The new Elliott Bay

Every city should have at least one great, independent bookstore. Ironically, Seattle, the home of amazon.com (which has done more harm to indy bookstores than any other company) has a large collection of fantastic little book sellers catering to every possible niche. But the undisputed crown jewel of Seattle's literary scene is the Elliott Bay Book Company. It's the place to go to get recommendations from well-informed staff, get a feel for what's going on in the world of books, and see lectures & readings from every major (and many not-so-major) author.

Despite being much loved, Elliott Bay has been going through financial troubles - mostly because of its location in a tired, out-of-the-way neighborhood called Pioneer Square. Earlier this year they announced that they were moving in an attempt to regain firmer footing. Everyone was weary, because the old building was an integral part of the Elliott Bay experience: a cozy but labyrinthine maze of small rooms connected by half flights of stairs, blind corners, and dead-end hallways. It was easy to get a little bit lost, which was definitely part of the charm.

We spent this afternoon browsing at the new location on Capitol Hill, a much more vibrant neighborhood that will undoubtedly produce more traffic for the store. I'm happy to report that the new store is excellent - a fitting replacement that doesn't disappoint. Although the layout is much more open (high ceilings with thick wooden beams and even skylights) the overall feel of the place is familiar. I think that's because they brought all the old bookshelves with them: thick, sturdy wooden shelves that, combined with the books, make the place smell gloriously like a lumber yard. The cafe (obviously an essential part of the experience) doesn't open for a couple more weeks, but once it's there the transition will be complete - and with the soul of the place still very much intact.

Closing Day

Okay, one more ski day this season.

Today was the last day of skiing at Crystal Mountain, our "home" ski area. Closing day has more to do with economics and wildlife than snow conditions - there's still more than 100" sitting on the ground. Add in a warm, sunny day and you get great spring skiing conditions: soft & mushy.

Although the annual bikini downhill race - competitors allowed to wear nothing but bikinis and ski goggles - was more boring than it sounded like it would be, it was still a great day up in the mountains.

I took some pictures with Anya's BlackBerry.

Okay, I'm done now: you won't have to read any more blog posts about skiing for at least 6 months.

Whistler

We just got back from our yearly spring pilgrimage to Whistler, the largest and best ski resort on the continent.

This year's trip was fantastic - even compared to other times we've been there. Contrary to the uninformed hyperbole you might have heard on coverage of the Winter Olympics (it's always slushy down by the village - get over it) Whistler is having a spectacular year. In fact, it's now the 2nd snowiest year on record there; more than 560" have fallen (about 47 feet of snow). Of course it compacts down; at mid-mountain there's a very respectable settled base of ~12 feet of snow. Trails that I've known in the past to be dotted with shoulder-high pine trees are wide open this year with nary an obstacle in sight.

We didn't bother with our large camera, but Anya took tons of pictures with her BlackBerry.

Although Whistler will be open through the end of May (at least), this trip might have marked the close of our skiing season. It's been a good one, though; we were able to ski from November - April (basically half the year). I like summer - don't get me wrong - but I'm already looking forward to next winter.