Fresh paint, confused drivers, giddy kids: American Dream finally awakens
American Dream, the Meadowlands mega-mall and entertainment complex under development for decades, opened its doors for the first time on Friday, greeting patrons and politicians alike with a mix of unfinished construction, confusing parking -- and sheer delight at its colorful indoor amusement park and pro-size ice rink.
Customers began trickling into the vast property squeezed between the New Jersey Turnpike and Meadowlands Sports Complex as soon as its doors swung open about 10 a.m., a milestone for those who watched the project languish for years.
"This is a journey that we’re all still on,” Gov. Phil Murphy said at the site. “There’s a ways to go with the other phases, but this is a great first step. It’s a huge day for the Garden State.”
The opening was not without its hiccups as visitors expressed confusion over where to park, how to get into the 3-million square-foot facility in East Rutherford and exactly what was and wasn't open.
“I should’ve brought M&M’s to track how I got here from my car,” said Bob Kahn, of West Milford, as he recounted his long walk to the entrance.
But by early afternoon the amusement park was in full swing with children, parents and a gaggle of politicians riding roller coasters and enjoying other amenities for free.
Construction workers at first seemed to outnumber customers as the doors opened, fitting for a project that has endured years of building delays and questions about financing. .
Patrons walked in past an army of workers in hard hats, painters still priming walls and packages of wall tiles lying on the floor. Near the Nickelodeon Universe amusement park, the smell of fresh paint filled the air as power tools whined amid the roar of roller coasters.
One of the first entrants was Deborah Smith, 56, of Toms River, who was taken aback by all the work still underway on sections of the complex that have yet to open.
"I drove around five times to get in here," she said. "This place ain’t done with construction. It’s odd that it’s not done. Don’t want [the] building to fall on my head”
First unveiled as a concept in 1991, then reimagined, stalled and renamed numerous times over the three decades since, American Dream is still an unfinished product.
COMPLETE GUIDE:Guide to the American Dream's opening, stores, water park, history
OPENING DAY:What you need to know if you plan to go to opening weekend of American Dream
The amusement park and professional-size ice rink that debuted Friday are only a small portion of a facility that ultimately will be one of the biggest retail and entertainment complexes in the nation.
Guests will have to wait until late November to check out the indoor water park; early December for the indoor snow slope; and March 2020 to shop and dine. Officials have described a string of opening celebrations as "chapters."
Some retail experts say American Dream, developed by Canadian firm Triple Five, could serve as a North Star for a retail industry struggling to survive in an online world. Once fully operational, it will be a test case for experiential retail -- malls that offer more than just shopping -- and whether the concept can be successful in one of the country’s most competitive markets.
Story continues below photo gallery.
Driving to American Dream
Earlier in the day, driving to the white-paneled behemoth set between the Turnpike and Route 3 was an exercise in confusion, with cars converging into a maze of unmarked roadways.
As of 8:30 a.m., signs to the mall brought drivers to an entrance blocked by cones. Beyond that point, there were no visible directions on how to enter the mall.
Parking was also a guessing game, with no signs indicating which lots or decks to use. There is no fee to park on opening weekend, which runs through Sunday, but drivers will have to pay up in the future.
Once they found their way to the right place, many visitors were greeted by worker Rhonda Lofton with a huge smile. "Welcome to the dream!" she said as she directed them on where to park and how to get into the complex.
Outside of the complex, which also houses MetLife Stadium, the Meadowlands racetrack and the former Brendan Byrne Arena, traffic on local highways moved relatively freely.
Kevin Walker and his wife drove to American Dream from South Orange and said it was a breeze. It was a different story once inside.
“There was a little confusion where the construction parking was; it was just for construction but they were letting regular people use it,” Walker said, adding that the signs around the facility could have been better. “I did anticipate more traffic; the traffic wasn't bad at all.”
NJ Transit unveiled a special express bus - the 355 - to take customers from the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan to American Dream every half hour, but the gate number was not posted on several digital boards at the terminal. It's gate 305.
Gabe Shapiro took that bus to American Dream on Friday morning with little trouble. His interest in the complex was more esoteric than most.
“I just have a huge interest in elevators, so I wanted to kind of check them out," he said. "And I have a huge interest in building architecture so I wanted to come see this place.”
Shapiro later said he wasn't disappointed.
American Dream: Under construction
Even with less than an hour before doors were scheduled to swing open, the mega-mall was an active construction site, littered with debris and equipment and full of construction workers continuing their jobs. Employees in hard hats and neon vests were walking around the property as visitors started to trickle in.
At nearly ever corner and bend, a worker could be seen acting as a de facto traffic officer, trying to help people navigate the tangle.
Among the first customers Friday morning were pals Zachary Santi, 24, and Justin Paleologos, 25, both from neighboring Lyndhurst, who knew their way around the sports complex from previous visits.
“I still can’t believe it’s done,” said Paleologos. “I remember when I was just a kid and this whole thing was being started and thinking 'when is it going to get done?' and now here we are.”
Like shoppers stampeding into an electronics store on Black Friday, dozens of giddy students from nearby Becton Regional High School ran into the the complex at once at about 11 a.m. They searched frantically, looking around for the amusement park.
What's opening later this year
DreamWorks Water Park is the next "chapter" slated to open, on the day before Thanksgiving. The park will feature more than 40 slides and 15 attractions, including the world's largest wave pool and tallest indoor body slide, according to Triple Five.
Just one week after that, on Dec. 5, American Dream's long-anticipated indoor snow park, called Big SNOW, will debut.
There are still plenty of questions about how the completed project will fare.
A fleet of elected officials accompanied Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday during an exclusive tour with American Dream’s chief executive, Don Ghermezian, through the theme park. The roadways and infrastructure surrounding the mega-mall still needs improvement, they acknowledged.
“We have to do some major road improvements and rail improvements,” Bergen County Executive James Tedesco said. “To me, the only way this is really going to really, really work well is with mass transit. We don’t want people driving single cars. We want to use mass transit. That’s my push with the governor."
Ghermezian said the property is in late discussions with hotel companies to build on the site – a concept that already exists on Triple Five’s sister properties, like Mall of America and West Edmonton Mall.
“We want people to be able to come stay here – not for a couple of hours, but for days on end," Ghermerzian said.
An official announcement is likely to come soon, with a hotel possibly opening within the next 24 to 30 months, he said.
TIMELINE FOR AMERICAN DREAM:Here's which attractions are opening when this fall
Email: anzidei@northjersey.com Twitter: @melanieanzidei