Tag Archives: iced coffee

NYC Starbucks: 33rd & 7th (Penn Station)

22 Jul

33rd an 7th Starbucks

I just couldn’t stay away.

After visiting one of the two Starbucks inside of Penn Station, I knew I had to come back and check out the other one. So I decided to take my Treat Receipt from this morning back to Midtown. This Starbucks is in the northeast corner of Penn Station — at least as far as I can tell, it is — close to the 7th avenue entrance and Madison Square Garden.

Before I found this Starbucks, I stumbled upon three separate Dunkin Donuts and dozens of other well known chains that are taking advantage of the masses that venture into the station. I came here directly after work, and the 5 o’clock traffic was in full bloom. Upstairs, where the incoming trains are posted, the crowds just pile in and stand, but down near the tracks where these Starbucks are, the crowds are like a stampede of suits and suitcases.

The Starbucks itself does a pretty good job at differentiating itself from the one down the way. It has distinctive decor, different seating styles and a much poorer WiFi connection. Also worth noting, is that this one has its power outlets covered up while the other one does not. Other than that, the lines and crowds are fairly equal, and they are about the same size.

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NYC Starbucks: Reade & Broadway

18 Jul

Reade and Broadway Starbucks

Anyone who’s ever visited New York City knows Duane Reade. The city practically runs on this hybrid pharmacy and convenience store. With over 150 locations in NYC, you see almost as many Duane Reades as you do Starbucks. And today I happen to be sitting at the Starbucks in Lower Manhattan between Duane street and Reade street. My first thought: Oh, now the name makes sense!

Duane Reade has been around since the  60s and is unique to New York — even though it was recently purchased by Walgreens. The original Duane Reade and its warehouse started right here on this street corner on the borders of Civic Center and TriBeCa. The rest is history.

So there’s your brief history of NYC’s most frequented convenience store — now its most frequented coffee house.

The Starbucks on Reade and Broadway isn’t the cleanest. It isn’t the biggest. And it’s AC doesn’t even seem to run as well as other locations. But there is something about this Starbucks that is uniquely New York. Actually, the fact that it’s small, dirty and old-looking is probably why it’s so charming. The high ceilings, tall windows with paint chipping off the panes, and narrow passageways make this Starbucks feel like home. Home for a New Yorker, that is. Continue reading →

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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: 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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NYC Starbucks: Chambers & West Broadway

25 Jun

Chambers and West Broadway Starbucks

So far TriBeCa has been one of the most impressive neighborhoods I’ve visited — at least as far as Starbucks is concerned. Don’t get me wrong. The neighborhood is beautiful. I love the low buildings here that are contrasted by the towering skyscrapers of the nearby Financial District. And there seems to be an endless possibility of cafes, restaurants and trendy bars to jump in and out of. I’m making a note to come back here on a day when I have time to visit more than just Starbucks.

But, then again, the Starbucks is worth the visit. This location on Chambers and West Broadway is large, sunny and conveniently located over the red line. Luckily most of the business men and women are tucked away in their offices right now and the Starbucks is only lightly occupied. It’s most distinguishing feature is this small square seating room in the corner. It has faded mirrors on the walls, an old L-shaped bench occupying half of it, and large paneled windows that fill it with light.

Although there’s currently construction outside on the street, it doesn’t affect the ambiance of this delightful Starbucks.

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NYC Starbucks: 23rd & Park

24 Jun

23rd and Park Starbucks

Today I decided to visit the Starbucks on 23rd and Park Avenue South, mostly because it’s directly opposite the Starbucks on 26th and Broadway that I visited last week. This Starbucks is on the southeast side of Madison Square Park; that Starbucks is on the northwest side.

I definitely, definitely prefer the northwest side. This Starbucks is small, narrow, cramped, cold and lacking a public restroom. Yet still plenty of people rush in and out of its doors. Perhaps the reason it maintains such a crowd is because this Starbucks is above a subway station. Or maybe the park crowd tends to move southeast instead of northwest. Whatever the reason — of the two Starbucks that overlook Madison Square Park, this one is trampled by the competition.

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