In the late 1980s Eastpoint Mall had these large, square brick water fountains that anchored each corner. I remember sitting on the edge, the air-conditioned bricks cool on my bare legs, and staring into the glittering pool of wasted pocket change and dreams. I would ask my mom for a penny to toss in, after making a secret wish. And then another. It was addictive, once I learned all you had to do to get whatever my heart desired was to toss a penny into the fountain! This has been a memory that has stayed with me since that first wish. It was just announced, and confirmed, that at the end of August 2026 Eastpoint Mall would shut down forever. The mall is already a shadow of its former self. All the good stores have long ago left--most went out of business--but now it will permanently close and become razed soon. A piece of Dundalk history and legend will be erased from time and space like so much of the town lately...

They say you can't go home again. I've become haunted by this proverb. In my case I can go home again. Dundalk, MD is home, it's where I grew up. But it no longer feels like home. I don't live in Dundalk anymore, but I live close enough that I can visit when I get the itch to return to something familiar. Most of the food joints I ate at while growing up are long gone. The first McDonald's I worked at on Wise Avenue--just across the street from my house--before my senior year in high school (summer 1995) was razed and rebuilt. Now, it's a box, an ugly box with no soul or character that is utterly unwelcoming. In the '80s and '90s the mansard-roof McDonald's restaurant wanted families to stay in and eat; but today, they practically demand you get your food and promptly leave. They don't want you there. In fact, they'd appreciate if you use the drive-thru, or better yet, get it delivered for another 5 bucks and just stay home altogether. Wise A...