"The flip side of the success of the big Seattle booksellers is the gradual decrease in the number of small independent stores, which have struggled as a result of a variety of factors."

And while the loss of independent bookstores is troubling, I refuse to accept it as a crisis. We've lost some good stores, yes, but we lost a lot more bad stores. A bookstore closure in and of itself isn't a reason to believe the sky's falling, but it's a fine way to insert a counterpoint in an otherwise positive article.

Look where the publishing houses full of editors sit. Look where the big book release parties happen. Look where obscure literary journals flourish.

I'd say San Francisco is clearly #2, and Seattle is maybe somewhere in the top 10.

For all the praise it gets here, Strand is actually not very impressive, and looking for books there is a pretty frustrating experience. Powell's is FAR better.

This is obviously not an argument in favor of Seattle, since Powell's is in Portland. Just wanted to point out that Strand is not all its cracked up to be.

( here I am on a side track again)

And, I hate it.

I love that it exists and that it's so big and so complete.

I hate that, with its vast holdings and Web site, it's essentially no different than the used-book section on Amazon.com, only with a clunkier Web interface. Powell's is slowly becoming a big corporate presence, too.

I hate that many used books there are overpriced compared to the same used titles similar condition for sale at other used-book stores.

I also hate how monolithic and soulless the actual space of Powell's is. Like an East German discotheque.

I hate how dirty the bathrooms are there.

I hate how its cafe is the opposite of cozy and how the qi in the cafe space is screwed up so you sit there in tension, rather than at peace.

I hate that it's hard to park around that neighborhood, most times.

So, yes, Powell's is great. But, geez, it's not all that.

I admit, however, that living in the Irvington neighborhood made it much easier to hoof it to Powell's.

Personally, the Hawthorne Powell's is my preferred destination for some serious reading. Stumptown Coffee beats the hell out of that stuff in the downtown location anyway.

It never shows up in their events pages - ever.

See you on the flippity flop NYT!