Vancouver Going Back

Bill Simmons just wrote this:

"Speaking of Boston... Every time I go back, there's something new about the city that flabbers my gast. This time, it was a gigantic W Hotel that sprung up out of nowhere on the same block as the Wang Theater, which was always a top-five "Don't stumble around there drunk at 2 a.m. looking for pizza or a Store 24 or you might never be seen again" area that every city has, though it was near some genuinely fun areas and always seemed like it should have been cooler, and they always talked about making it nicer, though it never happened. We drove by that W on Sunday and I yelped in disbelief.

That got me thinking: Someone should start a blog for people who moved away from their hometowns that only features posts with pictures that make you say, "Wow, when the hell did they build that?" or "Hold on, you're telling me that they renovated that (fill in: restaurant, bar, block, neighborhood, building, hotel, apartment complex), and people now want to go there?" I'm tired of being blindsided every time I go back."

It bugs me when someone writes something, and you kick yourself because you feel like why I didnt think of it first, thats exactly how I feel. That is unless Im returning to Prince Rupert. Its always the same.. lol.

Then he tops himself by writing this:

"Speaking of songs, I spent the past few days in New York City and decided that Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" was one of the five most brilliant songs ever made. It's like Jay made the decision: "It's 2009 … I've made enough money, I've cemented my legacy, I married Beyonce … really, I guess the only thing left would be to supplant Sinatra with the No. 1 New York-centric go-to song that (A) goes through someone's head every time they walk around Manhattan, and (B) gets played before and after every New York sporting event for the next 25 years, and if that's not enough, becomes a mortal lock to get played at Manhattan clubs once an hour for the rest of eternity. Tough task, but I think I can pull it off. I'm Jay-Z."

Um, I swear he is stealing from my mind. Even though, I did already mentioned it briefly in my October jaunt to NYC. Listening to Empire State of Mind makes you go absolutely Ape Shit when you walk the streets of Manhattan. For me, I don't even remember the last time I ever listened to one song over 30 minutes straight on repeat. Well, maybe since 1986 when I got my 45 of "Glory of Love" Peter Cetera. I think that was the last time.