By Sebastien Robillard @fashionbpm fashionbpm@gmail.com
On my last business trip to Minneapolis I found myself caught up with all day meetings. I had hoped to have more time to try out a few of the downtown restaurants but unfortunately my schedule didn’t permit it. Been close to the airport the best destination to have a choice of restaurants to choose from was heading to the mall. I had been there on previous trip but this time I really took the time to walked the mall and see everything it had to offer. Naturally there’s stores…lots of stores over 520 of them under the same roof. The mall as an amusement park in the center surrounded by 4 floors of endless shopping. There is also Sea Life Minnesota that is an underground aquarium and if roller coasters are not your thing a zip-line flies through the amusement park. Some pretty amazing stats, the mall employs 12000 workers and as 42 millions visitors a year, which explains why it was swarming even on a Monday night. Besides the size and all the action in the mall you’ll pretty much find the same stores you are used to see. For the shopaholics the Radisson Blu Hotel is attached to the mall to guarantee shopping from dusk till dawn.
While walking around I discovered Vom Fass, I got to say that this is one of the stores that really impress me with their concept which they describe as:
” The Vom Fass concept is based on a simple European tradition of sampling are before purchasing. We pride ourselves on being able to offer you a taste of our wide selection of products, ranging from artisan-produced oils and vinegar’s, to exclusive Scotch and Irish whiskeys, fine brandies, and other unique spirits liqueurs, and carefully selected wines.”
And it’s true, you can sample everything in the store and the staff is knowledgeable and helpful. I was there with a colleague and we got to taste different types of Grappa, 23 yrs old Whiskeys, Scotches and 25 yrs Cognacs. They will give you just enough to taste so don’t expect a full shot as some of those spirits are not cheap. If you like what you taste you can purchase your items in different formats from 50ml to 750ml, the same goes for their oils and vinegar’s.
I also was fortunate to be invited on a yacht for a cruise on the St-Croix river which was very relaxing after days of meetings. Scenery is very nice on the river and the paddle boats are also something pretty cool to see.
That part of the country might not seem as exiting as NYC or LA but if you visit the Twin Cities you’ll find a lot of cool activities to do and a huge mall for rainy days.
Mall of America
60 E Broadway, Bloomington, MN 55425, United States
+1 952-883-8800
Seb's Urban Adventures 