Minnesota

We flew from Newark to Minneapolis today and it seemed like a good move, as New York was both Grey and breezy. Newark Airport is quite something as just about every seat in it has an iPad from which you can order and pay for everything from a sandwich to a bottle of Champagne. Our United flight was on time and moving west we gained an hour, too. Minneapolis Airport was vote the best airport in the US for the last two years and it certainly seemed to be a nice place to pass through. One soon hears the pleasant sing-song voices of the locals and its hard to imagine any of them managing to sound angry! Collecting the hire-car was interesting. We selected a Ford since it was already Sirus-radio ready, but trying to start it proved interesting. Of course, it had a button starter, but was so quiet that we couldn't hear the engine!! Anyway, once the minor glitches were ironed out, we headed out to the Springhill Suites, a nice hotel close t the Mall of America. Of course, we had to visit the latter and it certainly is a big place. Its four-floor shopping paradise with a funfair at its centre ..... but no neo-Roman statues, unlike our very own Trafford Centre. Unfortunately there was nothing that we wanted to see on the in-house cinema and dinner at Bubba Gumps was a sadly disappointing ..... Run Forest Run!!

Finally, today's musical sampler .... Del Shannon's "Palasades Park"; nothing to do with shopping but indicative of the goings on in the Mall of America's epicentre!