I don't know why but it's really easy to have nostalgia for things that in retrospect we're also kind of crappy. Kind of like your ex-girl that use to steal from you' it's kind of like "aw, I was so wide-eyed and naïve back then."
Yeah, I used to loiter around at this little mall which used to be a big mall back in high school waiting for the bus, and when it got turned into a Target I was really sad. So many memories of that mall. :(
Having been in the area, this mall is (was?) in a pretty run-down part of the city. The casual racism in the comments aside, it's not a place you wanted to go most evenings. The area has managed to maintain an upper-lower to lower-middle class commercial footprint, as it's got a Home Depot, Kmart, and a bunch of chain restaurants nearby.
The land the mall is on just got bought by this big medical software company that seems to have Borg-like growth, so maybe the Bannister area is in for a bit more rehab.
It's a good genre! I actually think I prefer these still photos to video, it gives it a more otherworldly feel even before you factor in the ambient music.
Shopping malls do have a distinctive architectural style that seems unlike anything outside of late 70's to early 90's sci-fi city sets. For the most part, they're the shopping equivalent of a mod-style split-level bachelor pad, which just makes them look exceedingly sad after their heyday is over.