Category: travel

Mall of America vs West Edmonton

On By Rick McIn Islam, travel1 Comment

Jotting this from the Mall of America.

Pretty blah. Just a mall. Few special attractions. A surprising lack of variety in stores.

Statistics on the biggest and best malls of the world are contested:

The title of the largest enclosed shopping mall remains with the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada since 1986. West Edmonton Mall is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the “largest shopping centre in the world” and “world’s largest parking lot”.

One of the world’s largest shopping complexes at one location is the two-mall agglomeration of the Plaza at King of Prussia and the Court at King of Prussia in the Philadelphia suburb of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, USA. The King of Prussia mall has the most shopping per square foot in the US. The most visited shopping mall in the world and largest mall in the United States is the Mall of America, located near the Twin Cities in Bloomington, Minnesota, USA. However, several Asian malls are advertised as having more visitors, including Taman Anggrek Mal, Kelapa Gading Mall and Megamal Pluit, all in Jakarta-Indonesia, Berjaya Times Square in Malaysia and SM Megamall in the Philippines.

Beijing’s (Peking) Golden Resources Mall, opened in October 2004, is the world’s second largest mall, at 600,000 m² (approximately 6 million square ft). Berjaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is advertised at 700,000 square metres (7,530,000 sq ft). SM Mall of Asia in the Philippines, opened in May 2006, is the world’s third largest at 386,000 square metres (4,154,900 sq ft) of gross floor area. The Mall of Arabia inside Dubailand in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which will open in 2008, will become the largest mall in the world, at 929,000 square metres (9,999,700 sq ft).

Wikipedia

Actually, the Mall of Arabia does not open until 2010 according to the official website.

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Not sure what the dinosaur is doing there …

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The Dubai Mall may eclipse West Edmonton first when it opens late 2008:

dubai-mall.jpg

photos from Haida Gwaii

On By Rick McIn kayaking, photos, travelLeave a comment

Talk at the coffee shop the morning I was in Charlotte City was all about rumours that the ferry to the mainland would be closed for a month or two this Spring. Major work needs done on the pilings, some say.

Old-timers (like old-timers everywhere) wrongly and profanely claimed they didn’t need the ferry. Life was better before the ferry came to Haida Gwaii.

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At the granola health food coffee shop across the street, regulars were giddy with the idea of doing some tire-tubing behind a pick-up truck on the highway. All this snow is a novelty in a part of the world where glaciers never reached during any ice age.

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We had some doubts whether the plane would land. It did.

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I’ll be back for kayaking one day.

more pics from my one day trip to Haida Gwaii

Queen Charlotte Islands kayaking

On By Rick McIn kayaking, travelLeave a comment

The view from the window of my $25 / night room in Charlotte City looks much like this.

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source – flickr

There is a lot of snow too, unusual round here. Kind of a Snow Falling on Cedars look and feel to the landscape.

This has been the best and most unique stop over the past 2 weeks flying around on my Air Canada Pass. (I’m not the only tourist to arrive this winter simply because Sandspit, Haida Gwaii, is one of the destinations included.)

Spoke with Tourist Information this afternoon. As expected, the agent recommended a summer kayak trip being dropped by plane or boat close to the south tip of the islands. And paddling back through the National Park over 5-6 days.

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Bill Wallace and the Saskatoon crew have been talking about that for years. (… Perhaps when the rest of you retire, we can get this together.)

: )

UPDATE: Joan says we are GOING in the summer of 2009. No excuses.

Phoenix one of the Worst Towns in the USA

On By Rick McIn cycling, hiking, travelLeave a comment

My hiking week in Arizona did not work out nearly as well as hoped. You cannot get around without a personal vehicle in the SW — when will I learn?

I should have consulted Crow’s book in advance: The Worst Towns in the USA.

Phoenix he describes as the nation’s “sweatiest” city. AmTrak won’t stop here. There are barely enough backpackers to keep one small hostel open.

Phoenix really is a sprawling, one-story megalopolis that takes HOURS to commute.

Yet, despite global warming, people are still moving south and west in the USA:

map of USA

source

The highlight of my week in Arizona was biking and trail running in Phoenix.

Michael Palin – The New Europe

On By Rick McIn books, travelLeave a comment

Like most everyone, I’m a big fan of Michael Palin’s travel TV specials and books.

His latest book was of particular interest to me as I’ve only been to a couple of the 20 countries he covers in this one — Eastern Europe.

Unfortunately I found this to be the least interesting of his books to date. His adventures tame in comparison to the things he did Around the World, across the Sahara, and in the Himalaya.

Still, it’s as well written as any of his other books. I enjoyed it. But less than the rest.

New Europe

New Europe

This is his 7th travel series.

I reckon Michael Palin has at least one more in him. But which?

Outer space would be my best guess.

I am going to Haida Gwaii

On By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

Is that a holiday resort?

Sandspit is the largest community on Moresby Island, in the Queen Charlotte Islands off the Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is served by Sandspit Airport. The unincorporated community had a population of 435 persons as of the 2001 census.

Wikipedia

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I’m going. Just for a single day.

One of the dangers of having a all-you-can-fly Pass.

Queen Charlotte Islands – Wikipedia

this cat is out of here

On By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

Flying to Phoenix today.

cat.jpg

Phoenix has an arid climate, and its average annual maximum temperature is the highest of any major US city. …

Phoenix averages 85% of possible sunshine and receives scant rainfall …

Phoenix, Arizona – Wikipedia