My friend and I were talking tonight about her sculpture class, and for one of her projects, she has to do research on an archaelogical dig and then write about what archaelogists would discover about our time. We got on the topic of a book that we’d both read/heard about, and neither of us can remember the name of it for the life of us.
The thing we both remember about it is that there was some catastrophic event, and then society was built back up, but all our present-day cities were forgotten. Some archaelogists start doing their archaelogist-thing, and discover these cities. They come across an apartment and draw all sorts of weird conclusions of present-day life from it. The bathroom was a burial chamber. Television was a deity/idol, because the main living areas were all oriented towards it.
Does this ring bells with anyone?
What you remembered sounded familiar, so I went a-Googling. I think what you’re looking for might be something called “Report on Grand Central Terminal” by Leo Szilard. My husband had a copy, but I don’t know where it is right now. His was a small book, all on its own, but from the search it appears to be part of an anthology called Voice of the Dolphins.
Hope I’m right and this helps.
That’s it! Thanks so much, Madame Mapcase. My friend will be so happy.
Sorry, thirdwarning, but we were definitely looking for the Macaulay book. I’ll check out the story though, since I love archaeological fiction.
Oops, looks like somebody beat me to it, and it looks like with the right answer.
You’re welcome, though I’m no Madame. No lady, either! (Wouldn’t that be Exapna? 
)
The disaster that befell our society was that the USPS significantly dropped the bulk rate of postage and the world was buried in Junk Mail. And it wasn’t an apartment it was a hotel. And the hotel name was “Toot and Come In” (ie Tutankhamen, King Tut). A classic I read oh those many years ago in 7th grade.