $21 we could have paid. In the gift shop they had featured crayons + markers of the year with several dating to 1990 + 1993—mine + my sister’s birth years, respectively. I thought it might be cool to put together a little pack of crayons from our years, but they only had large tins for crayon selection + it didn’t look like the crayons were individually labeled. Since I didn’t want more than about seven crayons, this seemed wasteful + unnecessary so I saved my money.
We exited the Crayola Experience + made our way to Carlo’s Bake Shop. While I don’t eat sweets, there was no way I could come there + not bring something home for my mom + sister since we’ve logged so many hours watching Cake Boss. When it was my turn to place an order, I explained to the baker that I was in need of something I could freeze for a week since I was flying to Chicago + my sister wasn’t flying in for another six days. I quickly explained that I knew it wouldn’t be as good as it would be fresh, but that I really didn’t have another option. I could see the relief in the baker’s face when acknowledged this + she explained that anything with yeast is a no go because it’ll basically disintegrate in the freezer. The eclairs, cheesecakes + cannoli were out as well since they’re perishable + I’d need them out of the refrigerator for several hours. Makes sense. We decided on the turtle brownies + I had three boxed up—one for mom that night because that’d be so unfair of me to ask her to wait + two for tomorrow when my sister gets in for them to share. I ordered a butter croissant for myself that I ate when I arrived home that night.
Continuing on, we came across the body piercing place so because I said I was going to do it, we were doing it! Well I was doing it + Ashley was going to hold my hand because she’d crushed mine earlier. #payback. I went in to inquire about the price which ended up being much more than I wanted to spend by a lot but it’s not like there was a Piercing Pagoda anywhere that I could find. So I picked out an earring + we waited…. + we waited…. + we waited. We watched other piercing hopefuls enter +, after their paperwork was completed, be told there was an hour wait. I was really irritated. I wish they would have told me when I came in but with no one else in the store, I figured the wait wouldn’t be that long, yet it was. Apparently, they only had one piercer working that day, which contributed to the wait, + Ashley noticed that the three-person party ahead of me kept swapping out jewelry. We waited about 40 minutes before I inquired about how much more of a wait there’d be. We only had a little less than two hours left at the mall before we had to grab our luggage + head to the airport. I was told we had about 20 more minutes, so we headed to the game store around the corner where I picked up a few gifts + returned after 18 minutes. We still had to wait another 20 + they were very apologetic, but don’t try to get a piercing that close to when you have a flight. You’ll stress yourself out + bleed like I did. I don’t think I’ve ever bled from a piercing before but by the next night it didn’t even hurt anymore + it’s on my left sleeping side so I consider it a win.
By the time my piercing was finished, we had just under an hour left at the mall + we decided we wanted to mini golf but when a group of six who were totally not in line said they were already in line cut in front of us + lackadaisically walked into the entrance after paying, we knew there wouldn’t be enough time for us to finish the course so we sat outside while Ashley munched on one of her finds from Carlo’s. We then decided we should probably just grab our bags + jackets from our lockers + get heading just in case. But we couldn’t leave without hitting the Nickelodeon stores. We found the cutest (+ comfiest) Chuckie Finster (he’s a character in Rugrats for you youngins out there) sleepers (y’all call them onsies but a onsie is the little body suit you put on a baby. Don’t @ me.) I wasn’t going to get one, but I would have the worst FOMO if I didn’t. I have literally slept in it every night since + it is so hard to get up in the morning because I’m so cozy. Aside from my boots, this is probably my favorite purchase + what I’ve gotten the most use out of so far, including my UGGs.
I thought the walk with just our shopping bags was hard. It wasn’t, but I wouldn’t realize that for about 20 minutes. We grabbed our bags from the concierge + proceeded to pack all our treat yo self-s into our suitcases making use of the large, living room-like lobby. We then headed across the street with our bags. Remember when I said the route from the mall isn’t suitcase friendly? Well it’s even worse going back to the mall with suitcases because of a slight incline you don’t notice walking, not to mention I had two suitcases to push this time. But we got in, down the stairs, bought tickets + got on the train very quickly which was much welcomed.
When we arrived at the airport + made the very long, wind-y walk back to the terminal, there was no one + I mean NO ONE checking in for flights. We walked right up to the A-List counter, checked our three bags + walked over to the empty security line. This airport was dead, which is totally fine with me. We browsed the extended gate area to find our only real options for dinner were a Minnesota Wild bar (yuck!), a sit down Mexican place (my vote) + Subway (Ashley’s vote). In an effort to save money, we went with Subway + settled down at our gate to enjoy our “last meal” together. Not that I wouldn’t see her a few days after Christmas to have our own Christmas celebration with our other BFF Stephanie, but that “trip-is-over-airport-meal” is a real bummer. We watched as the other flight to Chicago got more + more delayed + the 77 empty seats we were going to have get filled up by passengers with layovers in Chicago + continuing on to other cities get put on our flight, but I’ll give up the comfort of an empty middle seat to ensure as many people reach their destination, especially on a Sunday night. Southwest has always been so great to me when I’ve needed an alternate flight, so it would be ridiculously unfair if I didn’t want others offered the same opportunity. After a flight that was noticeably bumpier than our first (but we still got inflight service this time—hello ginger ale! Come to mama!), we arrived 30 minutes early (Go Southwest!), waited for our bags + headed home.
For a first visit to MOA, I think we crushed it. I stayed on budget + didn’t spend more than I’d planned. But this trip wouldn’t have been nearly as special without Ashley, Southwest + AC Hotel by Marriot Bloomington Mall of America. Thank you so much for making flights 24+25 + my last trip of 2018 so memorable! That’s a wrap on travel week, the last-minute trips that renewed my Southwest A-List + on most of my blog posts for the year. I have one in the works as a wrap up that if I’m not resting too much, I’ll have up by the 30th. Happy belated Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, Happy whatever you celebrate. If the holidays are hard for you, know that they are for me, too, + I empathize so much. If this time is the best ever for you, I hope it continues to be that for you. I’m signing off for the weekend!
xo.
