I’m hiding out in a mall. The Heat Dome is descending upon us today, so I thought it was best to scurry off to a place with AC. My bedroom in Northampton has AC, but not rest of the apartment, and not my beloved porch.
This is the Holyoke Mall, about twenty minutes south of Northampton. It used to have a Sears. It used to have a Christmas Tree Shop. It used to have aquarium Pizzeria Uno. Those are all empty spaces now. It’s not depressing, though. They’ve leaned into appealing to teens and pre-teens, so there are lots of shops selling Japanese tchotchkes. There’s a shooting range and a boba place and a Mrs. Fields. I would have been impressed if a boy had brought me here on a date when I was 14.
I got here at 9:30, before the whole mall opened. I parked outside JC Penney, in the shade of the parking garage, thinking I would enter through their door, but it was locked.
It wasn't hot yet, so I decided to walk around the perimeter of the mall to find a main entrance, which I figured would be just around the corner. I walked for a least half a mile. It’s a big mall. I eventually came to the entrance of Hobby Lobby, which had been open since 9, but I couldn’t bring myself to go in. I value my bodily autonomy too much. There was a main entrance just a little way’s past the Hobby Lobby, so I didn't regret sticking by my values.
I ate overly-sweet drunken noodles for lunch and now I’m sitting across from Cinnabon and contemplating my next move. I’ll probably go to a movie. I’m getting a little tired of being in the mall.
I did see a really good deal on a Cuisinart combo toaster oven/air fryer, so I might grab that first. The mall is still full of possibilities.
Is that the one everyone has referred to as “the dead mall” for decades?