I work above a brewery. Totally nasty.

Really? I always liked the smell of brewing beer on a small scale. Similar to baking bread. And I associate that smell with Golden, Colorado, so I thought it scaled up.

Oh, yeah. There's a Superior Coffee in Chicago that smells nummy, too.

Is that the Northampton Brewery (I think that's what it's called)? You're in Northampton, right?

I'm in Northampton, but I work in Hartford. I do love the Northampton Brewery, though. They do excellent fried plantains, mmm...

I always liked the smell of brewing beer on a small scale. Similar to baking bread.

It's got the same yeasty undertone, I guess, but to me it just smells awful. I get kind of queasy on brewing days.

Smells from Ree: The Great Salt Lake, when the wind is right, smells like the raw sewage they process in the open on the north end. Silage beats pigshit hands down (I have experience from many country drives with my dad on veterinary calls in NZ, and was reminded on a cross-country trip when we passed through Kansas).

Of course, smells vary depending on concentration, so my choice would not to be anywhere near any lakes o' pigshit. Ever. At least silage is cultivated in the open, so theoretically the concentration factor is lessened. Or was, it's been a while. Anyway, pigshit in an enclosed space will beat cowshit in an enclosed space.

Rotting animal matter - never enjoyable.

Best outdoors smells - trees and growing things in the deep woods. Indoors - Sugar House BBQ or Indian food of any description.

A few months ago, I'd have cited jasmine as my favourite outdoor smell. But then, LA upped the scale with a blanket of jasmine near my old house that you could smell on the freeway with all your windows up. It was scary.

I'm gonna have to go with ocean. Even the Santa Monica beach smells kinda nice.

I think I've smelled too much old fish to fully appreciate ocean smells.

I don't think there are any fish in the water near here. Despite the fishing poles.

And in Jamaica, the fish never got old enough to be a problem. God, that's a fresh smell.

I have two favorite, natural smells:

1. Dead, wet leaves in a forest - it's a very autumn smell.
2. The moist, warm summer air just before and after it rains.

Outdoor smells: Freshly mown grass, lilacs, cedar after it rains

Indoor smells: Ginger cookies, men who smell of fabric softener, roasting turkey.

I went to a high school in San Francisco, across the street from Ghiradeli's chocolate factory (now a mall). Going to the football games was wonderful.