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Quote:

Originally Posted by photoLith (Post 8527050)

This whole project is pretty obnoxious, is it 1980 or is NJ trying to be Dubai? How many hundreds of acres will surface parking lots be taking up?

I don't think this project has any surface parking.

It's primarily an entertainment complex, not a retail center. Think indoor amusement park moreso than mall.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjreisen (Post 8527006)

Also I can tell you why this will work! Try to catch the buses from Port Authority to New Jersey, and it is always flooded with people going to malls in Jersey, lots of foreigners looking for cheap stuff. So this will be like that on steroids!

This is true, but I could never figure out why. I mean, imagine vacationing in the greatest city in the world, only to hop on a bus out of the dingy Port Authority to a suburban NJ mall to buy crap you could have gotten online for less. If people can afford vacationing in NYC, can't they also afford New York retail prices and get the real experience instead of a cheap suburban wannabe.

Weird.

I'm very interested to see how much demand this place actually gets. My opinion is it's too out of the way with poor transit accessibility, but I could very well be wrong. Time will tell.

I don't understand why people think only tourist will visit. It's in a giant metropolis of over 20 million people.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rgarri4 (Post 8526661)

I cant wait to shop at Dier! lol. Besides the cheesy renderings I'm super curious to see how this turns out.
I thought America was kinda finished with the idea of large mega malls. Only still popular in Dubai where you never ever go outside unless you're in a car or at the beach.

Quote:

Originally Posted by photoLith (Post 8527050)

This whole project is pretty obnoxious, is it 1980 or is NJ trying to be Dubai? How many hundreds of acres will surface parking lots be taking up?

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjreisen (Post 8527636)

This is pretty much useless marsh anyway, not even attractive from an environmental perspective.. I think any discussion of land consumption for surface parking lots is missing any point. If this was in downtown newark, I would agree

As with anything else people don't like, the good news is that you won't be forced to visit. I'm sure there will be more than enough people to make up for it though. Even the JETS and the GIANTS tried to block this thing because they know the crowds it will bring.

Anyway, a review of sorts...

• Video Link

• Video Link

Meanwhile, it may not be Dubai, but Miami had it's own American Dream proposal...

https://miami.curbed.com/2018/6/21/1...all-theme-park

American Dream, the country’s largest shopping mall, is coming to Miami

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/121l...am_miami.0.jpg

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kt2I...dream_mall.jpg

This should open up late summer or fall of 2019. Was delayed by Triple Five Group.

American Dream Announces Coca-Cola Partnership, Will Include a Themed ‘Dining Destination’

https://28nwgk2wx3p52fe6o9419sg5-wpe...therford-1.jpg

Quote:

For nearly a generation, American Dream Meadowlands has been in the works off of Route 3 and the New Jersey Turnpike in East Rutherford. The massive mall and entertainment venue, previously known as Xanadu Meadowlands, has had countless projected opening dates, with the Triple Five Group first suggesting over the last year that the facility would open in the spring, followed by an announcement that a summer opening was planned. Now, new information has been released by the developers about the plans for the complex, including a new time when construction could be completed.

In a prepared statement issued last week, an American Dream spokesperson wrote that the mall is on track to open this fall. The announcement also revealed a partnership with Coca-Cola and Philadelphia-based Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages that will lead to multiple Coke-themed attractions and events at American Dream.

The amenities will include green rooms for special events, a restaurant with 800 seats called “Coca-Cola Eats” that will “offer a wide array of local and global cuisines served alongside the variety of beverage options from The Coca-Cola Company,” and a social media space and podcast studio known as “The Social Bubble.” A large Coca-Cola sign is also expected to be installed on the facade of the building.

Northern New Jersey already has no shortage of malls, ranging from the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus to Newport Centre in Jersey City. However, since the plans for American Dream’s predecessor were announced well over a decade ago, the complex has been touted as more of a Mall of America-like destination than a traditional shopping center.

The three-million-square-foot project is slated to include over 450 stores and restaurants, ranging from the Grisini Food Hall and a Dons Bogam restaurant to a Saks Fifth Avenue store. In addition, there are plans for a Legoland Discovery Center location, a DreamWorks Water Park, an aquarium, a Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park, a large indoor ski center, and a performing arts center.

A specific date for the grand opening of American Dream has yet to be announced.

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https://jerseydigs.com/american-drea...a-partnership/

New Jersey’s Dream mall: 40M people and a traffic nightmare

Quote:

After 16 years of false starts, the behemoth American Dream retail and amusement complex is set to open just west of Manhattan. To get there, an expected 40 million visitors must join the traffic-choked roads of northern New Jersey.

The project’s owner, Triple Five Group, expects crowds to rival those at its Mall of America, where express buses, free shuttles and Minnesota’s most-traveled light-rail route carry people to the busiest U.S. shopping destination. Unlike Minnesota, New Jersey has no plans to link the site by rail from its major airport. In fact, it has no plans for any new train service, only additional bus routes with extended hours and stops.

American Dream was built in New Jersey’s Meadowlands, where some of the nation’s most congested highways crisscross swamps, former landfills and commuter towns. In and around neighboring MetLife Stadium, home to the busiest National Football League playing schedule and a favorite concert stop for the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Beyonce, stand-still traffic and transit muck-ups are routine.

“At peak hours, I can see traffic being backed all the way up to the Lincoln Tunnel,” Secaucus Mayor Mike Gonnelli, whose town hall is 6 miles from Times Square, predicted for American Dream. “I don’t know how extra buses are going to be enough for 40 million people.”

The East Rutherford complex’s 3 million square feet (279,000 square meters) are 45% retail and 55% entertainment, including what Triple Five calls the Western Hemisphere’s biggest indoor theme park, North America’s only indoor snow skiing and a DreamWorks water park. Among the tenants are Saks Fifth Avenue, Hermes, Century 21, a kosher food market and a 20-restaurant dining terrace.

While the opening coincides with a dire retail outlook -- fewer than half of U.S. malls are expected to survive ongoing store closings, according to Bloomberg Intelligence -- American Dream says it can beat the odds because of its attractions mix and accessibility to New York City, on pace to draw 67 million tourists this year.

Proposed in 2003 as a mega-mall called Xanadu, the project’s ownership changes and financial hard times left it unfinished. Its indoor ski slope became a forlorn landmark for New Jersey Turnpike motorists; its garish multicolor exterior in 2011 was called “the ugliest damn building in New Jersey, and possibly America” by then-Governor Chris Christie.

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https://www.crainsnewyork.com/real-e...ffic-nightmare

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris08876 (Post 8677891)

New Jersey’s Dream mall: 40M people and a traffic nightmare

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https://www.crainsnewyork.com/real-e...ffic-nightmare

:yeahthat

New Yorkers don't like coming to New Jersey. It will be very interesting to see if the mall formerly known as Xanadu can pull it off. A few of the other things I'll be watching for include:

If there is any kind of cannibalization of existing retail/entertainment venues.
Will American Dream survive the Retailapocalypse.
What will be the impacts to traffic in the area. And will traffic be so bad that it discourages area residents from attending.
What will be the breakdown of patronage between New Jersey residents, NYC residents, and visitors to NYC.
Will it attract the foot traffic or sales per sqft that's necessary for this to be deemed a profitable success?

The entertainment component is the wildcard for me. If it was purely retail, I would have bet good money that the total project would be a failure. The entertainment facilities might be the trick to attract enough people to the site. Transportation to the site is going to be the biggest challenge, especially for those without cars, IMO.

Quote:

American Dream opens Friday. We still don’t know the hours of the mall, or if parking is free.
By Allison Pries | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The waiting is killing us and the not knowing is even harder. We get it that a project of this size and scope -- 3 million square feet of prime real estate that’s expecting 40 million visitors a year -- is complicated. But the lack of information, now that the initial opening is days away, is frustrating.

Here’s what we’re dying to know most:

Will we have to pay to park?
If you read comments on social media, you'll see people who claim they know people who work there who swear you'll have pay $25 to park at American Dream.

Others just as adamantly argue they can’t possibly charge for parking to remain competitive with other malls in the area.

A spokesperson for American Dream has declined to answer this question.

What are the hours for the mall?
We know it’s open seven days a week, despite Bergen County’s Blue Laws, which limit Sunday shopping. But we don’t know when American Dream opens and closes each day.

The Nickelodeon Universe indoor amusement park pricing was published on American Dream’s website and it looks like the park is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 12 a.m.

But a spokesperson for American Dream declined to share hours for the entire complex.

How much does ice skating cost?
No pricing information has been released about the NHL regulation-sized ice skating rink that will open next Friday.

We don’t know if there are skate rentals at the 19,000 square foot rink or if you have to bring your own (or can bring your own) skates.

What is there to eat (and drink)?
Can we bring in our own food? What types of concessions or restaurants will open when American Dream debuts next week -- and until the entire thing is open in March 2020?

We’ve heard about more than 100 dining options, including food halls, celebrity chef-run menus, fast food and two dozen sit-down eateries. But all that roller coaster riding and ice skating are going to make us hungry for more than candy (though, there will be plenty of that. Giant candy retailer IT’SUGAR has said it will be open on Oct. 25, too).

