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There is a new food court in the Mall of America.  It is located on the third floor on the north side of the Mall, appropriately named, Culinary on North.  It is designed for those who want a fast casual style of dining.  There are many dining options currently open with many scheduled to open soon, they include:

Shake Shack – Meatball Spot – Little Tokyo – A&W – Panda Express

Great Steak & Potato – Qdoba – Burger King – Piada – Naf Naf Grill

This new food court is part of the new phase of the Mall of America’s expansion.  It includes the JW Marriott Hotel and office space, that opens up onto Lindau Ave.

Now open at the Mall is ME 3D, located on the third level 356 E Broadway.  Three dimensional printing has come along way in recent years and now is available to experience at the Mall of America.  The first thing you will notice when entering the store is the 360 degree photo booth and looks like something out of Star Trek.  After stepping into the photo booth, you need to stay completely still for five seconds.  There are sixty different cameras that simultaneously capture you from all different angles. The total time to capture your image will take around 30 seconds and you have to stand totally still for an accurate image to be formed  The photos are then converted into a 3D format.  Models are then printed and ready to ship in about 14 days.

Some of the more popular models are children playing their favorite sports, a person’s profession, and pets.  Prices vary from $95 to $545 depending on which model you choose.

Here is a link to there site to check it out for yourself.

http://me3dstore.com/

Masu Sushi & Robata is located on the third floor 344 South Avenue among the many other restaurants in this area.  It has a very open feel that keeps you connected to the on goings of the mall, but also provides enough privacy for a nice sit down meal.  The atmosphere is modern twist to a traditional Japanese sushi place.  There is a full bar that sits along one side of the restaurant, with plenty of seating.  There are also nice large booth seating for larger groups to get comfortable and share some great food.

Masu has a good selection of starter items ranging from Steamed Edamame to Seaweed Salad with Snow Crab.  Above is the Duck Gyoza with Scallion and Plum Soy Dipping Sauce.   This was some of the best tasting Gyoza I have had.  They were perfectly cooked, had a nice spice finish to them and a zesty crunch and taste provided by the scallions.  All of the flavors blended well with the duck and was nicely balanced.

The sushi at Masu in one word was “fresh”.  The presentation was beautiful, yet simple.  The Spicy Tuna Rolls had a tasty spicy mayo combined with tuna, gobo, avocado, lettuce and chive.  The California Rolls were not complicated, which allowed the snow crab, avocado, cucumber and masago flavors to flow through.  Even with all of these tasty ingredients, the one item that stuck out most was the ginger.  I love putting this on top of the rolls and this ginger was potent.  It had a strong finish and provided a nice finish to a great piece of sushi.

Hard Rock Cafe

There are many really cool music artifacts throughout the restaurant.  Above are outfits worn by Minneapolis’ own Prince, or Prince Roger Nelson, as he was known to those who grew up with him.  His influence can be seen in many parts of the restaurant.  Another local boy made good, is Bob Dylan.  There are some handwritten lyrics by Dylan in one of the booths dedicated to him.

There are many Beatles and Rolling Stones artifacts, along with many other artists.  Take your time walking around the place to take a look.  Even though you’ll be looking over someones shoulder as they eat, most will understand what you’re doing.  As you make your way to the restrooms, you’ll notice Paula Abdul’s dress from her video “Cold Hearted Snake”.

The food is decent, with many options.  They also have several signature drinks.  They are a little pricey, but tasty non the less.  The Nachos was nice to split while people watching.  We sat out on the patio which extends into Nickelodeon Universe.   This is a good option if you have kids and want to keep them entertained.  Otherwise, you can sit inside where there is often live entertainment.

Most of the food is on the heavy side, but the have a lighter fare as well.  The salads are large enough to be a complete meal.

Fans of the movie Forrest Gump will love the Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant.  Or maybe your just in the mood for some fun entertainment and tasty shrimp.   Eitherway, there is plenty to see with all of the look alike props from the movie and waitstaff trained in all things Forrest Gump. 

The traditional Shrimp Cocktail is  a good way to start of the meal, with its zesty sauce, it gets the juices going.  If your really in the mood for some shrimp, get the Shrimpers’ Net Catch.  This peel and eat shrimp steamed in beer is a hands on meal.  The Cajun Spice seasoning adds to the delicious flavor of the shrimp.

