The Trojan Tribune

THE TROJAN TRIBUNE

AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

WEALTH

PRODIGY

DEPRESSION

ISOLATION

OPPORTUNITY

SOCIAL ANXIETY

IOWA CITY WEST HIGH SCHOOL | 2901 MELROSE AVE | IOWA CITY, IA 52246 | INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM | ISSUE 1 | MAY 25, 2018

CONTENTS FEATURES

OPINION

03-05: Ahead of schedule

06: The Tomato 07: More than an A+ 08-09: Talk loud and tune out Caitlyn Hill, Reporter

ENTERTAINMENT 10-11: Food for thought 12-13: “Infinity War” reviews 14-15: Mall of America reviews

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, Congratulations! You’ve almost made it through the school year and summer vacation is just around the corner. As you prepare for your finals, be sure to check out the study snack recipes we’ve outlined on pages 10-11. If the stress of the end of the year is getting you down head on over to our entertainment section for a brain break. And if you’re feeling nostalgic be sure to check out the final pages of this publication to reminisce about some of the high points of the year. Whatever you need to get you through these final weeks you can find within these 16 pages. From all of us at the Trojan Tribune, we hope you have an incredible summer

-Alex Carlon, Editor in Chief

Maggie Huang, Reporter

AHEAD

OF SCHEDULE

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F E AT U R E

MAY 25, 2018

“It’s easier to put more effort in...it gives you more motivation to pay attention and do well.”

By Nina Meng and Caitlyn Hill

AHEAD OF SCHEDULE AP Calculus BC. AP Econ. These are some classes that few students participate in during their tenure at West High school, and it is much less common to see freshmen in these classes. And forget about taking Calculus 3 and Physics at the University of Iowa....is that even an option?

It is by no means an uncommon thing for students at West High School to selectively jump grade levels for certain courses in order to be adequately challenged.

In some courses, such as science and math, taking a class one or two grades above your prescribed level is viewed as common or even expected. However, students who truly excel academically are able to advance into the classes traditionally taken by seniors and even commute to the University of Iowa on a daily basis in order to participate in curricular courses. Students on this level are generally held in high esteem by other West High students, with a definite expectation that they perform well and held at higher standards than their peers within the classroom. But what do the students involved in these advanced courses truly experience on a day-to-day basis?

One might expect that participating in classes filled with seniors and college students will be stressful and isolating, but that may not necessarily be the case.

Kevin Lu ‘21, who participates in AP Calculus BC at

West High said that he’s experienced some challenges during group work, he ultimately finds the easiest part of taking these accelerated courses is getting along with everyone in them. “It’s definitely harder [to work with partners in a class with an older group of students] because people sort of treat you like you don’t understand stuff sometimes, but there isn’t any isolation,” said Lu. However, Divya Shyamal ‘21, who is enrolled in Calculus 3 and Physics at the University of Iowa, admits to feeling some pressure due to the age difference. “I definitely feel more comfortable in a class with ninth graders because I feel comfortable talking to them, but I don’t feel that comfortable in older classes,” Divya said. “At the University, I’ve never said a word to any of the college students.”

In contrast to his twin sister’s views, Ananth Shyamal ‘21, who is also enrolled in the same classes as Divya, reported being generally unphased by this. “Well, I don’t really care, because even with other ninth graders….I don’t really interact with people that much, so it’s not really a big deal,” he said. In spite of the twins’ opinions, Lu doesn’t have a preference about the age of students in his class, admitting that the classroom environments in his advanced classes are laid back

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N EWS

MAY 25, 2018

and lacking tension, even with many seniors going off to college soon.

Nonetheless, taking harder classes isn’t always fun, but there are some evident benefits. Ananth said, “First of all, taking classes [that give college credit] now, it’ll be like less of a burden in college, and “It’ll give us more freedom, [in choosing] which classes to take.”

“Also in college, you have to pay a lot for, a textbook and stuff, but if you take college courses now the program pays for everything so you can save money,” Divya added. Additionally, Ananth thinks that the harder classes are less competitive than easier classes.

