Travelling back in time and getting lost

I took off a few days this week to get some vacation time in between the breeders popping out their kids. As a part of that break, a friend and I drove over to my beloved Univ. of Illinois to bum around.

It was raining when we first got there, but since we were hitting a used bookstore before heading to the campus, I figured we'd end up okay. It was a little misty, but the Quad looked as lovely as I remember it.

In fact, the Quad was about the only thing that had not changed that much. While pointing out the various apartment buildings I had lived in, I realized that there was a hell of a lot less parking available. My usual hot spots were all now designated for people with stickers. All my tricks and special knowledge seemed to have vanished.

Also gone, a great bar where I saw a ton of bands play. The bulk of the campus town area looks completely different. As we walked, I kept saying "that used to be..." I was happy to see Zorba's, a Greek restaurant, was still there along with a bar that has the best grilled chicken sandwich ever. But, the two cool records stores are gone (replaced by a Panera break company and I think a sushi place). The Steak n Shake where the hookers hung out and where a couple members of The Smithereens snagged some fries from me is long gone.

I understand that change happens and a decent amount of the time, happens for a reason. Still, I felt a bit disappointed that the version of campus that was closest to my heart was no longer there. It made me feel old. Thankfully, bringing home a couple of Papa Del's deep dish frozen pizzas made much of the pain go away. Right now, the past is a close as my oven and that's pretty cool.