Just back from some time at Borders, one of my favorite hangouts. I love to sit at the Starbucks there, eat something, sip a hot chocolate and browse through books and magazines. There are not many places, besides your own home that you can do that. Yes, you can take your own book and sit at a cafe, but the choice and endless variety that is available at Borders is unmatched. I have loved both Borders and Barnes & Noble right from the first time I went there, and even though I like to vary it and go to some of the smaller and more quaint local book stores, it is fun going to a chain and being familiar with the set up, no matter where in the world you are. These companies have certainly done a good job and creating their own niche in the market, one that did not exist before they arrived on the scene.