At one time Edmonton was home to the largest shopping mall in the world. This would surprise many who've visited Edmonton, as it is a nice but not particularly large city (with less than one million residents).
The honor of "world's largest mall" now belongs to theDubai Mall in the UAE. Edmonton still holds the title of "Largest shopping mall in North America", edging out the Mall of America. It covers 5.3 million square feet (500,000 square meters) and has parking for 20,000 vehicles.
The West Edmonton Mall was built by the Ghermezian brothers, Iranian immigrants who arrived in Canada in 1959. The mall opened in 1981 and grew in four phases, the 2004 completion putting it in the record books as the then largest mall in the world.
(Europa Boulevard)
It's easy to spend a full day here, although I know many families in Alberta that make the Mall a weekend destination so that their kids can enjoy the Waterpark and other attractions. The Mall draws about 30 million visitors a year (pre-Covid). While most of the stores are open during CoVid, the larger and popular amusement attractions were all closed when I visited a few weeks ago.
(BRBN ST. one of the food outlets at West Edmonton Mall)
There's a lot to see and do in at the West Edmonton Mall, which houses more than 800 stores, 10 major attractions, 2 hotels, and over 100 dining establishments. The mall spans the equivalent of 48 city blocks,
It was Easter week when I visited, and the mall had up lots of decorations themed to that holiday,...
Like all good shopping malls, there's some interesting original art, like The "Open Sea", a bronze Whale by Robin Bell....
Alberta is oil country, so this interesting work by Robin Bell called "Running In". featuring oil workers,is very much in place here....
There are lots of stores you can visit. I always enjoy seeing the amazing life-size art at the Lego shop....
Prime Minister Trudeau's government has legalized marijuana and related products, and there are no shortage of vendors around...
Families come for the attractions, as I mentioned, all closed because of CoVid, like the Mirror Maze....
Galaxyland (originally called Fantasyland until a Disney lawsuit ended that name) is an amusement park, with 24 rides including several roller coasters....
There are several mini-golf courses, including Professor WProbEM's Adventure Golf....
Probably the most popular attraction in the mall is World Waterpark, the world's second largest indoor waterpark covering 20,903 square meters (5.165 acres). Besides all the slides, it features a wave pool capable of generating 2 meter high waves, but all was drained and empty when I visited. For people living in a cold snow-filled climate, the appeal of such an attraction in the middle of winter is self-evident.
The Sea Cavern wing features a pirate ship, which you can explore when things normalize....
And there is a full size hockey rink known as the Ice Palace. At one time the city's hockey team, the Edmonton Oilers, practiced here.
Not to be outdone by other malls, some exotic cars were on display, including this Ferrari. Auction tickets at $20.00 a pop would give you a chance to own this beauty....
Elsewhere, an Aston Martin car on display....
And for my dear friend PHeymont, a display of cudly SPAM dolls. PHeymont is a fan of the luncheon meat, which I also enjoy.
I'm not a particular fan of shopping at malls, but the West Edmonton Mall is worth stopping at if you ever travel this far north.
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