- The American Dream megamall opened to the public on Friday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
- The 3 million-square-foot center has a theme park, ice rink, water park, and indoor ski center in addition to over 450 shops. It is one of the largest malls in North America.
- Only the Nickelodeon Universe theme park and ice-skating rink were open to the public on opening day, in addition to some pop-up activities for Halloween.
- I went to opening day of the megamall and was surprised to find that very few people showed up, despite the fact that the New Jersey Transit added express bus services meant for transportation to and from the mall.
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After over 20 years in the making, one of the largest malls in the US opened in New Jersey on Friday.
American Dream was first conceived in 1996 and has gone through various stages of development leading up to its highly anticipated opening.
The project was delayed multiple times and went through different owners in its over 20-year evolution. The first phase of the complex opened on Friday. Friends and family of some mall owners and employees were invited to experience the Nickelodeon Universe theme park on opening day. Though tickets to the theme park sold out before opening day, the public was invited to explore the unfinished complex and to partake in various pop-up Halloween-themed activities and an ice-skating rink in the mall.
The opening of the mall was expected to cause some traffic issues in the area. To help alleviate this, the New Jersey Transit added an express bus services to transport guests to and from the mall. The New York Waterway is also running a ferry service to American Dream from Manhattan with dedicated shuttles to help travelers complete their journey. Shoppers also have the option to park their own cars in one of the center's 33,000 parking spots for varying rates.
I took the New Jersey express bus line to American Dream on opening day and found it almost entirely empty. When I got to the mall, it was devoid of the large crowds that characterized Mall of America when it first opened in 1992. In general, the atmosphere of the mall opening felt rushed.
"[It is] nothing like I expected," said Yvonne Hicks, 57, who came from Teaneck, New Jersey on opening day and was unimpressed with the ill-prepared atmosphere in the mall. She said that the wheelchair accessibility center was closed when she arrived, so it was difficult for her to maneuver around the massive complex.
I noticed a few attendants walking around with wheelchairs later in the day, but I was surprised to see so many boxes and construction zones in the mall. However, the Nickelodeon Universe theme park was in excellent shape and seemed like it would do its job in acting as an anchor for foot traffic in the complex.
Here's how I got to American Dream from Manhattan on opening day and what I saw.