Yesterday, my mom joined some of the TVO staff at a restaurant in New Sudbury. My co-workers were firing questions at her about Sudbury, about the upcoming election, about industrial smelting practices, and mom was happily holding court. At one point, our executive producer Dan Dunsky asked what I was like growing up.

Among a series of damnable lies (I was not anywhere near as well-behaved as she claims), she mentioned that I had decided I wanted to leave Sudbury around the time I turned eight. That's true. I was a curious kid who spent a lot of time reading our copy of the Encyclopedia Britannica and always wanted to see more of the world. My parents weren't big travelers, but I knew I was, and I knew I wanted to move around.

But one of the greatest parts of traveling is that it makes home more exciting. The TVO crew has been staying in a hotel right in the heart of downtown Sudbury (the first time I've ever stayed in a hotel in this town), surrounded by all the great shops, restaurants and nightspots. What's more, the itch of familiarity is drawing me in every direction. People have been taking a short walk over the Bridge of Nations to Bell Park to walk along the boardwalk or swim in Ramsey Lake. (Today, I rounded up Steve and a few of the other crew members and we raced to the lake to get a quick swim in on our lunch break -- it was incredible.)

What's more, the people have been great. Everywhere, people have been friendly and helpful. There are a series of great coffee shops and restaurants where we've been able to enjoy the breeze in this leafy city, and relax in the perfect weather. The staff at each spot have had lots to say and plenty of suggestions for thinks to check out while we're in town. During working hours, all the folks at Laurentian University and City Hall have been equally welcoming. Laurentian's president, Dominic Giroux, even spent his entire Sunday at AgendaCamp participating with the dozens of other Sudburians who were willing to forsake the 20-odd degree weather talking civics indoors in a hall overlooking a golf course and lake. Mighty temptations to overcome.

For me the highlight has been being able to play host. Taking people to the little spots that only locals know about, that are the kinds of things that can turn a weekend working on the road from mundane to memorable, has been great. We've gone on runs to the local Deluxe Hamburgers chain ("Sudbury is a one-arch town" -- it's a jab a McDonald's) for a "chicken on a bun" and fries and gravy. We've hit a Finnish bakery for smoked whitefish and a sugary confection called a jelly pig. We went by Lockerby Confectionary to check out the walk-in humidor at a corner store. We've seen the miner's memorial, the Superstack, checked out the view of downtown from Lourdes, and some of us have been lucky enough to be doing our work at Science North.

All if this squeezed into the gaps of a busy schedule putting together an AgendaCamp and live broadcast in a little over two days. If the camp and the time we've had in Sudbury is any indication, tonight's program is going to be great. Which is pretty much how I remember Sudbury. It's a wonderful world out there, but Sudbury is a gem of a city to come home to.