Global Wandering

Clifton Mill - Clifton, Ohio

We spent the last week visiting family, friends and the fall colors of Ohio. The weather was beautiful, but we were a week early for the peak foliage. On our return, the connection through Minneapolis was delayed five hours. I’ve learned it doesn’t do any good to complain about travel delays. All it does is tick off the gate agents, and I fly enough that they do their best to accommodate. So instead, we took the light rail train to the Mall of America (MOAM). Somewhere I never would have gone without Delta’s encouragement.

The Mall of America is like any other mall in the United States. Just bigger. 4.2 million square feet of building space according to their website. 520 stores, 50 restaurants, 12,550 parking spaces, and one LEGO Imagination Center (where we spent most of our time).

LEGO Imagination Center I didn’t see any stores that I hadn’t already seen at another mall somewhere in the country. Of course, one doesn’t go to MOAM to shop at unique retail outlets. One goes to find the familiar; hundreds of name brand shops under the same roof, plus a rollercoaster, Ferris wheel, and log flume for those who want to relax at the amusement park after a long day of shopping.

Breanna in Pink watching LEGO Races I don’t think I’ll go back ⎯ unless I’m stuck in Minneapolis again. MOAM already looks dated. The best malls today, such as Flat Iron Crossing near Boulder, combine both indoor and outdoor shopping, and incorporate a lot of natural stone and wood in their construction.

This unexpected side trip got me thinking about other interesting places I’ve visited courtesy of unscheduled flight delays or reroutings. Here are some of the more memorable ones:

My son, Bret, and I visited a near-empty Disneyland in late September 2001 after our San Diego flight was canceled and we were rerouted to Los Angeles.

I spent a five hour delay in Omaha during December 2000 finishing my holiday shopping at the mall.

A lengthy delay in Chicago several years ago gave me enough time to eat at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants – Topolobampo

Of course for every pleasant side trip due to a travel delay there were many more where I was trapped for hours in the air while the plane circumvented thunderstorms. I once spent six hours flying from New Orleans to Dallas. A flight that typically takes an hour and fifteen minutes.

By year end, I will have flown a million miles on Delta Airlines. Surprisingly, I still like to travel. I still prefer window seats. And I still get my best ideas and best writing done while flying across country. I loath the day when they permit cell phones calls while in the air.