Are you looking to spice up your day with some fun, unique and affordable activities? Then look no further than the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey! The American Dream Mall offers more than a dozen unique attractions and exhibits that are engaging for people of all ages. Recently, my wife Ahuva, my brother Gabe and I visited the unique photography illusion display TiLT—A Tracy Lee Stum Museum and the confounding Mirror Maze.
TiLT Museum
The TiLT Museum is an experience like no other. The best way to describe it is as an immersive photoshoot that places you in the most bizarre and absurd settings. At first glance, the museum itself feels like any other art museum with its plain gray marble floor, white walls along the different corridors and colorful displays placed every couple of feet. Each display even has a description next to it. As we got closer, however, we realized that the paintings were missing one crucial element: US.
Each showcase features a wildly unique piece of art that is painted on the walls and continues to the floor which creates an optical illusion. Plaques on the side explain what the art is about. Additionally, there is a sign that has a demo picture of the correct positioning for visitors to stand within the art in order to become incorporated into the exhibit. While in the museum, it is clear to see that it is all just an illusion. But, by following the directions of each demo picture, the photograph comes out very realistic and it appears as if we are actually inside the artwork.
To begin, Ahuva and I posed for a picture on top of a flying hot dog above the New York skyline. We laid on the floor on a drawing of a hot dog with wings, but since the top of the hot dog curved up onto the wall in the picture, it looked like we were riding a flying hot dog. In another exhibit, Gabe and I pretended to climb a ladder in a giant-sized board game of snakes and ladders with the added illusion that the snakes were close to eating us. I also posed in a picture holding a sword that looked like I was going to slay a dragon, facing a great white shark, and inside the mouth of a giant dog. (Side note: I am afraid of dogs so this photograph was very ironic and hilariously reminded me of my worst nightmare.) In another, my brother appeared to be playing a giant arcade machine game.
There were also some interesting slanted and curvy rooms with tilted drawings inside. In one slanted room, Ahuva and I posed by giant bottles of paint with Ahuva on one end, on top of the slant, and myself, on the other end, at the bottom of the slant. The slant created the impression that Ahuva was much taller than me since she was elevated while I was lower, but in the photograph, the floor looked straight. In another setting, Ahuva and I appeared to be walking along a ledge of a building since the windows were curvy and the ledge appeared to have depth.
My favorite works of art were the DJ and the King Kong displays. Gabe and Ahuva tried the DJ display. Gabe had his hand on a makeshift DJ system while Ahuva stood in the corner on top of a disk drawn on the floor. On the walls were images of an adoring concert crowd, cheering. Due to the angle of the picture, it looked as though Gabe was DJing and on the second disk was a tiny version of Ahuva. I took a video of Ahuva twirling around while Gabe moved his arms, and it looked like Gabe was spinning Ahuva around. The King Kong photo was a mural of a ginormous gorilla wearing sunglasses at the beach. Ahuva stood in Kong’s palm, which was painted half on the floor and half on the wall, making it appear as though she was standing in his hand.
It is difficult to explain in words how remarkable this museum is; it is more of a see-it-to-believe-it kind of experience. Be sure to look up pictures online of other guests posing for pictures and you will better understand what I mean! At the end of the exhibit is a gift shop selling memorabilia such as bags, t-shirts, hats, mugs and more.
Mirror Maze
Following the TiLT museum, we walked from the Garden Court to Court A to conquer the Mirror Maze. I have done some miniature mirror mazes at carnivals and the state fair (see issue #438 for a full review of that) where it was fairly easy to escape since only a couple of turns led you to the exit. The Mirror Maze at the American Dream Mall is an entirely different beast. This maze is much larger with misleading corridors seemingly at every turn. Or maybe it was the same corridor in which we kept walking around in circles. We may never know for certain.
Throughout the entire challenge, the walls are covered in large mirrors. We saw multiple versions of ourselves surrounding us at all times. I would often reach out to Ahuva or Gabe, but it would just be a mirror image of them. Adding to the fun are flashing lights and soft music playing in the background. The mirrors kind of go in and out like an accordion, making the maze feel even longer. Some paths lead to a dead end, causing you to have to turn around to find the correct path forward.
About halfway through the maze, there is a large empty room with many glowing light bulbs but without ant mirrors. This room served as a good reference point once we reached the second half of the maze and were at times misdirected by the mirrors that led us back to that room.
After a few minutes of being lost in the maze, Gabe, growing impatient with our ineptness, decided to ditch us. Ahuva and I continued to wander aimlessly, trying to find the exit. Eventually, we called Gabe to see if he had any better luck; he told us that he had been out of the maze for several minutes and was waiting for us to finish. We told Gabe that we couldn’t find the way out so he returned to the maze, thankfully caught up with us, and guided us out. (Our hero!) In total, we were in the maze for around 40 minutes.
We immensely enjoyed our time at both attractions. TiLT Museum is a cute place to go with friends/family and take some interesting photos. I would recommend being patient and taking the time to get the precise angle for the best shot. It is better to take a few well-done photographs than a bunch of photos that don’t come out as well. The Mirror Maze was a lot more difficult than I had expected, which I appreciated. Although we eventually got out with Gabe’s help, I am determined to attempt it again to see if I can break out on my own.
If you have not gone to the American Dream Mall yet, I highly recommend that you visit as soon as possible. There are so many exciting things to do such as TiLT and the Mirror Maze and many combo discount deals available. Especially in the winter with most outdoor activities closed, the American Dream Mall is a wonderful place to be.
TiLT—A Tracy Lee Stum Museum
Admission: $20 per person
Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Location: Garden Court, Level 1
Unique Feature: One-of-a-kind photoshoot opportunity with optical illusions
Mirror Maze
Admission: $10 a person, children under 2 free
Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Located: Court A, Level 1
Unique Feature: Complex maze with hundreds of mirrors
Zachary Greenberg is a health and benefits consultant at Mercer and is the TABC track coach. In 2018, Zachary helped the YU Cross Country team take first place at the Baruch College Invitational. Additionally, he recently watched the new classic action film “Predator” (1987) on HBO Max. Follow him on Instagram@Funzacktivities. If you have any recommendations of fun places for Zachary to cover, email him at [email protected].
