As you are aware, the Bills are looking to and seemingly will play one preseason and one regular season game a year in Toronto. Its a good deal. The Bills don’t have to fly to Munich or London for a game to meet their Internation requirement. The Bills get to attempt at getting people in the Greater Toronto Area interested in the team and maybe make the 1.5 hour (on a good day) journey to watch a game in Orchard Park.

Maybe this is a secret plot to move the team to Toronto permanently. Thats fine too. I’d still watch them/care about them. A move to Vegas or LA would make me never want to watch football in general ever again.

The GTA is about 5 million people and constantly growing, the Canadian economy is strong. Not just for the Bills but for business in general in the Buffalo area, Canada and the GTA in general is our future. If the local powers that be are smart and agressive, Buffalo’s Canadian influence can go beyond Labatt and Hockey Night in Canada. Have great train service to Toronto, have quick and efficient border inspections, and promote Buffalo as a cheap way of having back-office or head-american offices while having quick and easy access to Toronto at all times.

Willis McGahee is smarter than you think

Here’s what the Canadians are saying:
National Post
Toronto Globe and Mail

When I lived in Buffalo as a kid, I remember Toronto always seemed to be my family’s sanctuary of sorts in the early-mid 90’s and now that I’m back in Buffalo it still serves that purpose to me.

So anyways, one of the main reasons for me to trek up to Toronto is for some of the really great 21st century architecture that is popping up all over.

World famous Daniel Liebeskind (who will be at UB on October 4th by the way!) designed the extension to the Royal Ontario Museum. I didn’t like his Denver Art Museum because his building is more isolated, but the contrast of his crazy crystal-like building seemingly coming out of and over parts of the older and much more plain ROM is extremely exciting.

Will Alsop who will probably gain more recognition within the next few years designed the extension of the Ontario College of Art and Design. Its the craziest looking building I’ve ever seen in person. Like a spaceship made by really artsy aliens. Interesting how Grange Park gets untouched while ginormous coloured (Canadian spelling) pencils hold up the classrooms above.

Superstar and Toronto-born architect, Frank Gehry designed the under-construction extension to the Art Gallery of Ontario. Its one of his more mellow/simple looking buildings. A nice break from the crumpled-paper phase he’s been going through.

Morphosis is a firm that is wildly popular now and built the University of Toronto Graduate House. They tend to emphasize letters and/or numbers that brand the building sometimes. This is obviously one of the buildings. I love the ‘O’.

Some of you might not understand why there would be people like me who cringe at the fact we’re building Frank Lloyd Wright structures in 2007 in Buffalo when we could try to be in the 21st century. To me it just says we’ve accepted the past is the only good thing we have and ever will have.

But anyways. If you ever want a world-class urban experience, the QEW is calling you.