DestiNY USA.... Nothing Like it in the World

This is the main logo for DestiNY USA, the newest upcoming main attraction in the nation -- situated in Syracuse, NY, located in upstate New York. It is not quite a mall, though it is "a behemoth of a shoping, tourism and entertainment complex that will take up more square footage than two Empire State Buildings" (NY times article 6/24/02). It is promised to be bigger than Minnesota's Mall of America.

From the official site http://www.aboutdestiny.com:
"Opening in 2004, DestiNY USA will be the most exciting retail and travel destination in the United States. This one-of-a-kind resort destination will attract millions of people from all over the world."

"The Experience DestiNY Center will itself be a destination point - a must see attraction. This center will serve as the epicenter of tourism for the entire Upstate New York region linking people and tourism attractions together. It will be a place where anyone in the world can communicate and interact, either in person or electronically, all year long and will promote all of Upstate New York as an internationally recognized tourism destination. Once here, visitors will be awed by the facility, programs, convenience and staff trained to provide unmatched customer care. After learning about all of the many marvels of Upstate New York, from Niagara Falls to the 1000 Islands to the Erie Canal Corridor, from the Finger Lakes Region to the Adirondack Park, they will be seamlessly transported to any one of the thousands of tourism areas"

The mall will include, among many many things, a saltwater aquarium, rock and ice climbing mountains, a 65-acre park under a dome similar to a Biosphere, a movie theater of 20 screens, concert hall, two broadway style theaters, and a minature Erie Canal (NY Times article).

This is a $2.2 billion project. The developer, Robert Congel has planned for DestiNY USA to open summer of 2004 and projects the mall to attract 40 million visitors a year. Congel says that the mall will generate up to $12.5 billion in annual economic activitiy and may create up to 122,000 jobs.

Originally from Syracuse, Congel owns his own company, Pyramid Management Group, which has built malls all around the Northeast. Ideas like the "upstate's glaring need for economic jumper cables," have allowed Congel to recieve extensive tax breaks, to allow him to pursue his project.

My views? Well, right now the famous Carousel Center mall, located in Syracuse, is big enough, I think. While attending Cornell university, about an hour south of Syracuse, I have visited Carousel Mall two times. It is a huge mall that caters to all my needs. I am slightly horrified by this new mall, and amazed that it will be bigger than the Mall of America.

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