There are two iconic NYC landmarks on the corner of 56th and 5th Avenue: Trump Tower and the Abercrombie & Fitch store. One you can see from far, far away, the other you can smell. It’s not necessarily a bad smell — but I guess that depends on how well your tolerance to strong, cheap cologne is. But that’s not what brought me to this area of Midtown today.
Today, I decided to pay a visit to the Trump Tower to see what kind of condition I would find the Starbucks located inside. Usually most Starbucks located inside another building (office, retailer, what-have-you…) are nothing to write home about, but Trump did this one justice.
No — I wouldn’t recommend coming here to spend some quality time with friends, study or try to read anything. But this Starbucks is simply nice to observe while in the city. As you walk into Trump Tower, you immediately spot the Starbucks located on a small 2nd-floor bridge the overlooks the entranceway. It’s pretty, to say the least.
Unfortunately, once I arrived up to the Starbucks’ level, I saw the mob scene that was surrounding the barista bar. I couldn’t figure out where the line started and where it ended. A lot of the scattered seats were empty, but it looked like a crowd of tourists were simply trying to overtake the three baristas inside.
This Starbucks technically closed 5 minutes ago (8pm), but fortunately Trump Tower stays open until 10pm so one can still sit and sip for a few more hours.
The Good:
The Location… In Trump Tower, just south of Central Park and between the E,M and N/Q/R trains.
The Design… A very well executed interior Starbucks.
The Seating… There are high chairs and and tables surrounding the Starbucks stand and several smaller tables, chairs and benches on the same level.
The Bad:
The Hours… 8am-8pm each and every day.
The Crowd… I’ve never seen such a mob scene at Starbucks this late in the evening.
The Restroom… None for public use.
Barista Friendliness:
Very short and uncommunicative. But, I can hardly blame them since they are confronted with language barriers non-stop.
Drink of Choice:
Grande Iced Coffee
Overall Starbucks Rating:
A Starbucks for the likes of Donald Trump.
Starbucks and the City 
I always spent my half an hour to read this web
site’s content daily along with a mug of coffee.