American Dream Mall

 

In today’s blog post, I am going to write about one of the most fascinating places in the East Coast, The American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey! I was initially unsure if I wanted to write about it, as I didn’t know how far away it was, but after seeing that it’s less than an hour away on the quickest routes there, I knew that I had to write about it. It is the second largest mall in the United States, and it has so many big features that it had to open in stages, with an indoor amusement park and ice rink opening on October 25, 2019, an indoor skiing and snowboarding park opening on December 5, 2019, and an indoor water park and all the retail stores and dining establishments opening on October 1, 2020. The history of the mall is almost too long to get into, and if I try writing about all the businesses there, I will never finish writing about it anytime soon, so I will instead focus on the restaurants here, the entertainment businesses, and the indoor amusement parks, as I feel that those are the most unique features at the mall, and the ones I will have the most to say about. I will be writing about these two features at the mall in hopes that it will encourage all of you reading to go check it out.

I will be starting with the restaurants, and then working my way to the various indoor amusement parks, as I feel that starting with something standard and then finishing with the most unique features at a mall is a good way to organize this.

The first restaurant there is a diner called Around the Clock. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include Jersey disco fries, macaroni and cheese bites, bang bang shrimp, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders, cheese quesadillas, crab cakes, cheesesteak egg rolls, meatballs, chickpea hummus, French onion soup, chicken parmesan hero, pastrami or corned beef sandwich, reuben sandwich, pizza burger, grilled cheese, pulled pork sandwich, Philly cheesesteak, patty melt, buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, Nashville hot chicken sandwich, jumbo garlic shrimp, New York strip steak, fish and chips, fried chicken, meatloaf, stir fry, chicken parmesan, Margherita pizza, penne alla vodka, macaroni and cheese, donuts, cheesecake, red velvet cake, Oreo cake, carrot cake, apple pie, tiramisu, bread pudding, chocolate mousse cake, and chocolate pudding cake.

The next restaurant is an Italian restaurant called Carpaccio. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include meatballs, fried calamari and zucchini, baked eggplant, lentil soup with pasta, pasta e fagioli, broccoli and zucchini in chicken broth with tomato and pasta, veal scallopini, chicken parmesan, filet mignon, fusilli pasta, agnolotti pasta, tortellini pasta, and Margherita pizza.
The next restaurant is a barbecue restaurant called House Of ‘Que. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include crispy chicken tenders, pork belly, chips and salsa, fried pickles, Frito pie, macaroni and cheese bites, queso blanco, Texas egg rolls, barbecue quesadilla, French fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, smokey baked potato, brisket sandwich, pulled pork sandwich, spicy chicken sandwich, chicken fried steak sandwich, smoked brisket, smoked sausage, smoked half chicken, smoked pork shoulder, smoked pork ribs, peach cobbler a la mode, pecan pie a la mode, Texas sized cookie, brownie a la mode, milkshakes, and ice cream.

The next restaurant is an Asian restaurant called Little Sheep Hot Pot. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include a variety of soup bases, which are an original soup base, a spicy soup base, a mushroom soup base, a tomato soup base, and a fish maw golden chicken soup base, a variety of preparations of lamb, which are fresh cut lamb leg, prime lamb shoulder, signature lamb shoulder roll, premium spring lamb flap, lamb kebab, Mongolian style roasted lamb shank, Mongolian style roasted lamb chop, and various preparations of wagyu beef, which are Japanese A5 wagyu ribeye, Japanese A5 wagyu ribeye cap slice, Japanese A5 wagyu ribeye cap cube, and featured spicy beef. 

The next restaurant is called Marcus Live, which is from famous chef Marcus Samuelsson, and has its kitchen right in the middle of the restaurant. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include cornbread, crispy fish tacos, pork ribs, Swedish meatballs, fried calamari, broccoli cheddar soup, prime burger, smash burger, crispy chicken sandwich, Margherita pizza, truffle fries, sweet potato fries, four cheese macaroni and cheese, onion rings, fried chicken and cornbread waffles, rasta pasta, fried chicken bucket, jerk cauliflower, shrimp and grits, fried catfish, lobster and shrimp spaghetti, New York strip steak, ribeye steak, lamb chops, soft serve ice cream, cheesecake, chocolate tres leches cake, and sticky toffee pudding.