Additionally, taking college courses requires an intense motivation and desire to excel and be challenged academically. “[I chose to take advanced courses because] I wanted a challenge in school,” said Lu. Divya and Ananth seconded this train of thought, Ananth saying, “[...] I don’t know how easy it is to keep up [with the course load], but it’s easier to put more effort in... it gives you more motivation to pay attention and do well.”

“Classes are pretty demanding, and [advanced classes] are definitely more stressful than normal classes.

Homework might take 1-2 hours to do every night,” said Lu. He admits keeping up with the workload to be the hardest part of taking these advanced courses. As for the twins’ classes, they think the material learned is the most difficult part. There is less homework, but

more testing. “In the university, it’s just the tests, there’s no participation or anything,” Ananth said. The twins added on, “Studying for exams is a lot more stressful and takes a lot of time, but homework wise it’s not heavy--homework is a lot less frequent.”

Taking such advanced classes at a young age often comes with higher expectations and standards of achievement, both from peers and administrators. However, Lu believes his teachers to be generally unbiased, and thinks they treat him the same as many of the other students in the class. Nevertheless, Divya and Ananth reported feeling some stress due to heightened peer expectations in some of their advanced curricular courses at West. “[...] In Spanish 3 Honors, some[times] people in our group [during partner work], they think we’re really good at Spanish so they don’t do any work, or they take advantage when we do skits,” said Ananth. But overall, they believe that while their teachers have slightly higher expectations for them, they don’t necessarily expect them to always be at the top of the class.

Design by Alex Carlon

06

OPINION MAY 14,, 2018

THE TOMATO Local: Iowa City schools adopting year-long schooling curriculum Plans are underway amongst the Iowa Board of Education to convert all schools within the Iowa City Community School District to year-round schooling as soon as 2019 or 2020. “Yes, it’s all very top secret and confidential,” board member Tina Giovanni reported. “We’re planning to issue a formal statement to the public sometime around the last day of school to give parents and students a chance to acclimate themselves with the change and enjoy their last formal ‘summer vacation.’” Board leader Jove Beckham seconded Giovanni’s concerns. “It’s very important that all the students are able to enjoy the deaths of the old generation of Avengers in peace,” he added. “Schools nationwide are hoping to adopt a year wide schooling regimen, and Iowa has been chosen as the pioneer state because of their high levels of academic performance, yet relatively remote location, ensuring that if the initiative crashes and burns, it should be fairly easy to cover up. Nationwide, districts have come to the general consensus that student stress levels are not high enough, so we’re just doing what we can to fix that. We’ve been brainstorming ideas, and eventually decided that adding more school to the year and decreasing the lengths of break periods would be sure to elevate student stress levels to the rates we’re trying to see.”

Politics: Cheetos rebranding The popular chip brand name “Cheetos” is being changed to “Cheetites”, and their signature orangey color being shifted to a rather alarming shade of neon green in light of a new federal law in the works to ban the word use of the word cheeto in comparison with the current president from citizens’ vocabularies. This law is being passed in hopes of protecting the current president’s general reputation and respectability. “I think it’ll really help people take him more seriously as a leader if they’re not constantly comparing him to this snack food all the time,” reported Trump’s PR assistant, who has chosen to remain anonymous. “So, our solution? Get rid of the snack food.” Cheetos assistant product producer, Hillary LeWright, is surprisingly on board with this decision. “I’m not sure how well it’ll work to the president’s end, but we needed do something different with the image anyway, just to keep people interested. Changing the name and turning them green? Why not.”

News: Kleenex lackage prompts rioting at small Florida school Kleenex-lessness; the failure to possess Kleenex. Classroom Kleenex-lessness has long been an irritating and troublesome phenomenon for high school students, but mid allergy season, classroom Kleenex-lessness is leading to full on riots in some areas. Backlash over lack of Kleenex in Iowa schools has always been kept fairly minimal, but in areas more prone to allergens, a lack of Kleenex is beginning to cause full on rage fests among student populations. As recently as Friday, April 27 a Floridan math teacher called Ms. Heartacre was discovered to be concealing possession of Kleenex behind her desk by a student eagerly searching for test answers, and the reactions of students were noteworthy, to say the least. The Kleenex were passed around the room so that students could assuage their dripping noses, and the students then proceeded to trash and vandalize the teacher’s desk. One family has filed a civil lawsuit against Ms. Heartacre for concealing possession of Kleenex, and the general feelings of animosity against this teacher within the school have become so strong that the establishment in question, St. Patrick’s High School, is considering firing her for both being a ‘distraction to the education of students’ as well as for PR purposes.

