Starbucks

I sometimes ponder where we’d be as a society if coffee suddenly ceased to exist, perhaps as the result of an embargo. Would the finely tuned gears of capitalism lose an essential spring, leading to workers showing up late en made and office conflict exacerbated by caffeine withdrawal? While simply pondering this scenario is enough to make one question whether there might be something altogether sinister behind much of what we frame as “life’s simple joys,” it does make me grateful that there is such a thing as coffee as a subject of such a system. It tends to make me feel good, and the bitter brackish joy water (my personal term for coffee, “bbjw” for short) served at this particular Starbucks outpost is no exception. The manager is friendly and welcoming -more so than anyone might expect from a Starbucks attached to a chain furniture store- providing more of a neighborhood atmosphere than one might expect. However, the seating can sometimes be quite cramped when it’s cold, so those choosing to stay would be wise to keep deeply personal conversations down to a low volume. That is, if you care about such things.