MAALP Capital (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Limited Partners' Capital Account [Member]
Increase (Decrease) in Partners' Capital [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	$ 161,310	$ 166,746
Net Income Allocated to Limited Partners	3,410	848
General partner units issued in exchange for limited partner units	(46)	(744)
Adjustment for noncontrolling interest ownership in operating partnership	(128)	(201)
Distributions	(3,226)	(3,072)
Ending Balance	161,320	163,577
General Partners' Capital Account [Member]
Increase (Decrease) in Partners' Capital [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	2,890,858	2,946,598
Net Income Allocated to General Partners	61,267	14,866
Issuance of units	8	227
Units repurchased and retired	(937)	(285)
Exercise of unit options	0
General partner units issued in exchange for limited partner units	46	744
Units issued in exchange for redeemable units	0	998
Redeemable stock fair market value	(209)	(631)
Adjustment for noncontrolling interest ownership in operating partnership	128	201
Amortization of unearned compensation	1,462	948
Distributions	(58,034)	(54,792)
Ending Balance	2,894,589	2,910,649
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]
Increase (Decrease) in Partners' Capital [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	(376)	174
Other comprehensive (loss) income - derivatives insturments (cash flow hedges)	(2,155)	2,727
Ending Balance	(2,531)	2,901
Total Partnership Capital [Member]
Increase (Decrease) in Partners' Capital [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	3,051,792	3,113,518
Net Income Available for Common Unitholders	64,677	15,714
Other comprehensive (loss) income - derivatives insturments (cash flow hedges)	(2,155)	2,727
Issuance of units	8	227
Units repurchased and retired	(937)	(285)
Exercise of unit options	0	(1,775)
General partner units issued in exchange for limited partner units	0	0
Units issued in exchange for redeemable units	0	998
Redeemable stock fair market value	(209)	(631)
Adjustment for noncontrolling interest ownership in operating partnership	0	0
Amortization of unearned compensation	1,462	948
Distributions	(61,260)	(57,864)
Ending Balance	$ 3,053,378	$ 3,077,127

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- Definition

Distributions

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Fair value option and measurement.

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- Definition

General Partnership Units Issued in Exchange for Limited Partnership Units

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Net Income Available for Common Unitholders

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Partnership units issued in exchange for redeemable units

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- Definition

Units Issued During Period, Value, New Issues

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Units Issued During Period, Value, Unit Options Exercised

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Units Repurchased and Retired During Period, Value

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- Definition

Net Increase or Decrease in balance of noncontrolling interest in the subsidiary during the reporting period.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 810

-SubTopic 10

-Section 45

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Aggregate amount of net income allocated to general partners.

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Aggregate amount of net income allocated to limited partners.

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Amount after tax and reclassification adjustments, of increase (decrease) in accumulated gain (loss) from derivative instruments designated and qualifying as the effective portion of cash flow hedges and an entity's share of an equity investee's increase (decrease) in deferred hedging gain (loss).

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The amount of ownership interest of different classes of partners in limited partnership.

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