Younkers Closing: The end of an era?

The closing of the Younkers store at the Coral Ridge Mall signifies the beginning of the end of the line for department stores. Seventeen year old weekend mall resident Ashlee Wilde said, “They’re kind of not necessary anymore. I mean, with so many specialty brand stores around nowadays--like, what’s the point? And please--their prices are far too high.” But department store devotees like nineteen year old Taylor Fisc, who is passionate about the role of department stores in general mall life, disagreed. “I mean, I got literally all of my school dance dresses from department stores growing up,” Fisc reported. “Like, it was just so much less drama being able to have a bunch of dresses all in one store than having to go from store to store searching for different styles. And I guess brand name stores are nice if you enjoy clothes that fit, but me personally, I’m kind of for the baggy, saggy thing.” “Yeah, at least here, we’ll definitely be winding down as far as department stores in general,” mall supervisor Jeff Kit reported. “I’m not sure what other malls are doing, but here at Coral Ridge, we’re definitely going to try to start giving more focus to actual brand name stores--you know, British Eagle, Forever 39, that Areo-postal place--all the places the young kids shop.” So, in essence, though the nationwide fate of department stores remains uncertain, it would appear that in Iowa City at least, the days of the department store are being closely numbered.

Disclaimer: reports of events depicted in these articles are greatly overstated--and at some points entirely false. All sources and quotes used are nonexistent.

Written by Caitlyn Hill Design by Nina Meng

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OPINION

MAY 25, 20187

T

he only reason you’re not basic is because you’re Asian.”

Laughter erupted in our little friend group. Back then the naive me laughed along with her ‘joke’. Nobody understood the real consequence of making such an offensive comment targeted towards a specific racial group. Nevertheless, this was the day I got introduced to the idea “Asian Stereotypes”.

Having gained maturity now, thinking back to that experience meant that the comment was never a funny joke. Questions always struck me whenever I thought of the experience. “Why would someone so young ever make an offensive comment?” “Where did people learn all of these inaccurate stereotypes?” “Why would someone ever make fun of something so serious?”

By Maggie Huang

Growing up as an Asian American means that you will always be drowned in high standards and flawed stereotypes by your peers and teachers. Stereotypes like these may include that it is perfectly normal for Asians to get good grades, or maybe even excel in

MORE THAN AN A+ Design by Alex Carlon math. Whenever I would get a good score on my math test, people around me would make comments like “Of course you got an A, you’re Asian,” Other comments would be “I bet you didn’t even have to study for it, you just know it.” As much as I’d like these comments to be true, they are completely irrelevant to how Asians do in schools.

One time in junior high, a teacher shocked me with her high expectations for Asians in the class. She asked a question similar to this, “Raise your hand if your parents don’t care about grades you get in school as long as you try your hardest,”. My hand automatically rose up, since that was the expectation from my parents. The teacher looked at me with a shocked face, shocked that my Asian parents didn’t expect more from me. I was extremely surprised when I learned a lot of my fellow Asian classmates have high expectations from their parents to get the best grade possible.

However, that was never something I had to worry about. During my childhood, my parents always seemed to let me focus more on music than on school work. I always seemed to make time for practicing piano, even though it was always three to four hours. I always loved music more than I loved school work. Whenever I share this to fellow classmates, I am faced with unpleasant comments always returning back to the fact that I would not qualify as a “ Real Asian”.

This brings us back to the question “What is a Real Asian?”. A ‘Real Asian in the eyes of stereotypical people is someone that has small eyes, has nerdy glasses, are unathletic and always outshine others in academics.

In reality, there is no such thing as a “Real Asian”. The truth is Asians are just like other people in this world, we are all equal regardless of our race.

