Went to the Mall Today

I got dressed up today to meet up with an online friend and their girlfriend for the first time. We decided on a mall in the area and I havent been to the mall since winter of last year, and to be honest, I rarely go to malls. So I was just assuming this mall was going to be dead, because most malls are dying. I got there and I couldnt even find parking for a solid 15 minutes. There was SOOOOO many people there. I got to the food court and almost immediately spotted a group of alternative mall rats. They saw me and started geeking out and then came up to me to compliment my hair and outfit. I got so many compliments today. I dont think I have seen alt teens hanging out in malls since like 2012. I used to go to the mall all the time in 2016 with my ex and I almost never saw alt kids there. Maybe like 3 or so in a Hot Topic but that was it. No one hung out in the food court. The malls were usually dead on weekends. But...it genuinely felt like 2007 again. Mall culture is very alive in big city malls right now. I also got my hands on a Haste the Day CD for $5 at Vintage Stock. Its their 2005 album ^_^ But seriously this was the most comments I've had on my outfit in years. I dont think any of those kids knew I am 30 years old. I get mistaken for 19/20 years old a lot lol.Just seeing all of them get super excited about how I looked made me feel...cool? Im so used to teens hating adults and finding us cringe, but I can tell they definitely look up to us for making the style they love so much. Idk I am just rambling at this point. I had a good time. I might go back to hang out in the future.