Most city centers are that way now. I remember going downtown with my parents to shop during the Christmas season. Stores were crowded together and centralized in multi-story buildings. They went up rather than out. Parking a car was difficult.

Over time, they adapted to widespread automobile ownership. They moved out to cheaper land. They spread outward rather than upward. They no longer benefitted from being centered within residential areas and they became surrounded by large parking lots.

It took decades for large retailers to adapt to automobile ownership. The change left city centers deserted. It also caused the demise of small independent retail stores in surrounding villages and hamlets.

Finally, the growth of online shopping struck a final blow.

I miss centralized shopping, but it's gone and not coming back. I particularly miss the small retailers in the surrounding villages.

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Our travelling days may be over. Sometimes, she talks about going on a trip. We'll see what happens when the weather starts warming up. She had a stroke in '23 due to atrial fibrillation. We walk around holding hands because she needs support. She has some cognitive impairment as well.

We go to yard sales and used book sales. I look for old history books (the history of history, you might say). My favorite is a high school level U. S. history book that was published in 1858. I paid 50¢ for it. Quote from the last chapter: "Slavery has become a controversial issue. We hope that it can be resolved without violence."