West Edmonton Mall.


If you could ascribe one adjective.. one singular thought.. to the Edmonton's shopping mall, it would be this: MONSTROUS. But I'm not talking about size- I mean, it's not the 800 shops that boggles my mind. Neither is it the acres of multi-level parking surrounding the sprawling monolithic complex. For me, the monster is the Mall's absurd bricolage. Under its roof contains a collection of oddities: an amusement park, an ice rink, a golf course, a submarine grotto, and even a Spanish galleon. It's also got a kid-friendly mascot, a catchy jingle, and a claim to fame as largest mall in the worl. With all this in mind, doesn't it remind us of something in Southern California?

Of course, despite being a two-headed monster, it also has a distinction of being an amazing BLACK HOLE for the whole region of Northern Alberta. Think about the economics..

Canadian company discovers oil near Fort McMurray. American oil conglomerate extracts oil from sands. Oil is sold to Esso. SUV pulls up to gas station and fills up. SUV guzzles most of the gas driving 30 km across the city to West Edmonton Mall.

Here's a familiar story: Teenage girls think about what to do on a Saturday afternoon. One says emphatically, "SHOPPING!" Another exclaims, "WATERPARK!" Third one shakes her head and wants to watch a movie. No matter what they pick, one thing's for sure: they'll all end up somewhere in West Edmonton Mall.