Today my caffeinated journey took me to a new Downtown neighborhood — Civic Center of Manhattan. This small neighborhood is the municipal heart of NYC. It surrounds the beautiful City Hall Park and contains city hall (obviously…), the courthouses, and the police headquarters. It is also a few blocks north east of the World Trade Center and 911 Memorial.
For being in one of the many hustle and bustle parts of Manhattan, I have to say this Starbucks can handle the crowd just fine. Of course there’s a congestion of low-headed individuals waiting for the 1 restroom near the entrance, but that’s just the NYC norm. Past that, this Starbucks contains a plentiful amount of seating (which is only 3/4 full during business hour rush) and some pretty adorable decor. The music is a blast from the past (70s and 80s), but they seem to have the volume up a tad too much. And there are outlets in the building — they just aren’t conveniently located near the majority of seating.
Another interesting factoid is that this Starbucks is below the Woolsworth building, which New York University owns part of. I randomly ran into two classmates of mine while scoping out the place. One insists that this Starbucks might want to look into dusting the security cameras they have placed above the barista bar. Just passing along the message…
The Good:
The Location… Right off the 2/3 Train and next to the expansive and green City Hall Park.
The Seating… Window seating, community table seating, and a little nook in the far corner with faux-leather covered benches.
The Decor… Large dome lanterns hang from the ceiling and crooked black & white photos of Manhattan rest on the walls.
The Bad:
The Music… Loud enough to make a phone call impossible.
The Power Outlets… Strategically misplaced — it seems.
Restroom… Just the one.
Barista Friendliness:
Drink of Choice:
Grande Iced Coffee x 2… Thank God for refills.
Overall Starbucks Rating:
A Starbucks in a beautiful part of Manhattan I had yet to discover.
Starbucks and the City 
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