Are tourists really that lame?

So I'm reading an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on line concerning the fall of the Upper East side of the Mall of America. The Upper East Side of the Mall is the 'entertainment' district of the mall. It used to house Fat Tuesdays, Players and Hooters. At one time, there was a Planet Hollywood and a comedy bar called Knucklehead's.

When I was younger, we used to go to the Mall in the evenings to have a drink and hit on all the pretty girls. We would meet at Hooters then head to the sports bar or Fat Tuesdays. Every now and then we would take in a show at Knucklehead's.

But the thing that amazes me, the thing that really is baffling is the fact that the Mall of America is a more popular tourist destination than Graceland, Walt Disney Land and the Grand Canyon...

Indeed, while the fourth floor is largely vacant, the rest of the 4.2 million-square-foot complex is thriving. The mall continues to attract more tourists each year than Disney World, the Grand Canyon and Graceland combined.

Maybe the Upper East Side closing up many of it's clubs is a direct result of the no smoking in public places the city of Bloomington has recently put into effect. Or it could be that Downtown Minneapolis is more of a destination for club going 20-somethings. Either way, I'm sorry to see the Upper East Side of the Mall close down all but one restaurant. But even sadder to learn that a big mall is more of a tourist destination that much more worthy places like Graceland and the Grand Canyon.

AJ