Crossroads mall was my favorite mall growing up. They had the best arcade out of all the malls at the time.

Nostalgia & heartbreak, all in one.

I was banned from the Spencer's at Crossroads Mall when I was 12 for spraying an entire can of "Old Fart Spray", on my best friend : ) Good times!

Nothing better than some good old fashion nostalgia!! Right across the street from Toys R Us....!!!!

I miss Crossroads so much. I never realized how much These malls meant to me until They slowly began to close 1 by 1. The only Malls we have now in OK City is Quail Springs & Pen Square.

Such a cool video. I loved Crossroads Mall and worked there at one point. Would love any copies of any photos you have.

For the record Crossroads mall holds a special place in my heart. It was a place go eat, shop, and hang out, but for myself and about 15 young college students it was a place of pride. I was the General manager of the Landscape Nursery that planted all of the plants, trees, irrigation , and greenery that was inside and out at Crossroads before it opened. Great pride was taken knowing that we spent 8 months, laying pipe, hydromuchling the berms, and planting the trees. One tree that was required came from a nursery in Chicago. It was a beautiful 9-10 inch Red Oak. When the tree arrived on a 40 foot trailer a problem arose at the chosen location, it was designed to be planted at the southeast entrance of the Mall on solid sandstone. After much thought and hardy young men we were able to get it planted and keep it alive before the was turned job over to the Mall. Respectfully submitted, John Trammell

Thank you for allowing me a look inside the mall that I once grew up inside of. I've always wondered what it looked like inside now that they closed it down. Your video is greatly appreciated. It's so sad to see the place I loved to hang out with friends and family now abandoned due to the uprise in gang crime wars

I can’t stress enough how great these videos are. This is living history of a bygone era.

Crossroads Mall will always hold a special place in my heart, as a child Xmas shopping with my mom in weather that was too bad to be out in, teenage years hanging out in the arcade and endlessly walking around, and during early adulthood reminiscing of times gone by. The introduction to your video was fantastic, walking with you through the mall sent me down memory lane remembering all of the time spent there through my life. Thank you so much for this! Your efforts are appreciated.

Sidenote: it's really nice to see that no major vandalism has occurred in the main areas. Just needs a lot of dusting and mopping and it would look great!

While stationed at Tinker for several years Cross Roads was the Mall to go to, spent many chilly weekends there. Sad watching the video remembering the all the locations I once roamed and now it nothing but a shell of its former glory.

So many great memories! The seating areas by the railings were kind of sunken benches - a bit unusual. I remember getting cookies and sitting on the benches to eat them. My mom let us bleed off energy running down the ramp in center court (I remember the carpet being blue) and when we got to the bottom we each got a handful of pennies to throw in the fountain. By the time I graduated high school you didn’t want to go to Crossroads, it wasn’t safe. Everyone stuck to Penn Square or Quail Springs. Plaza Mayor did OK from what I heard, but it wasn’t what they’d hoped for. Thank you for covering this one, Anthony! ❤️

This mall epitomized my entire childhood. So freaking sad what’s it’s become. Great video sir!

Some of the best times of my life were spent walking these halls. I remember the mall in its heyday, packed full of people and sights and smells. Funny how a building can evoke such emotions. Just a bunch of bricks and wood. But Crossroads was more that. Watching this is like revisiting an old friend you haven’t seen for a long time. Thank you for taking me down memory lane for a few minutes. I miss my old friend. My heart hurts 💔

I worked for the company that built that mall. I was a very young carpenter and that was the largest building I ever worked on. There was a Crossroads mall here in Omaha that also became abandoned and was torn down this year.

These dead malls are a solid reminder that people isolate themselves way more in life than we think.Technology and poor behavior by people toward others only make this an easier choice. The Simply Red song is so appropriate. Well done Ace

Cool malls abandoned video👍😀

Crossroads was such an iconic part of the city and so many memories from my childhood to early 30s. Thank you for this look back, I miss it and am always a little sad when I drive my it.

Miss me some arcade, orange Julius, hobby shop, eastern treasures, gadzooks, hot topic, man!

I love the intro song and how it reflects the bygone era of the traditional shopping mall. I'm also looking forward to the cooler months ahead.

Wow, does this being back memories. When I was a kid in the 80's Crossroads Mall was the place to be. Heartbreaking to see it in this condition now.

