Starbucks - Center City Philadelphia (15th and Latimer Street)

I was so excited to finally be making my way into Center City to a Starbucks there.  I guess I could have visited a Center City Starbucks on any of the previous Starbucks' visits because I am independent after all.  But I saved my visit to combine it with some other event.  I just had to wait for that event to come along.  And it did!  While I was visiting Starbucks in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Curtis Institute of Music offered their "friends" $5 tickets to attend the performance of Messiaen's Turangalila Symphonie at the Kimmel Center in Center City.  And, of course, being the "friend" that I am, I snatched up a ticket.  In hindsight I should have taken all my Jersey buddies with me.  AMAZING concert, but more about that later.  Along with my $5 ticket came the invitation to attend the Dean's lecture,  Olivier Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphonie: A Love Song, at the Curtis Institute on Locust Street in the Rittenhouse Square area of Center City. 
I hopped on the "high speed line", the mass transit train between Southern New Jersey and Center City on April 5th around 5PM.   I love the trains of the Northeast.  The high speed line trip from Jersey to Center City is especially enjoyable for me because the trains use one of my all time favorite bridges to cross the Delaware River, The Ben Franklin Bridge.  The trains run along either side of the bridge.  As a passenger, you have two great choices for viewing entertainment, either the auto traffic on the bridge or the cities on either side of the river.  Both fascinate me.  I always get a nice smug feeling when I am able to gaze at the drivers while we pass them, knowing that their progress will soon be hampered by traffic and lights while I move freely towards my destination.  Before my trips into Center City, I always double check the traffic flow of the streets around my train stop.  I hate to admit it, but I'm spatially challenged in cities.  I carry a compass and usually written directions, which never seem to help me when I first enter the street from the below street level stations.  Knowing the directional flow of the traffic is my key to heading the right direction.
Feel familiar?

I knew when I saw this Starbucks that I was going to like it.  What a perfect location!  A corner spot with lots of big windows.  People watching!   I settled in at one of the small round tables next to the windows.  Writing my soldier's letter was going to be a breeze today,  the inspiration and material was just outside my window.  Being a cold day, most people were still wearing the dark colored heavy coats of winter.  It seemed to me that our scarves have become our color fashion statement when we are forced by nature to cover up.  Even men seem to not mind sporting some brightly colored or patterned scarf.  Once however, a woman appeared on the corner wearing a bright pink spring jacket, a crocus among the still brown blades of grass.

I hesitantly left my street entertainment and made my way over to Curtis just in time for the lecture.

COMFORT COMMENTS:  I found this Starbucks Coffee Shop to be a bit tight.  There was barely room to move between the tables along the windows, especially when both rows of tables were occupied.  There was only one or two comfy chairs near the front of the store.  If it had not been for the large windows  bringing the outside in to me, I would have felt uneasy in the small space.

SHOP CRITIQUE:  Bathroom and shop were both clean.

EMPLOYEE COMMENTS:  Very quiet group of employees.  It seem to me that they went about their jobs with full attention to what they were doing at the moment.  The condiments table was clean, which tells me someone was paying attention to details.  Nice!

INTERESTING AND INFORMATIONAL WEB-SITES:
*http://www.starbucks.com
*www.soldiersangels.org
*http://www.curtis.edu  (you, too, can become a friend.  just sign-up for emailings of events)
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin_Bridge
*http://www.ridepatco.org/about/history.html  (The USA needs more trains!)
*http://www.visitphilly.com/
*http://www.fashionscarvesandshawls.com/winterscarves.html  (soooo many choices)