I believe if we all study and work hard, we will eventually get the result we all deserve. Stereotypes are always flawed, but if we start learning the truth, we will be surprised by how simple it is to comprehend.

“ STE REOTYPES ARE ALWAYS F LAWE D, BUT I F WE START LEARN I NG TH E TRUTH , WE WI LL B E SU RPRI SE D BY HOW SI M PLE IT I S TO COM PRE H E N D.”

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OPINION MAY 25, 2018

TALK LOUD AND TUNE OUT The era of earbuds and passion

I

n a 2017 Gallup Poll survey, 82% of teenagers in the United State cited headphones or earbuds as the top objects (besides American Express cards), that they’d “never leave home without.”

The statistic above is false; but considering how common it is to see a teen moving throughout life with cordstrailing from their ears, there is reasonable potential for its actual truth. Earbuds are considered essential to everyday life by teenagers as well as just the general public in the modern era, and honestly, why shouldn’t they be? They allow us simple, easy access to music wherever and whenever we so desire. Music is an undeniably wonderful thing. Experts reported all kinds of benefits of music, such as stress reduction, health improvement, and generally making you happier throughout the day in the article “Scientists Find 15 Amazing Benefits of Listening to Music”. And earbuds have the additional benefit of allowing us to tune out of the outside world. Earbuds allow us to ignore conversations happening around us, at times to deliberately avoid hearing anything we don’t like. And headphone usage is not the only way in which we ignore other people; when someone else states an opinion we don’t personally subscribe to, many of our brains immediately respond in much the same manner.

These days the common trend is to crow our own opinions from the rooftops, and then proceed to either shout into submission or blatantly ignore anyone who dares to express a divergent perspective; we viciously

Photo from Pexels, used with permission

By Caitlyn Hill

scorn and demonize anyone who might hold a different view simply on principle. But is this truly a healthy direction for our society to continue in? Historically, many of the largest and most egregious acts of hatred and terror have stemmed from a willful failure to empathize with and attempt to comprehend the viewpoints and opinions of others.

People chalk acts like the Holocaust and the horror of the Civil Rights Era up to simple discrimination, but at the root of discrimination is the failure to understand and empathize with people different from ourselves. And this is a relevant problem on all sides.

As an African American female, I enjoy being able to have a civilized conversation with an actual racist on exactly why they hold those viewpoints and assume that angle, and trying to figure out exactly what in their minds personally justifies their behavior. Now, this is not because I myself am planning to take up the practice of racism, but simply because I would enjoy gaining insight and understanding into exactly what kind of thought process occurs in these people’s minds. It would likely also help me to form better arguments against these kinds of people in the future and to point out their mentality flaws from a standpoint they would understand, instead of just shouting back my personal beliefs and further angering them. It’s crucial to understand that all people who hold different opinions from our own are, at the end of the day, people, and even those who hold terrible viewpoints we firmly disagree with

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OPINION

MAY 25, 2018

my personal beliefs and further angering them. It’s crucial to understand that all people who hold different opinions from our own are, at the end of the day, people, and even those who hold terrible viewpoints we firmly disagree with often have some kinds of reasons holding them; understanding these reasons is essential to impacting them. Understanding breeds empathy and compassion; refusal and failure to listen to people breeds hatred and animosity; what kind of society would we rather live in?

It’s fine if a conservative doesn’t turn liberal immediately after having a single conversation with one; in the same way, everyone holds their own opinions, everyone is entitled to their own. But now the opposite beliefs and justifications have been awakened in their minds, allowing them a fuller scope and view of the issue. And sometimes other people’s justifications for certain beliefs will seem stupid and ridiculous to us; that’s fine too. At least we’ll know what they are. And more often than not, people possess actual, well thought out reasons for holding certain opinions, and we don’t personally lose anything from listening to them. However, the benefits to be gained from doing so are great. We gain an ability to comprehend the opposite side of an argument, a future ability to argue and communicate more effectively with people holding that opinion, and often a better perspective of our own opinions and beliefs. The major barricade to understanding is mindset; we have to be willing to talk to people who hold different beliefs from us, and cease preemptively shunning people simply on the basis of what they beliefs or political affiliations, without any information about their general character or justifications; if only because the judgement of others based on a singular trait rarely turns out well.

