What a difference a decade can make. Particularly in Buffalo.

It was exactly ten years ago that I rolled into my hometown for a weekend, never intending to stay. I was on my way to a new job, a new life. Then I fell in love. With Buffalo.

I fell in love with a city with more potential than anywhere I had ever lived - Bogota, Boulder, Julich, Atlanta, Taipei...Three continents over the course of three decades, in fact. 

Buffalo was just brimming with unfulfilled potential ten years ago. Think about it. Canalside was rubble, and the Aud was about to become rubble. The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus was two hospitals and a research facility, Downtown was desolate on all but a dozen Thursday evenings of the year. Larkinville may not even have been a sparkle in Howard Zemsky's eye. And we were still losing people to other places at a frightening rate.

Ten years later, it's time to Take Another Look. The resurgence is real, but it's hard to believe it until you see it with your own eyes.

That's why Citybration is holding this unique event at the top of City Hall on Thanksgiving weekend. To give you the opportunity to bring your friends and family in town for the holiday with you to (literally) Take Another Look. We could have just thrown the doors open and offered a few tours, but this is Buffalo. So it's a party!

In fact , it's a fabulous party with appetizers from our many new downtown eateries, craft beers and local wines, music, art, games, prizes, Buffalo-themed gifts, and tours of both the magnificent building and aerial tours of the resurgence from the 25th floor handicap-accessible Windows on Buffalo room and the 28th floor Observation Deck. Tickets are just $10, and children are free.

Be sure to Shop Local at the increasing number of Downtown retail stores. Furnishings will be open at 500 Main Street (yes, where Bergers used to be!), stop by Buffalo Adore and more in the Market Arcade. Well, there are almost too many shops to list. But Buffalo Place is sponsoring a Shop Dowtown event from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Hit participating retailers and restaurants and you could win a prize. At 4:00, head to City Hall to Take Another Look, watch the sun set over Lake Erie, and see the latest and the brightest symbol of the resurgence light up: the Connecting Terminal grain elevator. Buffalo is the City of Light. Then have dinner at any of the dozens of excellent downtown eateries and - if you already have a ticket - boogie the night away at the always sold out World's Largest Disco.

Whether you live in California or Clarence, if you have not seen Buffalo from on high in the past year or two, you really do need to Take Another Look.