NYC Starbucks: Stone & Whitehall

9 Jul

Stone and Whitehall Starbucks

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.

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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: 3rd & 1st

2 Jul

3rd and 1st Starbucks

I can’t say that the East Village is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Manhattan. It’s a little to purposefully grungy for my tastes. But it is growing on my – slightly. The area around St Marks street has a lot of unique restaurants and shops to dive in and out of including Japanese style hotdogs (???) and an ice cream shop named Big Gay Ice Cream (love it!).

Today I’m sitting at the Starbucks on 3rd street and 1st avenue. As I sit here homeless and/or displaced New Yorkers hang out on the benches in front of the cafe while hipsters walk, bike and skateboard by. Earlier a saw one girl training another how to dance with a flaming hula hoop (I just can’t make this stuff up).

The Starbucks itself is small for a corner location. The lounge is L-shaped and contains only a limited amount of seating. There’s a downstairs but that’s just for the Starbucks Partners. It does have a restroom — but unfortunately for the hundreds of people that came in just for that — it was out of order. I will say that the decor is pretty on-point and the Starbucks logo painted directly on the exterior bricks really tie this location to its neighborhood.

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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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Reflection: June

1 Jul

NYC Starbucks_June

 

Half the year has come and gone. I woke up this morning and starred July in the face with groggy eyes and disbelief. My caffeinated journey through the streets of Manhattan is at its midpoint. Half the time I feel like I just started this blog and the other half I it seems like I’ve been doing this thing all my life.

The month of June has been one of my favorite months in NYC, and it was also one of the most productive. The two most noteworthy occurrences: the creation of CitiBike and NYC Gay Pride.

CitiBike officially rolled out in the beginning of June. For those of you that aren’t familiar, it is a commuter bike service that now exists in Manhattan from 59th street down. There are tons and tons of locations and it allows you access to a bike for a certain period of time (30 or 45 minutes) so you can travel from one spot in the city to another. It’s perfect for getting across town. I tested the service with a week pass and then caved and bought a year’s membership. Although it has it’s kinks (broken stations, empty stations, and overall poor computer technology), I love the fact that I can get around the city swiftly without having to go underground. Plus I get a little bit more fitness in my day.

June — if you didn’t know — is Pride Month. And the last weekend of the month, NYC celebrates with a huge parade that puts all others to shame. This year’s was exceptionally special because not only was it my first time seeing it, but it also took place the same week that the Supreme Court struck down DOMA and found Prop 8 in California to be unconstitutional. The parade was roughly 5 hours of high energy, pride-filled joy. My boyfriend and I gathered at a friend’s party on the corner of Christopher and Gay streets and watched out the windows the entire time as the parade passed by. I couldn’t have asked for a better view. Later that evening a bunch of us went to a pier dance party where Whoopi Goldberg introduced Cher, and she sang her new single. All in all, it was the most proud I’ve felt in years.

June was also a big month for this blog. I was able to visit 20 different NYC Starbucks locations. That’s the most I’ve ever gotten to in 1 month! While I did visit 3 different Starbucks that earned a rating of 1-Cup, I also found another 5-Cup location at the corner of 58th & Madison. I also decided to get the blog its own Facebook page. So if you’re reading this you should totally check it out and ‘like’ it.

Check out the gallery of the 20 Starbucks locations I rated in June and stay tuned for the July Starbucks to start rolling in.

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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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