“Take out your earbuds and take a second to truly listen to others.”

So, the main question is: are we willing? Can we bear to humble ourselves enough to at least attempt to fathom and listen to the viewpoints of others? Or will opinions become the new racism? Will people in the future feel subjected and oppressed by the opposing opinions of those around them? Is that really a way in which anyone, regardless of their beliefs, should ever be made to feel? Let’s prove that we can be better than those before us; not every basic difference of opinion has to result in uncompromising hatred and discrimination. The first step? Take out your earbuds and take a second to truly listen to others.

Design by Alex Carlon

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E N T E R TA I N M E N T MAY 25, 2018

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Are you sick of falling asleep while pulling an all nighter in a last ditch attempt to study for finals? Well, here are some great options for snacks guaranteed to keep you awake and help you feel great while you study!

It’s that time of the year again. *Sigh.* Time for finals in almost every one of your seven classes. These finals are different from the finals in first and second trimester; finals at the end of third trimester require you to recall every single thing you have learned during the course of the school year.

The pressure is so heavy that you can feel motivation slowly slipping out of your grasp, farther and farther away from your fingertips. At this point, you can pretty much admit that procrastination has taken full control.

I think we can all agree that finals are awful. It’s also common knowledge that while you’re pulling an all nighter to work on all your tests and projects, you need some kind of food on which to sustain yourself. Food is often thought of to help fight the urge of sleeping and procrastination while you study. Whether it is a premade product from a local grocery store or a quick and easy recipe, these snacks will definitely come in handy while you study for your finals. Use the chart below to figure out which snack you should choose to help you be successful in reviewing for finals.

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1)Carrots 2)Celery 3)Cucumber

1)Mangos 2)Bananas 3)Berries

Premade Veggies

Veggie Based Recipes

Premade Fruit

Fruit Based Recipes

1)Ants on a Log

1)EZ Pizza

Ingredients: Celery, peanut butter, & Raisins Instructions: Wash the celery sticks thoroughly Dry with paper towel Spread creamy peanut butter on the celery sticks Add raisins

Ingredients: cream cheese, graham cracker, & Apple Instructions: Spread cream cheese onto graham cracker Decorate with apple slices

2)Veggie Roll

Ingredients: Vanilla yogurt (or plain), blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, crispy rice cereal or granola Instructions: Add yogurt to the bottom of the cup Layer with fruits Add another layer of yogurt Put in the granola Add more yogurt

Ingredients: Whole grain bread, cream cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, & lettuce Instructions: Spread cream cheese on whole grain bread Carefully cut the veggies Layer with cucumber slices, tomatoes and lettuce 3)Deli Roll

Ingredients: Romaine lettuce, lunch meat, & cheese Instructions: Start with romaine lettuce on a flat surface Add lunch meat and cheese Roll and enjoy!

2)Fruity Parfait

3)Pineapple Fiz Ingredients: Pineapple juice & Sparkling water Instructions: Pour Pineapple juice into a cup Add same amount of sparkling water Mix well

Written by Maggie Huang Design by Nina Meng

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MARVEL’S INFINITY WAR FAN VS NON FAN REVIEW In light of the huge media buzz surrounding the latest installment of the Avengers series, Trojan Tribune Staffers Caitlyn Hill (Marvel Fanatic) and Alex Carlon (Couldn’t care less) give their takes on the flick.

FAN REVIEW WARNING: These reviews will contain SPOILERS!! (Duh) So, if you have plans to see “Infinity War” and have not yet done so... avoid the following review!

Overall I thought “The Avengers: Infinity War” was really, really good. In general I swear by Marvel, and I do believe with this movie they’ve outdone themselves, especially so far as the specifically Avengers brand movies are concerned. However, there were a couple of plot holes and generally confusing points I couldn’t help but notice upon discussing the film with my family afterwards.