The next restaurant is an Italian restaurant called Mozzarella Bar. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include eggplant parmesan, meatballs, fried calamari and zucchini, prosciutto wrapped mozzarella, fried mozzarella, pasta e fagioli, lentil soup, Margherita pizza, penne in a vodka cream sauce, lasagna, ravioli, seafood paella, veal parmesan, skirt steak, chicken parmesan, vanilla ice cream, tiramisu, chocolate cake, and flan. 

The next restaurant is an Asian restaurant called Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include a wide variety of soup dumplings, pan fried pork and crabmeat buns, pan fried pork and beef dumplings, shrimp, pork, and vegetable wontons, shrimp and pork siu mai, steamed vegetable dumplings, crispy dough, scallion pancakes, fried vegetable and shrimp spring rolls, rice cakes, fried rice, stir fried udon noodles, noodle soup, pork and vegetable wonton soup, steamed chicken soup, black sesame custard bao, and pumpkin cake. 

The next restaurant is a Chinese restaurant called Szechuan Opera. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include wontons, dan dan noodles, spring rolls, dumplings, French fries, scallion pancakes, noodle soup, wonton soup, hot and sour soup, bao buns, lo mein, chicken fried rice, pork fried rice, beef fried rice, shrimp fried rice, mixed vegetable fried rice, sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, and kung pao shrimp.

The next restaurant is called The Gameroom Eats. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include Bavarian soft pretzel sticks, mozzarella dice, street corn dip, hummus, beef skewers, potstickers, waffle fries, cheeseburger sliders, Nashville sliders, barbecue pork sliders, chicken parmesan sliders, Margherita pizza, smash burger, macaroni and cheese smash burger, Nashville hot chicken sandwich, steak sandwich, macaroni and cheese, chicken parmesan, crispy chicken tenders, and fish and chips. 
The last restaurant is an American sports bar called Yard House. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include loaded beer cheese fries, crispy Szechuan ribs, fried calamari, onion ring tower, sliders, jumbo Bavarian pretzel, firecracker shrimp, queso dip, four cheese spinach dip, parmesan truffle fries, sweet potato fries, Wisconsin fried cheese curds, hand battered chicken tenders, chicken tortilla soup, tomato bisque, a variety of burgers, Nashville hot chicken sandwich, cheesesteak, grilled cheese and tomato bisque, carne asada taco, fish tacos, shrimp tacos, three cheese pizza, Margherita pizza, ribeye steak, filet mignon, pork chops, Szechuan crispy beef noodles, Nashville hot chicken and pancakes, macaroni and cheese, lobster garlic noodles, shrimp and chicken pad Thai, jambalaya, beer battered fish and chips, Oreo brookie, chocolate lava cake, bread pudding with creme anglaise, and cheesecake brûlée. 

The mall also has a variety of cool entertainment businesses. The first one is a high-tech gaming business called Activate. 

The next one is Angry Birds Mini Golf.

The next one is called Bubble Planet, which is described as being pastel landscapes designed to appeal to all five senses.

The next one is called Blacklight Mini Golf, which is a space themed 18 hole mini golf course.

The next one is called Blast 7D, and it is described as being the world’s first fully immersive and interactive 7D ride, combining a virtual reality experience with the thrill of a roller coaster and the excitement of a multi-player role-playing game.

The next one is called Dream Wheel, which is a Ferris Wheel that has 27 climate controlled gondolas. 

The next one is G.I. Joe Battle Station: Laser Tag.

The next one is a recent addition called Hapik Fun Climbing Gym, which features 50 unique climbing walls and 12 different ropes course challenges.

The next one is an arcade located in Nickelodeon Universe called In The Game.

The next one is the Legoland Discovery Center, which also has a location in Yonkers that I have been to.

The next one is called Mirror Maze, which features neon lights, electric beats, endless corridors, and twists and turns.

The next one is the New Jersey Hall Of Fame, which discusses the history of New Jersey’s legends through exhibits and displays.

The next one is the Sesame Street Learn & Play Educational Center. 
The next one is called Skudin Surf, which is an indoor wave pool that is open year round where people can surf.

The next one is called Sea Life Aquarium, which consists of ten aquatic exhibits.

The next one is an escape room called The Escape Game.

The last entertainment business there is The Rink at The Arena, which is an NHL regulation size ice rink.

The next feature at the mall that I am going to talk about is Big Snow. It is the first indoor ski park in North America, is a total of four acres, is covered with 5,500 tons of snow, has four different lift systems, has a climate controlled environment that is always 28 degrees Fahrenheit, and has three different trails. The first trail is a beginner trail called Lil’ Dipper, the second trail is an intermediate trail called Switchback, and the third trail is an advanced trail called Northern Lights.

