REI

I bought a pair of gloves for snowboarding. They sucked. I lost the receipt. I brought them back to REI, told them “these gloves suck”, they gave my money back, and I bought a better pair that I have three years later. Moral? Don’t go cheap on snowboard gloves and REI has an excellent return policy.

I to ran downtown to pickup the Northface jacket I need for my upcoming trip to England. Southcenter REI didn’t have it! Guess I should have called first! It was a beautiful day & I couldn’t resist snapping this picture of the falls at the entrance. The grounds are beautifully landscaped with native trees & shrubs! Don’t miss the ginormous Swiss Army clocks posted around outside, they display various times around the world!

REI is definetly pricey, but its great fun to wander around looking at all sorts of gear – I’m a big fan of the container and cooking sections. Recently, the clothes seem to be more about style and less about being functional – I saw several skirts in the ladies’ section (!). It’s definetly worth a (couple) trips!

We went here today to soak up some of that good metronatural feeling. Mmm mmm.

Even if you don’t buy anything, it’s worth a visit just to marvel at the sheer volume and variety of outdoor equipment to be sold (though REI is getting a bit Eddie Bauer-ish – check out Feathered Friends across the street for the more hard-core offerings).

Even without all the cool techno-gadgetry for camping, hiking, climbing, biking, or whatever, the building itself and the setting is kind of cool. I think the architecture and design of the building is interesting, kind of a big open barn of a building with lots of wood and concrete but modern in a way also. and the outside landscaping is interesting and fun, kind of makes you want to try out that gear you just bought!