Why is “Google” written in Legos today?
It’s to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lego brick! The Lego brick used today was patented on January 28th, 1958. Legos are the greatest toy in the history of mankind and the kid in me was fortunate enough to visit the Lego Imagination Center at the Mall of America this past weekend and see just a few of the 19 billion LEGO pieces that are produced every year. I just wish I had a store like this near my house when I was growing up.
As for the Mall of America, with over 520 stores, it is still only the second or third largest enclosed mall in the United States in terms of retail space (depending on how you measure the space) but it is largest in terms of total enclosed floor area. The amusement park in the middle of the mall takes up a good part of the floor space.
I was surprised to find out that the mall requires no heating beyond what the skylights and electric lights provide and air conditioners are run year round to keep the air comfortable. In the US, the King of Prussia mall in Philedelphia is 1st in terms of retail space (largest US malls). Globally, the Mall of America is only 20th in retail space. I was expecting the mall to stay open later than 10 PM on the weekend though.
Here are some pictures of my visit:
More pictures here:
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| Mall of America, 2008-01-25 |