The next feature at the mall that I am going to talk about is the DreamWorks Water Park. It is an indoor water park that has a single pool, 15 water slides, and 15 attractions, all of which are themed around the animated movies of DreamWorks. This park has three different types of water attractions, Kiddie, Moderate, and Total Pro. 

The Kiddie attractions include a towering multi-level play structure that features dump cups, geysers, and a tipping bucket called Kung Fu Panda Temple of Awesomeness, Madagascar themed hot tubs called Forbidden Waters, waterslides themed after the Madagascar Penguins called The Penguins Frozen Fun Zone, the Shrek themed Far Far A Bay wave pool, which is also the world’s biggest indoor wave pool, and Bubbly Lazy River, which is also the world’s longest indoor lazy river, and features DreamWorks characters splashing water on you. 

The Moderate attractions include DreamWorks Dream Runner, which is a water coaster, Trolls Rainbow Racers, which is a six lane mat racer waterslide, Dragon & Donkey’s Flight, which is a four person tube ride that drops into a spiral bowl with sudden drops and ends with a plunge out of a dragon’s mouth, a two-person tube ride called Tube It, two body slides called Zany Zigzag and Zanier Zigzag, and a two-person tube bowl slide called Lemur Leap. 

The Total Pro attractions include Thrillagascar and Jungle Jammer, which are both drop launch capsule slides, Shrek’s Sinkhole Slammer, which is a high speed multi person raft ride that plunges into a massive funnel with intense drops, Penguin Plummet and Majunga Jump, which are two high speed body slides with sudden drops into deep island waters, Mad Flush, which is a high speed body spiral slide that drops you into deep water, Surfari Slider, which is a double down drop capsule slide, and Swamp n’ Splash, which is a triple funnel slide with sudden twists and turns.

The last feature at the mall that I am going to talk about is Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park. This indoor park covers a total of eight acres, making it the Western Hemisphere’s largest indoor theme park, and it also featured two record holding roller coasters at the time of opening. Much like the water park, there are three categories for attractions, which are Junior, Family, and Thrill. 

The Junior attractions include a Convoy ride called Blaze’s Monster Truck Rally, a Junior Jets ride called Blue’s Skidoo, a swing ride called Boots’ Banana Swing, a Spinning Teacups ride called Butterbean’s Sweet Spin, a monorail type ride that takes riders on a journey across the park called Dora’s Sky Railway, a Flying Tigers ride called Fairly Odd Airways, a Samba Tower ride called Guppy Bubbler, a play area called Paw Patrol Hero Academy, a Junior Ferris Wheel called Pup, Pup, and Away, a Family Drop Tower called Ren & Stimpy’s Space Madness, a Double-Decker Carousel called Rugrats Reptar Go-Round, a circular Jump Around ride located in an enclosed building inside the park called Shimmer & Shine Jumping Genies, a meet and greet for several Nickelodeon characters called Slime Stage, a play area for kids called Slime Zone, and a Boat Whip ride called Zuma’s Zoomers. 

The Family attractions include a Rocking Tug ride called Bikini Bottom Crosstown Express, a Unicoaster ride where riders spin along a track and can control the flipping motion of their vehicle called Jimmy Neutron’s Atom Smasher, a Crazy Bus ride called The Loud House Road Trip, a Family Roller Coaster called Nickelodeon Slime Streak, a Rotating Tower Drop Tower ride called Skyline Scream, and a Wave Swinger ride called SpongeBob’s Jellyfish Jam. 

The Thrill attractions include an Air Race ride that sends riders into several inversions called Aang’s Air Gliders, a pendulum ride that takes riders in 360 degree loops in both directions called Kraang Prime Pandemonium, a roller coaster called Sandy’s Blasting Bronco that goes forward, backwards, up, down, and upside down, a roller coaster called TMNT Shellraiser, which features the world’s steepest roller coaster drop at a 121.5 degree angle, a roller coaster called The Shredder, which is the world’s tallest and longest free-spinning coaster, a Surf Rider roller coaster called Timmy’s Half-Pipe Havoc, and a ten story tall interactive ropes course called Legends of the Hidden Temple Challenge. 

Overall, there are many cool things to see and do at this mall, so head on over to New Jersey and go check it out!