Saturday, December 31, 2005

Bye to Barnes & Noble

For the eight years Amy and I have lived in our current neighborhood, we've been spoiled by being within walking distance of the Barnes & Noble at the Westside pavilion (and until recently the Waldenbooks, also at the Westside pavilion). The B & N isn't a monster, like the one at the Grove, but it does have three stories, a cafe, a study space, and a magazine stand. I went to signings there by William Gibson and grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart, and saw Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner there. Cousin Tod Goldberg has given talks there.

Now, alas, it is going away. The section of the WP in which it's ensconced is being remade into a movie theatre complex, and B & N is a casualty.

True, there's a nifty Borders up the street, south of Westwood Village (a long walk or short drive away); and another B & N over in Santa Monica, six miles away. But it's not the same.

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