Borders

As part of my 'avoid Above Bar Street at all costs' moves, I went to Borders today, which is conveniently down behind West Quay and can be gotten to from the bus stop without being crammed onto overcrowded sidewalks (ahem, "paths", as some locals would call them).

Aside from the general appearance being the same as its American counterparts, there were quite a few interesting differences to be noted. First of all, there was a giant Starbucks (not Seattle's Best). And then of actual interest to at least me:

- It is cheaper to buy imported American Vogue (3.25) than British Vogue (3.60)
- Most of the biographies are either about a) footballers or b) random female celebrities no American has ever heard of
- The crime section was nearly as large as fiction
- They have like, every Wilkie Collins book, not just The Moonstone and Woman in White. SCORE.
- There were ten million books either about celebrity chefs or cooking

I spent a little too much time looking through 'A Xenophobes guide to Americans'. I learned quite a bit about the American people. Apparently winning is paramount, but on the inside we are all insecure pessimists (who one day want to start our own businesses). Plus we are a little too into the Superbowl, we don't understand that other cultures might be different than ours, and having God on your side is the same as having America on your side. There was 'A Xenophobe's guide to the English' as well, but I had been standing in the same spot for quite some time and felt like I needed to keep moving. Now I just have a reason to go back (well, that and Wilkie Collins novels).