First off, everybody throughout the film repeatedly stated that if Thanos, the archvillain, were to attain all six of the stones of power (“infinity stones”) that are scattered throughout the galaxy, he’d be able to accomplish his nefarious goal of removing half of the human race from “the planet” with a mere snap of his fingers. However, when Thanos inevitably succeeds in attaining all six stones at the end of the movie, he snaps his fingers and not only do members of the Avengers crew disappear from planet Earth, but also from Planet Titan, where Dr. Strange and Spider-Man both fade to nothingness before our eyes.

Additionally, various members of the Guardians of the Galaxy collective vanish as well, including Groot and Drax, who are unquestionably alien and should therefore not be included under the general label of ‘human race’--and therefore shouldn’t have died. However, it’s highly unlikely that any of the dissolved heroes will stay dead, if only because Marvel effectively will have effectively knocked themselves back several million dollars for the future with the slaughter of Spider-Man and Black Panther, both of whom are fairly new heroes who starred in massively successful individual movies and are expected to be key members of any new generation of Avengers that may come to exist in the near future.

However, there were a great many things I enjoyed about the movie--mostly the general chemistry and humor between the heroes.

I loved how the film brought together so many heroes I loved from individual Marvel movies as well as the original Avengers crew that I’ve always known and loved. I was also happy that Iron Man survived, as he’s always been my personal favorite of all the heroes.

Although I was intensely dismayed by the massive cliffhanger the movie left off on, I will most definitely be first in line for the next Avengers movie in 2019!

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NON-FAN REVIEW

Thousands upon thousands of avid Marvel fans flocked to over 4,474 American venues to watch their favorite superheroes fight for the fate of humanity on April 27. While my friends wept as character after character met their demise, I sat stone-faced, and unphased. I was called heartless, insensitive, and even a psychopath by my fellow moviegoers, but all the ridicule in the world couldn’t change the harsh reality: I simply did not care. Be it the nature of fantasy films or the predictable monotony of superhero movies but I’ve never been one to voluntary attend an Avengers flick. Nevertheless, when a surprise birthday party based around the very premise of watching said movie arose, I had no choice but to swallow my pride and attend. Going into the film, I had no prior knowledge of any of the Avengers or the trials they had previously faced.

If you aren’t familiar with the film, it centers around the villain Thanos from the planet Titan. Thanos’ goal is to collect all six infinity stones so he can gain the power necessary for him to eliminate half of the human race. While this main mission is a fairly interesting premise, that’s where the intrigue ended for me. After the heroes assemble and embark on their separate missions the movie unfolds into a fairly repetitive cycle: the Avengers form a plan to confront Thanos, the confrontation does not go as planned and one of the characters getshurt, and Thanos snags another Infinity Stone. This cycle repeats for the duration of the movie until what was for me, the final nail in “Infinity Wars” coffin: the ending.

Although fans of the series may of been thrilled by the unexpected cliffhanger, to me this ending felt cheap. It’s understandable that Marvel needs to buy more time to write the ending to this storyline, however the way they went about it felt like a cop out, and killing off all the fan favorites didn’t exactly leave me wanting more.

But with the negatives come what I didn’t completely hate about “Infinity War.” What the film’s ending lacked I feel it made up for with the thrilling introduction. Tony Stark and Dr. Strange getting the old gang back together felt like a fun and fitting beginning to the movie. In fact, the moments when “Infinity War” shined the most was when it knew exactly what it was: a fun family superhero movie. Unfortunately, the film seemed to lose sight of itself as it progressed, with the plot spiraling out of control in an attempt to indulge the superfans at every possible avenue. At times it felt as those Marvel was neglecting possibly its biggest audience: children, families and people who likely don’t know or care a whole lot about the minute plot points. Nevertheless, I found myself particularly entertained at the parts featuring Peter Quill (portrayed by Chris Pratt). This character was the comedic relief the movie desperately needed at points, and I wish he had played a bigger role in “Infinity War.”

Despite my initial reluctance, “Infinity War” was, for the most part, a decent watch. Although the plot dragged at points and Marvel was definitely catering to the hardcore fans, I still found myself tearing up at Peter Parker’s “I don’t wanna go” moment.

