As a teenager, I loved the mall and couldn’t wait to go there each weekend to see what was new in the stores, but as I grew up I began going less and less. For a lot of malls around the country, others were clearly doing the same thing. Due to issues that developed with my skin, I began mall walking at a nearby mall late last year. This was not a dying mall, yet I was surprised at how many people went there early in the morning before most of the stores opened to get some exercise, read the paper and drink coffee from one of the cafes, or meet up with others. In some ways it was a true community gathering spot. I didn’t go everyday, but often enough to see familiar faces, such as an older Chinese couple walking with their daughter, some fast moving women my age, an older man who got coffee at the Nordstrom café and would be carrying his small dog in his arms, and then the mothers with their strollers doing zumba. These scenes and activities became part of my routine until COVID-...