The Almost-Abandoned Mall

Please forgive me for the long radio silence. It's been hectic since moving back. Three weeks ago I also started a new job. It's a job I absolutely love, though. I still have photos from Russia to share, but I thought I'd switch it up a bit. In the middle of July I went down to visit one of my best friends, Haley, in Cincinnati. She is one of those friends who truly gets me and is always up for doing something fun, even with a toddler and a baby! Bless her.

I had a list of things I wanted to do and see in Cincinnati, but while I was there she also suggested places that she knew I'd like. It's funny because I lived in Cincinnati for 5 years while attending college but I still manage to find things I want to do. We met up with our friend, Matt, the day before and they both mentioned they wanted to walk through this mall. Cincinnati Mills, Cincinnati Mall, and Forest Fair Mall Village are all names I've heard to refer to this place, but I'll just refer to it as Cincinnati Mills because that seemed to be the name Haley preferred.

I was really interested to see what this place was like. As they were explaining it I couldn't wrap my head around a mall that was open but that no one went to. The feeling when you walk inside is quite strange. The doors at entrance 2 are unlocked, probably for those mall walkers who don't want to deal with the crowds. There were probably 3 stores in this mall, but I don't think any of their entrances actually worked inside. It was literally a ghost town, but a well-kept ghost town. We didn't even see a handful of people; that's how abandoned this place was. What we did see, though, was a custodian whose job it still was to keep this place clean. Maybe they have hopes that something will turn around and want to make sure it's in it's best shape when that does happen? Who knows.

As we walked around Haley was telling us about the places she used to go. I loved trying to imagine this place in it's peak. I tried to compare it to my hometown mall I spent many middle and high school days in. Now, you need to drag me kicking and screaming into a mall. I hate them, except if their abandoned - or partially abandoned. If you're interested in reading about the history of the mall you can do that here. In a nutshell, falling sales and it's failure to land big companies like Ikea, led to its decline and, I imagine, will lead to its demise sometime soon.

For now, entrance 2 is still open for the curious visitor. I completely recommend visiting this place while it's still open because it's basically an abandoned mall but you won't be committing any crimes. If you are interested, the mall is open every day from 6 AM to 8 PM. The address is 600 Cincinnati Mills Dr, Cincinnati, OH 45240. Make sure you have a full stomach because you won't find any functioning food courts inside.

What do you think of this place?