Above are some tasty entrees that blend Bubba’s shrimp with some other flavorful foods.  The Shrimp and Veggie Skewers comes with Jasmine Rice and the shrimp have a very nice grilled seasoning taste.  Shrimp New Orleans is an authentic spicy recipe direct from the French Quarter.  The shrimp is broiled with butter, garlic and spices.  The shrimp at Bubbs Gump’s is fresh and succulent.  They also have other seafood if shrimp isn’t your thing.

The Steamed Shellfish is a mix of steamed Mussels, Clams, Snow Crab, Lobster Claw and Shrimp.  Served with Jasmine Rice and a side of Mama’s best Garlic Bread.   Looks can be deceiving with this entree, there is a lot to eat in this dish.   It is very tasty and makes you work for your food by doing some cracking to get to the tender meat.

Some of the most fun of Bubba Gump’s is provided by the staff.   You might want to brush up and watch the movie again before you go, because staffers will ask you trivia questions about Forrest and Bubba.  Put the Blue “Run Forrest Run” sign out to let the staff know you’re fine and don’t need anything or flip it to the red “Stop Forrest Stop” when you need something.

Don’t forget to put on Forrest’s running shoes, take a seat on the bench and get your box of chocolates.

If you are a fan of the movie and like seafood, Bubba Gump Shrimp is a fun place to eat, but it is not a cheap.  The Mall of America’s location is very similar to other Bubba Gump’s  Unlike life being like a box of chocolates, where “You’ll never know what you’ll get”.  At Bubba Gump’s your guaranteed a fun time with good shrimp.

There is always so much to see and do at the Science Museum of Minnesota and the newest exhibit Space, an Out of Gravity Experience does not disappoint.   The experience begins with a short film about space exploration.  Then the exhibit opens up to a ton of hands on experiments, video tutorials and a rotating replica of the inside of the International Space Station.

Visitors step inside a mock representation of the Space Station with all of its control panels and items needed for a lengthy time in space.  All of which rotates around you as you listen to the informational audio program.  It does give you a feeling of movement and gives you the sense that there is no up, down or sideways in space.  There are handrails to hold onto if you feel dizzy and there are exits on both sides if you need to leave before the presentation is complete.

There are many artifacts, like Niel Armstrong’s gloves used in space and what astronauts eat while in space.  The most impressive part of the exhibit is the hands on activities for kids and adults alike.  During holidays and weekends, these activities can be very busy and you may have to wait in line, but they move fast enough where everyone eventually gets a turn.  Lastly, there is a video on your way out of the exhibit that is easily overlooked.   It shows what life might be like for the future of travel in space from a tourists perspective.  It shows scenes like a traveler looking at the rings of Saturn from a balcony of a ship and cliff jumping from 3 mile crevices of a distant moon.  These scenes are breathtaking and is worth watching before leaving the exhibit.

When: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun., Tue. and Wed., 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Thu.-Sat.

Where: Science Museum of Minnesota, 120 Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul.

Info: www.smm.org

For an additional fee, you can watch the Journey to Space Omnitheater film.  This was one of the best Omnitheatre films I have seen for some time.  They did a great job of showing the history of America’s space exploration, the set backs, and the advances made.  The most fascinating portion of the show is the future of our space exploration.  They went into great detail about plans of sending a manned mission to Mars.  The two and a half year mission posses many issues that need to be solved and they do a great job reviewing all of possibilities.

The film is a must see and the cost is only an additional $7 more for non members.  After a long day of touring the museum and exploring the attractions, being able to put your head back and watch this film is a nice respite.

Speaking of taking a break, there is a nice snack bar located on the lowest level of the museum.  It has a good balance of sandwiches, pizzas, and healthy snacks.   Take in views of the Mississippi River or watch a science demonstration while you eat.  It is a nice open area that keeps you connected to the excitement of the museum.

Along with the featured exhibits that change periodically, the Science Museum has a ton of cool long term exhibits.  These include the Mississippi River Gallery, that has a beautiful view of the River and an actual to boat to explore.   The Human Body Gallery and Cell Lab have many hands on attractions and also have a lot of staff members to help explain the different experiments.   There are many other areas that can fill an entire day.  In fact, you could spend several days here and still not do everything.  It can be a little overwhelming at first.  I suggest going through as much as possible and then take a break at the snack bar, figure out what you want to go back and see after refueling and then explore the areas you want to spend more time.

IS IT WORTH IT?

Yes, if you are visiting for for more than a couple of days.  For a family it can be a little spendy, but if you spend most of the day, it is worth the money.