Written by Alex Carlon and Caitlyn Hill Design by Nina Meng

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Mall of America Recommendations Can’t decide where to shop in this gigantic mall? This is a mini guide as to where you could visit at the MOA. With more than 520 stores, the Mall of America is considered one of the largest malls in America. There is something for everyone at the Mall of America, be it fashion, food, tech, or even toys. You’d think it’s only for adults who like to shop, but activities such as visiting the Sea Life aquarium, American Girl doll store, or even the mall’s very own amusement park are especially made for children.

With so little time and so many stores to visit, here are my recommendations below if you ever visit MOA.

Abercrombie & Fitch: 10/10 This is located at the west part of MOA on floor two. The overall store layout is very classy and stylish with lots of walking space. There is even a waiting place with multiple comfy couches and footrests for people who are not shopping. Their fitting rooms are larger in size than the one we have at the Coral Ridge Mall. They also carry more accessories in their store such as necklaces and bracelets. The workers are all very nice and useful in regards with any questions you may have. I Would definitely recommend this for anyone that usually shops at the Abercrombie in the Coral Ridge mall.

Lush: 9/10 Located in the north part of MOA on floor one, this is a store full of freshly made cosmetics. Their products include bath, shower, hair, face, body, fragrance and makeup. Lush products are both hand-made with organic ingredients and it is also 100% vegetarian.

I recommend their herbalism cleanser, tea tree water toner, and enzymion moisturizer for combo to oily skin. The downside to their products are that some of their prices are expensive. However, you can always ask for samples to try before buying from their super friendly workers.

Häagen-Dazs: 10/10 This is located at the east part of MOA on floor one. After hours of shopping, this is the perfect place to go for a tasty treat. Their sorbets and ice creams are extraordinary with special flavors such as raspberry, banana peanut butter chip or even cherry vanilla.

This is just the ideal snack after a long day of shopping.

Nickelodeon Universe theme park: 9/10 This is located at the center of MOA. Tickets may range from $3.60 to $70.99 depending on the number of rides you would want to go on. It is entertaining for both adults and children of all ages, as it has many different activities for them to do.

Minnesota Sea Life Aquarium: 10/10 This is located at the east part of MOA on floor one. Ticket prices are free for those under the age of three, $17.49 for three to twelve year olds, and $24.49 for those who are 13 or older. The Minnesota Sea Life Aquarium is perfect for a family vacation.

They have sea creatures including sharks, sea turtles, rays, jellyfish, seahorses and more.

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Piada: 10/10 This is located at the north food court on floor three. They offer Italian street foods such as made-to-order piadas, pastas and chopped salads. The line may sometimes be very long, but it is worth it if you are a big Italian food lover. I recommend their basil pesto pasta, crispy chicken blt piada, and their summer avocado piada.

Sephora: 10/10 Located on the west part of MOA on floor two, this store is quite different from the one we have here at the Coral Ridge mall. They have stands set up for more brands such as Milk, Yves Saint Laurent, and more. Their workers are also very friendly and helpful for any questions or concerns you may have.

Toms: 8/10 This is located at the north part of MOA on floor one. While we may get some of their shoe collection at stores such as Von Maur, they carry the full collection of footwear, eyewear and bags for both men and women at their store at MOA. Their overall store design is very aesthetically pleasing and the workers are all very friendly. The downside is that the prices tend to be on the more expensive side and the shoes may not last as long as some comparable brands.

Swatch: 9/10 Located at the east part of the mall on floor one this is a Swiss brand selling both design and lifestyle type watches.

They sell watches for both males and females of all ages.

Some of the more high quality watches are waterproof, but tend to be on the expensive side. I highly recommend this for people who need watches that are both waterproof and designed to last longer.

Zara: 9/10 This is located at the north part of MOA on both floor one and two. This is one of the largest international fashion brands. They offer apparel and accessories for women, men and kids. I definitely recommend their entire TRF collection dedicated to teens. Almost 90% of my clothes from my childhood were from Zara.

Their clothes last for a long time due to its nice quality, and it is always stylish. Â Many of their items are on the pricey side, but it is worth it if you love anything related to fashion.

Written by Maggie Huang Design by Nina Meng