Today I did something I’ve been wanting to do all summer. I got on a Citi Bike and rode around the city with no particular destination in mind. No work, no gym, no particular Starbucks — just riding to see what I see. I started in the Upper East Side (or as close to the UES as Citi Bike gets, which is 59th & 2nd), then biked through Midtown-East, the East Village, cut through SoHo, Little Italy, City Hall and into the Financial District.
I ended my joy ride at Bowling Green Park and the end of Broadway. Bowling Green is actually the oldest park in NYC and was constructed in 1733. Surrounding it now is the National Museum of the American Indian, some tall office buildings, a Chipotle, and — of course — a Starbucks.
The Starbucks is on the corner of Stone Street and Whitehall Street, just south of the park that divides Broadway in two. It’s right on top of an R-train stop and not far from the 4/5 station. When I first attempted to enter, the line was literally 2-3 people out the door. As I sit in the back right now, I can see the line has once again breached the door. I see this a lot in the mornings, but this is 3pm on a Tuesday. Clearly, the park and the museum drive lots of tourist traffic.
There is a small seating area in the back of the Starbucks where I currently sit with a handful of other patrons. Some are business men, some tourists and some (like me) are just typing away on laptops. No restroom though — so sitting at this Starbucks has a time limit — or should I say bladder limit?
Overall, I’d say this a good Starbucks to get a quick pick-me-up at and then take it to the Bowling Green Park.
The Good:
The Location… Right off the Bowling Green Park and near 4/5, R, and 1 trains.
The Bad:
The Seating… Four tables-for-two and four seats at the bar.
The Line… The line was out the door when I arrived, and I had to stand for a while before finding a seat.
The Restroom… None for public use.
Barista Friendliness:
Drink of Choice:
Venti Iced Green Tea… After a long bike ride, nothing is more refreshing.
Overall Starbucks Rating:
The Bowling Green Starbucks.
Starbucks and the City 
I have just moved to the Financial District, and will be hunting for a good Starbucks to write in, in the area. From your writing, it sounds like I should avoid the two in FiDi you have reviewed thus far, lol! And the one on Hanover Square, which is where my wife and I go for our afternoon coffee, is also pretty useless – don’t know about the wife strength, but there are no outlets that I can see! I will be wandering out shortly with a list of all the other stores nearby in my pocket – I will let you know what I find out!
Please do. FiDi isn’t actually in my neck of the woods so it takes a bit for me to get out there.
55 Broad Street would be the one most worthy of a visit. It is a corner, so a large space. The tables and window counter are all crammed into one corner of it, but still a considerable space, with one four-plug outlet and further down the wall, a two-plug outlet (although when I was there, the latter didn’t seem to work). The line for service is constantly pretty long, and getting a coffee can take several minutes.
By the way, I have also been to two other FiDi Starbucks multiple times – Hanover Square and 100 William Street. Both are small, with no outlets to plug in. Hanover Square has good energy – it is close enough to the office buildings that you get a big rush in the afternoon, but they have enough staff to keep it moving so it doesn’t take more than a couple of minutes to get that 3:30 mid-afternoon coffee.