Would You Be Mine, Could You Be Mine...

Having lived over in St.James area for close to a year, we managed to get used to our general surroundings. We had a "new" Dollarama, a "new" McD's, a "new" Superstore complete with underground parking, a "new" Walmart. You know, the necessities. But sometimes,even though you are slowly getting used to these NEW places, there are things you just miss and never find again, there are those things in the old neighbourhood that are just irreplaceable.

The video store. I still have no idea what its called but every single staff person in there has seen every single movie on those shelves and will give you the low-down every time you ask for it. We never found another one quite like it.

The car wash. Warm water. Long cycles. Always a bay available. Never a wait. Room to manouver. We never found another one quite like it.

The gas station. Run by two dudes who know us enough to not make us pre-pay after 6pm the way the rest of the general population does. Always gives cash back when they don't actually offer it. Nice enough to let us taste test the new flavor of Doritos without having to commit to buying the whole bag. We never found another one quite like it.

The Extra Foods. The nicest one in the city that had fresh everything including a near full deli counter and a mini Joe section. I don't even know where the St.James Extra Foods WAS. So clearly, we never found another one quite like it.

Big Guys. Cheap, hearty food. Best chicken burger in town (though it now has some tough competition from the Burger and Fry Comopany, though admittedly, not in St.James). Try as we might to discover the next great greasy spoon, we never found another one quite like it.

The Fyxx. Le Roast Beef on a panini. What's Gotten India with a ceasar salad. Mm mm good. Best hot choc and emperial cookies this side of Bishop Grandin. The Daily Grind pulled in as a respectable replacement coffee shop but couldn't truly deliver that same vibe. We never found another one quite like it.

So needless to say, its nice to be home. To get to know my Safeway ladies again. To see if the waitresses remember how I like my baked potato. To have the cashier marvel at how big mck is getting. To have the M&M gals automatically grab something when I walk in. To have the video store guy say "eh, don't worry about it" when we bring the movie back late. Yes. Its a beautiful day in my neighbourhood.