Whenever I visited my grandparents in OKC we would always stop by Crossroads Mall to walk around, and visit the various shops for a good time. Bought my prom dress at the Laughing Fish later on, and thought this mall was still kicking until this video popped up. Such a sad thing, these malls becoming something of an old relic that we'll tell our kids about and what the experience was like. Thank you for being respectful and leaving it untouched; stealing from abandoned places really irritates me to no end and it's disrespectful to tamper with something that doesn't belong to you. Hope to see more vids! 🙂

Thank you recording this. So many memories there. It’s a whole new world.

Probably didn't help being located next to Valley Brook. Made it a point to take alternative route going to mall. Some great memories.

Wow, this unlocked some old memories from growing up in the '90s/early 2000s. I can still imagine the sounds and smells of that place. 'Pets Unlimited' was always the first place I'd go, just to see the baby animals. My mom would be next door shopping at Montgomery Ward (because it wasn't as weird back then to let your small child wander off a ways 😅) While watching this, I could vividly see the spot where I had the last conversation with my childhood best friend when I still didn't realize I'd never see her again... I remember the cameras being introduced and the shootings... 😕 I only went back there a few times after it became increasingly sketchy. 5-7-9 was where I made my final purchase around 2005 and I still have/wear the item I purchased. The mall was a ghost town by then. Thanks for capturing this 💗

I remember when it opened and I could not wait to see it. The first time I got to go, my sister took me with her, she was older and married with a car, we lived in the Ada area, so it was a long drive for us. Just the parking lot dumbfounded us, we were scared we would never be able to find the car again. We walked in with total amazement. The shops, the food places, it was the first time I had a sopapilla at the Mexican restaurant and I thought it was the most exotic thing I had ever eaten. The sheer number of clothing shops boggled my young teenage mind. It was so clean, the the way the lights reflected off the surfaces were a true wonder. The shoe stores had the most stylish shoes, I remember longing to get some Earth shoes and the thongs with the grass soles. There was also a clock shop that had so many clocks in it. I loved going in and just looking at the beauty of the wood on the Seth Thomas Grandfather clocks and hearing them tic. I thought that only rich folks could possibly afford such luxury of buying one of those and was an unattainable goal to me. The clothing displays in the windows took your breath away! Gold lamai clothing was the disco style of the day and the shiny gold clothes, shoes and purses reflecting in the windows were a site to see. I am so glad I got to experience that with fresh eyes. The lasting memories are precious and certainly made an impression on me.

As someone who was born in OKC, this really hits close to home. I was born in February 2006 so I never remembered this mall but my mom took me there a couple times when I was 1-2 years old (2007-2008) by then it was already dead. Likely due to the May 2006 shooting eerily months after my birth. I finally rediscovered this mall in late 2018 after a teacher whose name I can’t remember for the life of me told me about the shooting. After my mom told me that I visited this mall when I was a baby, I was quick to discover that I visited it before it closed in 2017. It’s sad to see the mall go but this will forever be in my heart. RIP Crossroads Mall (1974-2017)

Is it sad that I cried at the beginning when the song started playing? It just struck a nerve I didn’t expect. The memories I have of this place are awesome. We would go to the Toys R Us across the street, then spend a couple of hours in this mall. I loved it! I’ve lived in Texas since 2000 and had no idea the mall went through so much bad stuff before closing. I always wondered what happened. You’re videos have grown since I first started watching you. Thanks for continuing to share great videos. I look forward to the next one.

This was the first mall we visited back in 1994 when we relocated to Oklahoma. Brings back memories of our young family.

I was there on Grand Opening working for Susie's Casuals! Wow, we were so proud of that place and the crowds kept coming for months (years)! Brings back a lot of good memories!

My father worked part-time at Jarmen's for 14 yrs. I spent many summers at crossroads mall. I'm literally in tears. Thank you for this memory. Thank you

I loved Crossroads, visited as often as I could when I was a kid and teenager living in Moore.

My father ran the successful tex-mex restaurant called Monterrey Jack's. Lot of memories in this mall. Thanks for the vid

One of my earliest memories was going with my cousins. Maybe 1975 or 76, I was born in 70. The hobby shop had an upper level and was next to Bally arcade I believe. At one time it had bumper cars but later they covered that area with a raised floor and pinball among other games was in that area. Would love to find some old photos of the arcade.

Crossroads was the best. Was part of my childhood in the 90s and then my teens. The arcade was cheap .25 for most games. Then the hobby store was so cool with the military Jeep and other stuff. Then the pet store had a bunch of different animals. All around my favorite mall in OKC.

Thank you Anthony for this video. I'm born and raised South side OKC, and spent 1000s of hour at CRM. Got visitation with my child here, spent 1000s of quarters at the arcade, meeting friends and families, buying Transformers from and toy store and across the street at TRU. WHY A POT MANUFACTURER? WHY NOT REOPEN AS ANOTHER MALL? SOUTH SDE NEEDS A MALL! GOT TO DRIVE TO NORMAN, EDMOND, AND FAR WEST OKC OR SHAWNEE. HAS THE CITY OF OKC GIVEN SOUTH OKC, AND DONT GIVE A DAMN? 😒

I'm a little late to all of your videos. It's a rabbit hole I wasn't expecting. Love what you do and the history you tell. I appreciate the respect you have for these places. To many of us out there our local mall was our home away from home. We found first loves, cool stuff, ourselves and grew up. I don't frequent malls as much in my late 30s but still have a profound respect for them. Seeing some of these places locked in time is like going back to those first dates at 14 and 15. The clammy hands and butterflies are all coming back seeing these hallowed halls of malls past. You can even smell the smells of the malls as you pass through in your video. It's a reminiscent visceral daydream experience for me. Just love the stuff!

Thanks for keeping the dead mall spirit alive Anthony. Rochester NY here and I loved your old Medley Center / Irondequiot Mall video.

Thank you for this video, I am 47 & from Moore, just a mile or two south of this place. So many memories here at Crossroads Mall! Thanks again, loved the video! 18:30 is one of the first CHick-Fil-A's in Oklahoma if not the first. The people who worked there still work for CFA on the north side, & one of the girls that was there is now is the operator of 2 CFA's on the north side!

I must admit this brought tears to my eyes. I remember the opening and the numerous trips to shop. I have walked every inch of this mall many times. Very sad indeed. You did forget to film the LONG walks down the corridors to the bathrooms! You could not wait til the last minute! JC Penney's had a restroom in the back of their store. Such memories made there! Always with an orange julius in hand!

This is an awesome video! I’m 37 and I grew up in Moore and always hung out at Crossroads Mall. My dad would give me $40 each time I wanted to go to the mall and I’d do exactly this: go to the Great American Cookie Company, stop by Orange Julius and go to Bally’s Le Mans Arcade. I actually have one of the oranges that used to be behind the glass at the counter at Orange Julius! I also have old tokens from the arcade and old mall map directories. I remember a lot of the old store. KB toys, the old pet store by Montgomery Ward’s, Eastern Treasures, A&W Root Beer, I also remember when Braum’s AND McDonald’s were in the mall! Corn dog on a stick was awesome too! It was right next to Orange Julius! I kept some of the stuff from my favorite places there. I remember the old fountain and the big old ramp to go from the upper level to the lower level. Also, all of the old side pods where you could actually sit and eat your food comfortably. So much nostalgia watching this video and brings back so many great memories from being a teenager. Thank you for posting this!!

In the 70s our high school choir went to metro malls to sing. At Christmas at Crossroads mall the risers were stacked up like a Christmas tree and we stood up there to sing. So many memories!

Loved seeing this. I’m only 27 so I barely have memories in crossroads, but the laughing fish is where I got my prom dress in 2012 and 2013 and I was fascinated by the nearly empty mall then.

Thank you for sharing. Last time I was inside was 2011 on my honeymoon, and you could feel the place really dying at that point, it was sad. Malls in general, honestly, it’s weird because they were such a big deal for the first 25 years of my life, who would have thought the mall age would last basically less than 50 years?

I miss 5 7 9 .. that’s where I spent all my Sonic tips

Some of my favorite childhood memories were in this mall. We lived in OKC in the late '90s, and my favorite thing to do was to go window shopping at Crossroads. Gadzooks was my favorite store -- they had the coolest clothes and played great music. I bought my first digital pet there, right before Tamagotchis got super popular in the US. I also remember ogling the "vampire dresses" in Hot Topic, looking at all the animals in the pet store, buying Spice Girls suckers and a marabou pen at Claire's, and wishing we had the money to get Glamour Shots done. If I had a time machine, I'd go back to this mall in 1998, and I'd probably cry stupidly.

Crime was the downfall of Crossroads. It got to the point that no one felt safe shopping there and then the remaining anchor stores left. It didn't help that one side of the mall bordered the town of Valley Brook, know mostly as a speed trap and more Strip clubs than residents.

I spent my childhood in OKC and moved away in the early 90's, it's been about 30 years since I've been here. Its surreal seeing this footage. It's slightly familiar yet completely foreign at the same time. While Penn Square and Quail Springs mall were the places I usually went, I had a few fond memories of this place.

This was such a significant retail center for South Oklahoma City…. AND a world class architectural and construction project. Lots of memories and mixed feelings for me …. Mostly a feeling of loss. So grateful for this video - It feels like visiting the lost Atlantis, and knowing that it has almost no chance of being raised or revived. Good respectful job here!

Nice video! I remember that place being huge and modern when it opened. We went there every weekend for 20 years until it started getting run down and losing a lot of its shops, sadly. It was the hot place to go for many years! I spent an entire childhood in that awesome hobby shop. 😃

Worked at Crossroads in the early 2000’s when I was attending OU. I loved it there, especially around Christmas time. When I was young, my family would take a day trip to the mall to shop. Great memories.

Used to walk around this mall with my grandad back in the early 90s almost every day. Wonderful memories.

Great memories. I was an assistant for Mark Barragar, when he did Ranger Roger at the Kids Club. We had fun, but a few years after he stopped doing the shows, his health declined. and he passed .

Great video as always love the opening sequence on a side note the opening music be simply red of which the lead sing Mick Hucknall ,it goes like this - while waiting for my father in law to arrive at UK Manchester Airport on an internal flight the first class passengers came out of the gate first and low and behold Mick with a floppy hat ,the other people there to collect passengers never said a word I look at him then looked round NOBODY seemed bothered : any way on the way back to the car the song holding back the years pop into my head however with a changed word .....hold back the cheers 😆😆😁 very true story -once again great vid👍

News: they’re reopening the mall.

I haven’t lived in Oklahoma for 15 years but am moving back by the end of the year. I have vivid memories of time at crossroads growing up. When im back and drive by its sad to see it empty and closed. And being from midwest city its the same when i see heritage park mall.

Having grown up in Oklahoma in the 70’s and 80’s, our families doesn’t many Saturdays driving to OKC to go to Crossroads Mall. We had a BALL going to get our back to school clothes there at Dillards, just hanging out for the day. Prom dress shopping or Christmas shopping. I miss those days as a kid. It’s hard to see it closed but I thank you for allowing us to see inside once again. 🥰♥️

Ace Adventure s I have really enjoyed many of your beautiful music during the abandoned mall s.👍👍🏻👍👍🏻👍👍🏻👍🖼👍🏻🖼

What great memories there. It was Oklahoma City's first super regional mall (maybe the first in the state) and as such, was a really big deal. This was my childhood mall. Before my family lived in OKC, we would actually drive from the smaller town we were living in to visit here. Almost like a mini-vacation... to a mall! lol! Hickory Farms, The Pretzel place, Toys by Roy, John A Browns and of course Wards were just amazing to my young self. As an adult, I would visit it in decline, like an old friend. Have some Sbarro Pizza and remember what it once was. I knew it wouldn't be around for much longer. I miss this mall and the era of malls in general. They were beautiful places to walk through, window shop and just be a face in the crowd. Peaceful anonymity on a Saturday afternoon. By the way, I love this channel and all the great content!!!

I worked at Leman’s Speedway when they had the bumper cars (1973-1974). This video makes me so sad 😞. I so wish that the mall could be revived. It’s in a great location and even tho downtown okc is growing there’s still not that many clothing retail stores downtown.

I grew up in Purcell, Oklahoma from 1969-1981 and then we moved to Yukon... 1981-1987 (when I graduated high school) So I definitely have some fond memories of Crossroads Mall.... But I would say it started to go down hill in the late 80s. I also worked at Penn Square and Quail Springs in the mid to late 90s... And even those malls are not where I'd choose to go nowadays. Pretty sad that malls have gone by the wayside because for teenagers .. malls use to be the place to be on weekends with your friends hanging out, going to a movie, getting some food from the food court, hanging in the arcade and always going to Spencer's!

These kinds of videos are depressing yet incredibly evocative. Luckily the big mall by me is still doing pretty well.

Dang Anthony that is a nice looking mall, looks like it was well maintained over the years. The lonely bicycle towards the end of the video looks brand new. Great video!

Anthony, thanks for the high quality work. The ones like this with the intro montage are my favorites; your video of Jamestown Mall was the one that got me hooked on your channel. Since you mentioned sports teams moving around, that has also been very significant link in the chain of events influencing our retail landscape up here in MN.

I remember 5.7.9, the arcade, bath and body works and numerous shops i went to as a child and teen. I still got a photo i took inside a photobooth there at the age of 17 in 2005. Good memories!!!

the comments say it best, memories, tears, joy, and what if's. I remember as a kid in 80's shopping duriing the holidays, we would have all the people fly in to grandmas house and we all pile in the oversized station wagon and head to crossroads. this video brought back some memories. i remember the McDonalds on the second level i liked it most because as you walked in to you had to walk up different levles to get to the back where you ordered the food, as you turned back around and looked over the dining room i felt i was way above everyone and you could see what seemed to be forever as a kid. i miss those days, i had no bills, no worries, no traumas, a certain innocnece frozen in time. As an adult i am thankful for my 80's upbringing with Crossraods Mall, now my kids want build a bear at Penn Square and Claires. is it possible that when my kids are adults they will look back and say, remember Penn Square when it was alive, now its empty and deserted...... funny how life moves in cycles

Awesome video! I’ve watched your content grow and evolve and it’s amazing. Well done Ace! This type of abandoned mall content is my favorite, where it’s closed. I like that you get permission to enter it makes for a peaceful viewing.

Gosh, this brought back memories and pulled on my heartstrings. I remember shopping here with my mom when I was a kid in the 80s.

Great video. I loved the history and look back. I played Santa in 1979 good memories

My mom used to make me endure, what seemed like weeks, in Rothchilds. I spent countless hours here as a kid and teen. I grew up in Moore in the 80's and 90's. Crossroads is back to school shopping. It's going to get a new shirt for the party this weekend. It was daycare for a lot of us latchkey kids. Thank you for conjuring so many memories with this video.

Thanks for capturing this, Ace. Always wanted to see the mall I grew up with one more time before it turns into something completely different.

Wicked cool and alway's very enjoyable thanks Anthony

As a north side kid, most of my early mall memories are quail springs, but I remember Christmas shopping with my late father at crossroads in like 2001-2002 and throwing coins in the fountain while waiting for my sister to come back from 5-7-9 to go to Babbages to check out video games. I remember going there with my mom for whatever reason in the ‘90s and we would stop to get a cookie and sit on the weird shaped benches that looked out onto the lower level. I remember their food places were spread out too. I don’t think I’ve been there since I went to get band t shirts with my dad In like 03. Never felt much emotion about the malls closure but this video kinda fucked with me, though I know it’s more about the past memories than the fact that it’s closed up. I guess I was part of the last generation that really got to enjoy that mall in a healthy state.

Oh god this got me legit emotional. I grew up in the 80s & 90s and Crossroads was IT back then. So many fond memories of my mom poking her head in my room telling me to get dressed, we're going to Crossroads. So sad how it ended up.

This was awesome, I grew up on the Southside of Oklahoma City and frequented this mall often, it and the old toysrus just to the north of it. I had been wondering for some time what the inside looked like at its current time. This was very nostalgic for my, every turn you did walking thru I had memories pop in to my head from my childhood. This was awesome, thank you.

Took my kids shopping and people-watching there back in the 80's and 90's. We had a lot of fun in that place

I went to Crossroads when it opened in 1974. I was 14 at the time. It was built in the same fashion as many others that would follow it. When it opened, I recall how much I loved it. So much choice and so many things to do. It was the first mall I ever visited that had a McDonalds inside. It's such a shame that so many malls became a hub of criminal activity or just general decline. It sometimes baffles me why malls, especially enclosed ones, ever did decline. A welcoming place with food, shopping, and entertainment that was cool in summer and warm in winter. Of course that doesn't escape changes in demographics, crime and how the way we shop, has changed.

Thanks for sharing this. I recently moved to the OKC area and I was wondering what this big mall used to look like in its heyday! My SO and I are fascinated with abandoned buildings and it's so cool to see one so close to us

Looking forward to this video. So many wonderful memories with friends and family. The Arcade was amazing, I probably have 45mins worth of video of my buddies and I playing games there, more footage of us wondering around the mall in the late 90s. I mean we where teens then so the video isn't perfect but its something. Edit: I also remember watching the May 3rd 1999 F5 tornado from the south side of the mall, near where the old Dillards was.

This video was heartbreaking to watch. I grew up going to Crossroads Mall, if it wasn't for the mall, I wouldn't have met my wife, who recently passed away. I met my wife at Ward's, it was sad to see the store close, as well as the mall!

I learned to drive on the ice in this parking lot. My first job, the Limited. My serving job, John A. Brown Conceived my first baby & got married while working there... and that baby worked there... too... then it began to deteriorate. Thank you so much!

I loved Crossroads as a kid. They had the best arcade in Aladdin's Castle. The hobby shop was also amazing.

So many memories, seeing Santa every year.... Miss those days

Fantastic video! I’m about at the 14 minute mark. I’ve never been to Oklahoma yet. It’s amazing how downtowns have gotten killed by the malls, for many malls ending up dying themselves. I’m amazed that some department stores are still around.

If anyone was wondering the carousel that was in the mall was moved downtown to myriad gardens. I moved to okc in 2001 and the mall was headed out for sure. I shopped there a few times but always felt uneasy about it. There was also a Christmas place called north pole adventure that was there for a few years before it moved out. I wish I could have seen this mall in its heyday. Unfortunately I think quail springs is headed in this direction within the next ten years.

Just found your channel and I’m so glad I did. Keep up the good work!

Anthony I love the time sequences you use. The 1994 news to present was awesome. It had me feeling so emotional.

I love that mall so much. Me and my cousin hang out for 6 hours every weekend, from the age of 11 to 16. We live like royalty with $20 each. I legit think getting rid of the water fountain was the biggest mistake. After that it was just a ordinary goofy mall. This video made me feel old 😂 I’m 33 now

A big part of my childhood into early adulthood. I was at Crossroads mall with my cousins visiting from California the day that Elvis died. Later, I met my wife when she worked at Bally's LeMans Speedway. I spent hours in that arcade getting free tokens and she would even open up the machines and give me a ton of free plays. It was cheap entertainment for our young children too. The pet store, arcade, Grandma's cookies, Sbarro. There was a toy store and then across the street there was a Toys R' Us for years. In the 70s there was a Farrell's Ice Cream store, and I even recall Tiffany making an appearance in the 80s. Good memories. It's sad what it became, much like the rest of the United States.

Great video. I grew up in southern Oklahoma and it was a big deal when we went to OKC and visited Crossroads Mall. Seems like a lifetime ago.

Another great video, Ace. The old pictures shown while playing Simply Red was a very nice touch. Keep up the good work.

This video brought back so many memories. Heart broken about its closure....

Thanks for taking me and my son down memory lane!

Growing up in the late 70s, living in Norman, OK, we would take special trips into the "city" to go to the mall, Crossroads Mall, and I would get lost in the sights of everything there. In my teen years I would hang out in the arcade, or record store, or go to Spencers or Hot Topic. Later in the years, I would bring my own young children here for Halloween to go trick or treating. Sadly, I did stop going because of the rising crime, as the video explains, I think it's been 20 years now. It's heartbreaking to see this and so many other malls fall to abandonment, but very thankful for the memories. Thank you for the video.

I've only been here once before it was closed and it was a melancholy experience to see what used to be a flourishing mall turn into a shell of what it used to be

All the malls that closed in the cities around me closed after multiple crime events were reported. The suburban malls seem to have largely endured due to the higher enforcement standards...the mall depicted here looked awesome and I'm glad someone took pictures...

I really appreciated this nostalgia trip. Thanks for this video.

love your videos Ace, music is awesome that you play with all your videos. It really is mind boggling what has become of the Malls throughout the country.

I loved this place, spent so many teenage hours walking everywhere in there with a friend who passed last year from breast cancer. I was there with my mother the day of the shooting where the guy was killed by security, we had just left and I never went there again. Like other commenters have said the clientele had changed the last couple of years and it was obvious you were not safe there anymore.