McKinley Mall
Whenever I go to the McKinley Mall in Hamburg I remind whoever I am with:
“I built this place.”
It usually gets a laugh because I can’t build a cardboard 📦 box, but it’s kinda’ true.
I was a union laborer on the job and I was assigned to be a carpenter’s assistant. It’s a long place!
“Get me a hammer,” the carpenter said.
“Where is it?”
“Toolbox at the other end of the mall.”
I made the walk there, grabbed the hammer 🔨 and walked back.
“Go get me a screwdriver,” he said, when I handed over the 🔨 hammer.
“I’m guessing it’s in the toolbox.”
“Yep,” he said, 😂 laughing.
Walked all the way back. What did I care?
Except I stepped in concrete on the way. An entire crew of really Italian guys called me an idiot.
Then there was the day they put me on the tamper.
I couldn’t control it.
Dropped it into a huge excavation. I called my laborer partner, Joe.
“Dude, they’re going to kill you!”
Joe and I jumped into the hole 🕳 and tried to lift a 500 pound unit out of a hole, by hand.
“You idiots!” Angelo, our boss had caught us.
He made us sweep 🧹 the parking lot.
It’s a huge parking lot.
It was 90 degrees.
Joe was 😡 mad!
I think of all of this because the McKinley Mall is becoming a ghost 👻 town.
Sears announced they’re moving out.
I live around the corner...
...I haven’t stepped inside in about ten years.
Maybe I’ll walk around...
...look at the architecture a little...
...and remember that I built the joint.
What will they do with all these empty buildings?
Makes me a little 😢 sad.
“I built this place.”
It usually gets a laugh because I can’t build a cardboard 📦 box, but it’s kinda’ true.
I was a union laborer on the job and I was assigned to be a carpenter’s assistant. It’s a long place!
“Get me a hammer,” the carpenter said.
“Where is it?”
“Toolbox at the other end of the mall.”
I made the walk there, grabbed the hammer 🔨 and walked back.
“Go get me a screwdriver,” he said, when I handed over the 🔨 hammer.
“I’m guessing it’s in the toolbox.”
“Yep,” he said, 😂 laughing.
Walked all the way back. What did I care?
Except I stepped in concrete on the way. An entire crew of really Italian guys called me an idiot.
Then there was the day they put me on the tamper.
I couldn’t control it.
Dropped it into a huge excavation. I called my laborer partner, Joe.
“Dude, they’re going to kill you!”
Joe and I jumped into the hole 🕳 and tried to lift a 500 pound unit out of a hole, by hand.
“You idiots!” Angelo, our boss had caught us.
He made us sweep 🧹 the parking lot.
It’s a huge parking lot.
It was 90 degrees.
Joe was 😡 mad!
I think of all of this because the McKinley Mall is becoming a ghost 👻 town.
Sears announced they’re moving out.
I live around the corner...
...I haven’t stepped inside in about ten years.
Maybe I’ll walk around...
...look at the architecture a little...
...and remember that I built the joint.
What will they do with all these empty buildings?
Makes me a little 😢 sad.
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