Tiger Sushi

Tiger Sushi is a hot little sushi bar that is located inside the Mall of America. They have a strong reputation for creating a twist of cultures and flavors. Tiger Sushi has amazing sushi and sashimi, as well as a full menu of soups, salads, spring rolls, potstickers, grilled chicken and beef kushiyaki, wine, beer, and sake. The atmosphere is very sophiticated and contemporary but the energy is very lively and playful. And the sushi is, of course, legendary. They also have catering and party trays available for you to look into.

Bubba Gump!

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. is located in the Mall of America in Minnesota. There is also a location in Chicago that I have been to. This is by far one of my favorite restaurants. It is based off of one of my favorite movies, Forrest Gump. This restaurant is a shrimp lovers dream come true! They make their shrimp boiled, fried, baked, steamed, any way you like it. If you don't like shrimp but still want seafood, Bubba didn't forget about you, they also have an assortment of other favortie seafoods. Now let's say you don't like any seafood at all, they didn't forget about you either. They also have chicken entrees and steak entrees. My favorite part about the restaurant is the "Run Forrest Run" and "Stop Forrest Stop" signs that they have located on your table so you can tell your waiter/waitree when you need them without trying to yell over the crowd. I also enjoyed the fun atmosphere that you experience from the moment you walk through the door. This is by far one of my favorite place to eat.

~Helping the Minnesota Zoo~

Whenever I go to the zoo, I always feel bad that I can’t take the animals home with me. Seeing all the different exotic animals makes my want to own a baby tiger or a penguin. I have wanted to have the chance to help the zoo and the animals, I just never knew how. We were planning our trip to Minnesota, and I was looking up information about the Minnesota Zoo. Well I found, on their website, a place where you can donate money to help the zoo and in a way, take a piece of the zoo and animal home with you. “With any animal sponsorship of $50 or more, you will receive a sponsorship certificate, a photograph, fun animal facts, and the satisfaction of knowing you are making a difference! At the $100 level, you will also receive The World That We Want by Kim Michelle Toft, a children’s book about conservation. At the $250 level, you will also receive a personalized plaque!” I got one for my seven year old cousin. He loves sharks and he was so excited. He knows all of the fun facts by heart and it came with a plush whitetip reef shark. I felt so good about getting him a fun present and still being able to help out the zoo.

~Pesky Mosquitoes~

Between my sophomore and junior year of high school I went with my family camping in Minnesota. I was so excited, I had never been there and my mom told me all about the beautiful lakes and how at some of the lakes were amazing for fishing. I have always been a tomboy and my mom was too when she was growing up. My grandfather, before he retired, ran a Boy Scout camp in Colorado Springs. So while my mom was growing up, she would spend most of summers camping out and just hanging with the boys. My mom passed her tomboy genes on to me and we couldn’t wait to go camping.

The camp ground we went to was gorgeous, there weren’t many people there and the lake was huge. We set up camp in the late afternoon and we were getting ready to start dinner, when the mosquitoes came out by the thousands. I couldn’t believe how many there were. Within minutes I had a dozen bug bites and couldn’t stop scratching and the bug spray wasn’t helping. We had to retreat to our tent, but someone (a.k.a. my little brother) forgot to zip the tent up all the way, so the mosquitoes still got in our tent! That first night was miserable; I could feel the bug bites and couldn’t stop starching them. Then next morning we made a special trip to the closest bait shop, that was a thirty minute drive from camp, to see if they had a solution to the misquotes. Of course the guy behind the counter wasn’t aware that there was a misquote problem. He had lived in Minnesota all his life, so he was use to the mosquitoes. He didn’t have any useful tips. So we just had to deal with the mosquitoes. Other than the mosquitoes, our trip was incredible. We had time to just relax and enjoy the stunning scenery. We want to go back sometime, but we will just have to find a way to discourage those dreaded misquotes.

~Mall of America~

I have visited the Mall of America, which so happens to be the largest, fully enclosed retail and family entertainment complex in the U.S. I had no idea how big it was until we pulled up to the parking lot; even then, I didn’t know what I was in for. My mom and I definitely had a game plan going in. My mom has been to the Mall of America before, so she had some tips on how to shop there. We mapped out what stores we wanted to visit and found the best routes to each store. We had read online, that spending 10 minutes in every store would take a shopper more than 86 hours to complete their visit to Mall of America. I love to shop as much as the next girl, but 86 hours in a mall…Not to mention that there is no way that I can find clothes, try them on, and get the best deals in under 10 minutes. Thankfully my mom and I wanted to go to most of the same stores. My dad and my little brother decided their time would be best spent at Nickelodeon Universe and all of the sports stores.

After a few hours of shopping, my mom and I decided that we needed to take a break and just sit and relax. We met up with my dad and my little brother and decided to stop at Caribou Coffee. It was a really cute coffee shop that had a relaxing atmosphere that helped us unwind for a little bit. We exchanged our shopping experiences and heard about the adventures on the rides. It was fun to be able to do something that my mom and I enjoyed and not have to worry about my dad and little brother being bored. After we finished our coffee, us girls of course did more shopping. Two hours, 3 blisters, and another cup of coffee later, my mom and I couldn’t shop anymore. Our hands and feet were killing us, our arms were about to fall off and I could barely move my feet. But I had a sense of accomplishment and I had gotten some really great deals, so I wasn’t complaining too much. Later we found out that the walking distance around one level of Mall of America is .57 of a mile! No wonder I was so tired…That’s a long walk considering we visited each level and got lost a few times.

I had the time of my life and got really great deals, what more could a girl want. My mom and I still talk about how much fun we had and we are planning a girl’s trip back to the Mall of America. There was something for everyone there and for really good prices. I suggest that if you are a true shopper, that you have to visit the Mall of America at least once.