A newly opened abandoned mall?! How can that be? The American Dream in New Jersey isn’t an abandoned mall at all. In fact, it’s the third-largest shopping megaplex in the U.S., just behind the King of Prussia Mall and Mall of America. To call it a mall is practically an understatement: It houses Nickelodeon Universe (a mini theme park), a water park, an NHL-sized ice rink, multiple mini golf courses and an indoor ski resort.

While it technically opened almost a year ago (Oct. 25, 2019), when I visited in late February, I couldn’t help but feel like I was trespassing. It was open to the public, but very few parts of it actually were: the rogue cookie kiosk, the ice skating rink, the Nickelodeon theme park (though it seemed like a third of the rides weren’t operational that day), a three-story candy shop.

Then the pandemic hit, and all malls closed, The American Dream included. It’s been shuttered ever since, but the mega mall has recently announced plans to reopen on Oct. 1, 2020. Several stores are expected to open for the first time, NJ.com reports, like H&M, Aritzia and Primark. And to prepare for the big reopening, the mall’s hiring roughly 300 people to fill roles ranging from lifeguards for the DreamWorks Water Park (which was undergoing ride testing the day we were there) to sales people and ice rink attendants. If you live in the New Jersey area and are interested in applying, you can apply directly through the mall’s job postings site.

In anticipation of its grand reopening, here’s a glimpse of what it was like pre-pandemic. Maybe I should’ve taken that abandoned mall vibe as a harbinger of what 2020 would bring.

The American Dream Photo Tour (as of Feb. 2020)

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