Day trip to the old Granite Ridge mall vs staying home, huge difference

I finally hit the Granite Ridge mall outside of Denver last Saturday and I'm SO glad I went. But seriously, I compared it to my last trip where I just looked at photos online and that was a total mistake. Seeing the cracked skylights and the old food court fountain in person gave me a feeling no picture could match. The smell of damp carpet and the echo when you walk is something you just can't fake. I brought a cheap flashlight and a respirator mask because the dust was thick, and that made it 100% better than my friend who went empty handed. He was coughing the whole time and we had to cut the explore short after 90 minutes. Has anyone else found that gear really makes or breaks a mall walkthrough, or was I just lucky with my setup?

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mia_anderson18d ago

The respirator mask thing hit close to home for me. I did the old Crestwood Plaza outside St. Louis back in March and thought a bandana would be enough. Big mistake. I was wheezing for two days after, and that weird moldy smell stuck to my jacket for a week. You also reminded me about the flashlight, I used my phone and burned through half my battery just trying to see the old escalator pit. Your setup sounds smart, and honestly, going prepared changes the whole vibe from stressful to actually enjoyable.