Leave it to the East Village to put an unconventional spin on something as conventional as Starbucks.
The East Village is known throughout Manhattan for it’s artistic and avant-garde edge. Individualists and creative types flock to the East Village to live the bohemian lifestyle. In fact, I can practically feel the neighborhood’s disapproval as I write these categorizations into existence. The East Villagers — and by proxy the village itself — defies categorization. So don’t even try. Kay?
However — in all seriousness — the eclectic culture of the East Village is one of my favorite things about Manhattan. Even those that don’t want to fit in, in fact, do have a place they fit in.
So how does Starbucks — the typical corporate coffee house — blend in such an individualistic neighborhood?
As I walked in to the location on 13th and 1st, one of the first things I noticed was the lack of chairs. Instead, lining the window of their long wall is this tall-bench/short table contraption that the patrons were sitting on, legs crossed beneath them. In fact, that’s exactly what I am doing right now. And besides my paranoia that I may drop my laptop or kick over my coffee it ain’t half bad. But for those of you that like to stick to the straight and narrow — not very East Village of you, BTW — there are a couple of chairs lining the barista-bar and the the tiny window in the front.
Best served as a quick pit stop for your morning coffee, but it’ll work as a place to sit — Indian-style that is — as long as okay with your feet falling asleep.
Starbucks and the City 