The full article can be read here: https://www.nj.com/bergen/2019/10/am...questions.html

There's no way they don't charge for parking. Most of the more urban in-town malls in the region now charge for parking. (WP Galleria, The Westchester, Ridge Hill, Stamford Town Center, SoNo Collection).

America’s craziest shopping mall finally opens after 20 years
https://www.ft.com/content/e58eb93e-...4?desktop=true

Everyone involved in creating this monstrosity deserves to lose all of their money.

a mall with nowhere to shop or eat yet lol

• Video Link

This whole thing seems like something from 1995. What a waste.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 10023 (Post 8729210)

The market exists, the mall never died, it just evolved. This company is just pouncing on an opportunity for a funner, more stimulating mall for the next generation, and can you blame them for wanting to make a buck? This is America, the land of opportunity.

Quote:

Originally Posted by photoLith (Post 8732217)

This whole thing seems like something from 1995. What a waste.

No, it looks like 2019. America is still a mall going country,It's where the term mall rat came from. That never died, despite hype that murica was going back to its roots and people going downtown again to shop.

Well it may be impressive, but it certainly is vulgar.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aquablue (Post 8745913)

it won't be long before malls make a comeback.

Quote:

Originally Posted by theraofnothingless (Post 8748829)

it won't be long before malls make a comeback.

Cite your sources?

Quote:

Originally Posted by C. (Post 8723342)

New Yorkers don't like coming to New Jersey.

Giants and Jets fans seem to make it well enough.

https://www.nj.com/bergen/2019/11/pa...-how-long.html

We complained about parking at American dream and it’s free, at least for now

Nov 13, 2019

Quote:

On its website under the topic of parking there is a banner on the page that says, in all capital letters with the last word bolded, “Parking is Free.”

“(The mall) has huge potential if it can be done right ," Murphy told the show’s host, Eric Landskroner. "I agree with you. It’s got to be affordable and accessible.”

A spokesperson for American Dream did not respond to questions from NJ Advance Media about how long parking would be free and why the policy change was made.

They simply said what we already knew, “Parking rates at American Dream have not been enforced, outside of game/event days, and parking has been free since opening.”

American Dream originally said it would start charging for parking on Oct. 28 -- the Monday after opening weekend. But when Monday came, electricians were still wiring the equipment that would dispense the tickets and raise and lower the gate to let drivers in and out of the garages.

The installation of the parking equipment was completed in time for the first home football game, Nov. 4, when the NY Giants took on the Dallas Cowboys. People who wanted to visit American Dream the day of the game were relegated to the B/C lot where they were charged $30 to park. They could have their parking ticket validated if they visited Nickelodeon Universe, the theme park inside American Dream.

The event rate parking still stands at American Dream anytime there is something going on at MetLife Stadium. On days that there are NFL games, parking is $30 without a prepaid Giants parking pass and $45 without a prepaid Jets parking pass. The rates are in effect 5 hours prior to the start of the game and remain in effect until 1 hour after kick-off.

American Dream will also charge $10 for valet parking.

But if you go on a day when nothing is happening at the stadium -- and you park your own car -- you can park for free at American Dream.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/1037...merican-dream/

Huge New York City-themed aquarium is opening in new US mega attraction

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/...4511.jpg?w=620

Kara Godfrey
19 Nov 2019

Quote:

SEA LIFE Aquarium will open at the recently opened American Dream mall.

It will feature 250,000 gallons of water with over 3,000 animals including octopus, fish and zebra sharks.

The tanks, however, won't be normal tanks - they will be themed on famous New York landmarks.

Guests will walk through "Rush Hour of the Ocean" when exploring the attraction, with subway adverts and yellow eels mimicking the iconic New York taxis.

An underwater tunnel called "Sharks Fish Avenue" will feature destinations such as Times Square surrounded by the fish and sharks - as well as "storefront windows" showing the animals.

Julie Estrada, Head of Public Relations for Merlin, explained its purpose was learning about animal conservation.

For example, kids can learn how fish swim in schools by watching the yellow eel 'taxi cabs'.

Other exhibits will include piranhas at "Wall Street Wolves" and seahorses at "Ballet Dancers of the Ocean".

"City's Freshwater" will show fish that are common in the Hudson River.

The aquarium will open in the New Jersey's new American Dream attraction, just seven miles from New York City.

Opening earlier this year, inside is a "mega mall" featuring 450 shops, a theme park and water park.

It is spread over three million square foot of land - or around 47 football pitches.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/...trip=all&w=960

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/...trip=all&w=960

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/...trip=all&w=960

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/...trip=all&w=960

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