I live about a half-mile from the almost-dead Rhode Island Mall. This was THE place during my childhood/teens, but has since declined steadily. With the exception of Sears, a Kohls & a WalMart (all of which are physically connected, but for the most part separate from the Mall proper) it seems to only retain a DMV satellite location & The Silver Dragon, an outlet for all your magickal needs. I was just informed last week that The Silver Dragon is gone.
more here:
http://www.deadmalls.com/Walking through the RI Mall is so eerie because I can remember when it teemed with activity. There is the Warwick Mall, about a 1/4 mile down the road which has survived and seems to be doing well.
sorry for the nostalgia trip, but the point is that at least that place had life at SOME point. I can't imagine walking around such a behemoth of capitalist hubris that never got the chance to see healthy foot traffic.
in short, the gub'ment should just bail these jerks out, and turn Xanadu into some weirdo art-space/museum/time capsule where you drive around on a Hummer-tram and witness all the excesses of late 20th cent/early 21st cent consumerism.
