American Dream Mega Mall Finally Opens Its Doors After 20 Years ?

Written by Jasmine

*Sigh* Malls, so nostalgic. Makes you think of either all the times you got in trouble, or all the times it kept you out of trouble, all from just being there with friends and enjoying being a kid.

Kids nowadays don’t have that same feeling towards malls anymore. In fact, most of them barely go! In this new digital age where everything can be bought right from the palm of your hand, people rarely leave their houses anymore for shopping. However, there’s about 4.5 million square feet of retail space that East Rutherford, New Jersey believes can change this.

It’s called American Dream, the second largest mall in the United States and third largest in North America, and it opened its doors today! Located just 10 miles outside of Manhattan, American Dream boasts an indoor ski slope, roller coaster, water park and HUNDREDS of shops and restaurants. Well, after billions of dollars spent and 20 years of planning and building invested, IT BETTER!

But, here’s the thing, will people even go? Recent credit reports predict that a quarter of American shopping malls will close by 2022, and only nine new malls have been built since 2015. So where does that leave American Dream?

Despite this, the newest mega mall is still expected to receive 40 million visitors in its first year. With more than half of its space devoted strictly to entertainment, that number seems more than realistic.

This opening was only one of several phases of openings for American Dream. So far, the mall is expected to have a bunny field, an aviary, a doggy day care and a “luxury wing”, where shoppers can experience living like royalty. There are also plans for two hotels, with rooms totaling over 3,500, to be built in the complex neighboring the mall.

Well, if you ask me, all this seems like it was worth the 20 year wait! Will you be visiting American Dream anytime soon?