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NYC Starbucks: 42nd & Park (Grand Central)

12 Jul

42nd and Park Starbucks

For my 100th Starbucks visit for this blog, I wanted to go somewhere special; a significant place in this city. In the end, I decided on Grand Central Terminal.

Not only is this one of the most beautiful and well-traveled locations in Manhattan, but it’s also celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. So I decided what better spot to make my 100th Starbucks than this 100 year old masterpiece.

There are actually two Starbucks located in Grand Central. The one I’m sitting in now  is in the Biltmore Passage in the northwest corner of the station. The other is off to the east in the Lexington Passage. The reason I chose the Biltmore Starbucks for my 100th visit is because it’s completely embedded within Grand Central whereas the other has a street exit and pretty much resembles a normal Midtown Starbucks.

Of course, Grand Central contains much more than trains and Starbucks. Did you know there is actually an Apple Store in the Main Concourse? There’s also hundreds of other retail shops, coffee houses, restaurants, bakeries and novelty shops. This place is huge (grand, if you will) and although I’ve never had to catch a train out of here, I’d probably need to arrive extra early.

This Starbucks is both impressive and basic at the same time. I guess you can say it’s a product of its environment. No need for tons of seating or coffee decor in a Starbucks in a train terminal. Instead, this Starbucks has a barista bar twice the size of any other, with two areas to pay and pick up your drinks. The line never appears too long because this Starbucks is much more focused on efficiency than comfort. And it works.

With 100 Starbucks down in the midst of summer, I have hope that I can make it to all the Manhattan Starbucks before the year is up.

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NYC Starbucks: 41st & 8th (Port Authority)

10 Jul

41st and 8th Starbucks

By now I’ve visited Starbucks within banks, Starbucks in business lobbys, Starbucks in airports, and Starbucks in retail stores. And today I add one more type of Starbucks to my hitlist: a Starbucks in a bus station. Not just any station though, this Starbucks is the latest addition to the giant Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown between 4oth and 41st street on 8th avenue.

This Starbucks is one of the newest additions to the 200 plus locations on the island of Manhattan and wasn’t here when I started this blog over six months ago. Unfortunately, that means it wasn’t hear a few years ago when I first visited Manhattan and ran through this labyrinth of a bus terminal in search of a friend who had taken a bus into the city. If it had been here, then the terminal may have been a little more welcoming.

As it is, this Starbucks is on the main concourse level of the bus terminal and is only a couple of yards from the exit onto 8th avenue and cab service. According to a New York Times article (whose headquarters is conveniently located across the street) around 250,000 people pass through this terminal each day, and I’ll bet half stop at this Starbucks. So of course, there is no need for a doorway or wall to limit traffic; the Starbucks simply opens up into the terminal, and the distinction between cafe and bus station rests in floor tiles, music (jazz, currently) and aroma. The Starbucks does gather quite the crowd, but my hat goes off to the baristas who try to stay on top of who’s sitting here enjoying a coffee and who’s just looking to loaf.

Would I recommend this Starbucks as a “Go-To Starbucks” to catch up with a friend over coffee? No… But it certainly is convenient for tired travelers in and out of NYC.

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NYC Starbucks: 40th & Lexington

8 Jul

40th and Lexington Starbucks

A friend-of-a-friend once described the Starbucks on 40th and Lexington as one of the worst in NYC. Ever since, I must admit, I’ve been intrigued. However, today when I stepped foot into the only Starbucks on that cross street, I couldn’t help but feel a mistake was made.

This Starbucks is definitely not one of the worst. If you want to hear about the worst, by all means, click here.

One thing I like about this Starbucks is that, not only is it large, but the barista bar is pushed to the back of the store, leaving room for a great seating area. It even has a foursome of padded, comfy chairs in a little seating nook near the entrance. It has not one, but two, large communal tables, and plenty of smaller sets that can fit three comfortably. And although it is in Midtown, it’s pushed far enough east to avoid the brunt of Midtown traffic.

All in all, it’s not one of the best Starbucks in Manhattan, but it certainly isn’t one of the worst either.

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NYC Starbucks: 57th & Lexington SWC

7 Jul

57th and Lexington SWC Starbucks

Recently, I’ve been interested in comparing Starbucks in Manhattan that are in extremely close proximity to other Starbucks (like on the same exact street corner).

Late last month, I visited a Starbucks on the northwest corner of 56th & Lexington, and now I’m sitting in a Starbucks just south of it on the same street corner.

The Starbucks on the north side of the street was tiny, triangular and could only fit a handful of patrons at once. This Starbucks doesn’t look like much from the outside, but I was surprised that it is actually fairly large. Well — not large — but deep. It’s very narrow, like a railroad apartment, and has just a tiny store front.

Also, this Starbucks gets bonus points for sharing an entranceway with a Psychic parlor. So you can get your caffeine fix and your palm read all in the same place. Or maybe go to the parlor first and they can predict what drink you’ll order.

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NYC Starbucks: 53rd & 6th NEC

6 Jul

53rd and 6th Starbucks NEC

Earlier this week I was visiting the Starbucks on the southwest corner of 53rd and 6th avenue when I discovered another Starbucks directly across the street and promised to return to do a comparative analysis.

Looks like today is that day.

The Starbucks on the northeast corner of the intersection differs greatly from its sister store. Where that one is bright, this one is dim. Where that one is small, this one is large. Where that one is cramped, this one is — slightly less cramped.

