Then off to the modern American wonder/atrocity called the Mall of America. The largest mall in the United States, and second in the world to the West Edmonton Mall, the colossus of capitalism offers God only knows how many stores, a 14 screen cinema, and has it's own indoor amusement park and mini-golf course. It also has one of my favorite restaurants in the Twin Cities.
Suprisingly, there are not many people here today. I had feared having to brave throngs of slow moving moms and screechingly loud babies. But I guess I already did that on the train last night!
Instead, we move through the four levels of the shopping showcase at the ease of our own pace. We are a little early for lunch, so Mom and I make a circuit of the third level with some coffee and get started on some Christmas shopping.
Then lunchtime rolls around just as we finish the level three loop. And Cafe Odessy is right there. Now, some of their food may lean towards the expected, and some of the decor I will admit is a little chincy. It is, after all, a concept restaurant of the same vein of Planet Hollywood (level 4 of the mall) and the Rainforest Cafe (level two).
The premise of Cafe Odessy is of 1930s adventure travel. They have several different "theme" rooms, my favorite being Serengeti with its massive video display showing a constantly changing waterhole - sunrise to sunset passes in about 20 minutes or so. But my favorite place to eat there is in the bar. I want a room of my house to be decorated JUST like this bar. Old books line the shelves behind a wonderful wooden bar, carved rhinos looming on either end. I think that the clock of Henry the Navigator is a great touch, especially to those who know who he was.
The chairs in the bar are also great. Low, wide, and very cushy - the perfect chair for sipping vodka or sambuca and munching on their great appetizers. Maybe I've been hoodwinked into the consumerism culture that theme restaurants thrive on. But the place just clicks with the restless soul in me who cannot wait for the next opportunity to go to a distant land. And the service is first rate too. When they found out I had come all the way from Washington, they gave me complimentary gift certificates to be used in January, February, and March. I don't think I'll be around then to use them, but I am sure my parents will.
Mildly sedated after a few cocktails, Mom and I hit the pavement, or rather tile and carpet, and run the circles on the first and second levels. In the course of five hours I now have almost all of my Christmas shopping done, and have two boxes of Christmas cards to write while I am on the train.
Back at home, I lay down for a while to catch up with myself. And to flip through the book on railroading I bought at the Great American Train Store at the mall. The best way to describe the book is that it would be a 101 level text for an introductory course on railroads in America. I figure that to truly understand the trip I am taking, not only should I read the history of the line but also the operations and engineering that go into it today.
Then dad gets home from the office and starts in on dinner. I don't think dad has had a mid-life crisis, but somehow he has become one hell of a good cook. Locally, his private dinner parties and wild game dinners are becoming legend, as are his German dishes as well. Tonight, veal chops rubbed with custom spices, and German style hot potato salad on the side. Mom picks the wine, a nice red that I think I also had here at Thanksgiving last week.
That brings us to now. Back to the train station in a couple of hours for an overnight trip across North Dakota. My next stop will be Whitefish, Montana. If everything is running right, I'll be there in the late evening tomorrow. In the meantime, I need to get on to writing my postcards from Minneapolis, and repacking my bags to accommodate the spoils of the days spending spree.
