Back in Midtown, a friend and I ducked into the Starbucks on the corner of 52nd and 7th to avoid the bone chilling wind that we had inappropriately dressed for. This area of 7th Ave brings both the theatre crowd and the business crowd at once. This particular Starbucks is weaseled into the AXA Equitable Center, and like most office building cafes, this one had very little to brag about.
After ordering a set of hot coffees to warm our rattled bones, we sat in the small seating area only to be unpleasantly surprised by two things: there is no bathroom at this location, and each time the door is pushed open by someone depraved of caffeine a torrential gust of cool wind blows through the tiny seating area. And these effects only amplify one another, since tourists and New Yorkers alike are constantly running into this Starbucks (and all Starbucks) for the sole purpose of using the restroom only to be turned away a second later, causing another brief 30 degree drop in the temperature. At one point, my hat and gloves were literally blown away due to this horrible cross-breeze effect.
However, the breeze was not what bothered me most about this location. It was the fact that it was designed with an upstairs seating lounge connected by a spiral staircase — only for it to be blocked off and used for storage (I presume). So whatever redemptive qualities that may have been lurking up there were lost.
Moral of this story:
If you work in this office building, Congrats!, you can grab yourself a Starbucks coffee at ease, but this isn’t the type of location I would recommend seeking out.
Starbucks and the City 