All in all, I’d say this one is “1-Cup” above the other — mostly due to a larger seating area and more fluid crowd. You still have to wait longer than normal to receive your drink then you would a regular Starbucks, but here you have more room to spread out. Both have 1 restroom, a touristy vibe, and statuary directly outside of them (thanks MoMA!).

Now if only I could find an intersection in NYC where there are 3 or 4 Starbucks on the same corner.

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NYC Starbucks: 53rd & 6th SWC

4 Jul

53rd and 6th SWC Starbucks

I’m sitting at Starbucks and starring out the window at another Starbucks across the street. Only in New York. Happy 4th of July everyone!

This Starbucks is on the south-west corner of 53rd and 6th avenue. And if I look just beyond the Venus de Milo statue (beautiful, btw) I see the other Starbucks on the north-east corner of the same cross street. It looks to be attached to the Museum of Modern Art, and I look forward to venturing over there someday soon to see how it compares to this one.

This Starbucks is not one I’d recommend for someone looking for a sit down experience at a cafe. Not only is it small (although well lit), but it’s very, very crowded. A lot of tourists are taking breaks from their NYC adventures here so the lines are long and most seats are taken. Contributing to the length of the lines are entire families, language barriers, and a barista staff that seems to move in slow-motion. I can’t really blame them, though. It’s the 4th of July, and I know how it feels to work on a day were everyone else is having a BBQ.

God bless America, and God bless Starbucks.

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NYC Starbucks: 33rd & 10th

3 Jul

33rd and 10th Starbucks

Today my journey brought me to the Starbucks on 33rd and 10th avenue.

I love Hells Kitchen and adore Chelsea, but there is this 10-15 block cross-section between the two neighborhoods that I’ve concluded is one of the ugliest neighborhoods in Manhattan. It’s picked up the name Hellsea, and I couldn’t agree more. Not only is it covered in construction and jammed with traffic most hours of the day, but there is ultimately no real reason for one to venture into this part of the city unless your fleeing by way of the Lincoln Tunnel. It doesn’t look residential and the few restaurants I passed by failed to stand out.

This Starbucks is actually located in the lobby of the Associated Press’s headquarters. While most lobby-oriented Starbucks are squashed and unimpressive, this one is actually a decent looking cafe. It has glass panels separating it from the entrance to the AP, and could just as easily be a solo-location.

I arrived just in time to catch the 5pm mass-exodus from the offices of the AP. Although several caffeine deprived reporters dived in for a quick pick-me-up, the line never grew too long and most left, leaving the seats vacant. If I worked for the AP I fear half my salary would be drained at this Starbucks.

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NYC Starbucks: 42nd & 2nd

1 Jul

42nd and 2nd Starbucks

The Starbucks on 42nd and 2nd avenue is on the border of 3 distinct Manhattan neighborhoods: Turtle Bay, Murray Hill, and Tudor City. Each of these are residential (Tudor City is actually one giant apartment complex) and seem to mostly be separated by geography and not so much attributes.

I rode to this Starbucks on a Citi Bike once the rain died down. Taking the train to 2nd avenue is always a pain, and I still believe that NYC busses are simply mythological lies. But Citi Bike is definitely a way to explore the residential neighborhoods without relying on public transportation.

One interesting thing about this Starbucks is that it is attached to a Capitol One bank. Literally, they are one in the same. The barista bar is only a few yards away from the bank tellers. When the bank closes, they simply pull down a security gate to cut the giant room in half. The decor in here is decent, and the lighting is bright and florescent (that of a bank).

Today I tried one of Starbucks’ new iced beverages: the Orange Spice Iced Coffee. It’s quite an interesting drink. They take iced coffee and shake it with orange rind and cinnamon so it comes in your cup with a frothy layer over top. Although the cinnamon is the more powerful taste (reminding me of Christmas coffee), the hints of orange definitely compliment the cool beverage. It’s not something I’d get daily, but it’s certainly a new take on coffee.

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NYC Starbucks: 57th & Lexington NWC

27 Jun

57th and Lexington Starbucks

I wish I could say more positive things about the Starbucks on 57th & Lexington. My mother always said if you don’t have something nice to say don’t say anything at all.

So I guess I will start with the positive. This Starbucks is in a great location. Lexington avenue in this odd mixture of Midtown and the Upper East Side is filled with retail possibilities, good restaurants, and public transportation.

And that’s all the good I have.

Honestly, this is just one of those Get In, Get Out locations. It’s triangular in shape and reminds me of my first NYC apartment that was nothing but this odd hybrid between a kitchen, living room and bedroom doors. There are only  7 stools up against one windowed wall. There’s no bathroom and nothing notable about the decor.

Sometimes a Starbucks is just a Starbucks.

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NYC Starbucks: 55th & Lexington

22 Jun

55th and Lexington Starbucks

The Starbucks on 55th and Lexington doesn’t seem like it stands a chance against the beautiful Saturday afternoon going on right now in the city. I see people jogging, biking, walking hand-in-hand out there in the sun… but in here it is nearly empty. A few people come and go but mostly they go.

This is kind of refreshing since I’m usually fighting to squeeze myself into a seat at a crowded Midtown Starbucks but not today.

There are lots of Starbucks in this neighborhood, which may also contribute to this location’s current vacancy. This one is a few blocks south of some great retail shops on Lexington, but here the area is mostly random restaurants and cheap shops.

Inside there are two seating areas that form a small hall to the barista bar. There are outlets near most every seat and they are each spaced enough so that the place is not overly congested. The decor is simple and there’s just the one restroom in the back. Ultimately, the best thing this Starbucks has going for it is its lack of patrons.

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