After nearly seven hours of Black Friday shopping in NYC, my body feels like it just went through a trauma. My feet are swollen like a pregnant woman’s and my back is sore from carrying the baggage I inevitably picked up. Still — it was kind of worth it. And I got to visit a Starbucks along the way.
While most retail stores — and practically everywhere near Times Square — were much more crowded today than usual, I can assuredly say that the Starbucks on 42d and 8th avenue sees this kind of crowd daily. This location is connected to the Regal Cinemas and stays open later than most Starbucks in the city to keep late-night movie goers and passers- by caffeinated.
Inside, this Starbucks is average sized — maybe a little big by Midtown standards — and has a heavy crowd flow. Obviously, it houses as lot of tourists, but it also has a decently sized seating area and a few random bar stool to maintain the crowd. But its most distinctive characteristic is its elaborate decor. Even the Starbucks logo outside is louder than most, but then again, in this neighborhood, your signing needs to be over-the-top to stand out from the hundreds of other flashy and eccentric marketing ploys.
My favorite piece inside the Starbucks is a large eclectic wall mural that takes up most of the wall near the street entrance. It contains random colors, various siren sketches and different quotes about coffee, nature, mermaids and other random stuff. Most of the mural and some of the quotes are pictured above, but my favorite is as follows:
“Come into the water,” the Siren said. “Without water there would be no life. It is water that brews our coffees. Many humans are convinced you know, that there is no life before coffee.”
And — yes — clearly, I am one of those humans. Especially on Black Friday, there would be no life in me without coffee.
The Good:
The Hours… Open until 1am on weekdays and 2am on weekends.
The Location… A block west of Times Square, just east of Hell’s Kitchen and near tons of transportation.
The Decor… The siren themed mural is by far its best attribute. Very unique. Very New York.
The Bad:
The Crowd… Heavy and touristy — not just on a holiday weekend — but any day.
The Restroom… Just the one.
Barista Friendliness:
Drink of Choice:
Tall Iced Coffee.
Overall Starbucks Rating:
A busy — but well decorated — Times Square Starbucks.
Starbucks and the City 
When I was in NYC 3 years ago this was my local store! It was great!