You know, I think of all the Canadian and American arenas and stadiums I've been to, and I can't think of an arena that really has a thriving housing, restaurant or bar scene right nearby. They all have a few sports bars and restaurants, bit usually nothing special. In fact the stadium, parking lot and mass transit structures are usually huge behemoths that kind of overtake the area and make the whole area not very friendly for walkers, etc.
When I go back to Calgary and Edmonton lately, I am always surprised to see that everyone still works downtown. The trend in the us seems to be more and more to telecommuting and suburban offices. I wonder if that trend will spread to the Alberta cities over the decade. As such, more and more of our entertainment and nightlife has moved to the suburbs, and the downtown arenas are making less and less sense.
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