The 21st century has brought with it the slow-but-steady demise of malls across the United States (and elsewhere, of course). But in the post-World War II era, when families started sprouting up in the suburbs in huge numbers, malls weren't only centers of commerce, but centers of pre-Internet socializing, too. So today, let's chat about the mall during the latter end of its triumphant era, in the '80s and '90s. The stores we loved and hated. The people we met. The food courts. And, of course, the toy stores, game shops, and all of the other nerdy things we relied upon a great deal before the advent of Always Online.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices