What you find interesting (some stuff for kids and some shops in a purpose built suburban plaza / mall) is likely not going to be found interesting by someone w

What you find interesting (some stuff for kids and some shops in a purpose built suburban plaza / mall) is likely not going to be found interesting by someone who lives in an actual city. I wouldn't consider what they said to be total hyperbole. It seems that way to you, because you're happy where you are, but that isn't for everyone. Also, by suburban standards, yours sounds like an outlier on the good side, and I still wouldn't live there. Most people don't have a nice plaza and so on thoughtfully built for their mass housing.