Starbucks - Center City, Philadelphia (200 South Broad Street)

The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel Building
starbuckseverywhere.net

Sometimes you head off with clear plans then events happen that push you in a different direction.  Sometimes the different direction gives you a jewel.  That is exactly what happened to me when I headed to Center City to hear the Curtis Institute Orchestra perform Messiaen's  Turangalila-Syphonie at the Kimmel Center.  (I have put a link to the concert at the bottom of the page.)  My plans were to catch the High Speedline into Center City, walk to the Starbucks on the south side of the Kimmel Center, write my soldier's letter then go to the Center. 

I had timed my trip pretty tightly, so when the volunteers from Samaritan Hospice tried to talk with me in the train station I was a bit short.  I did however open my bag and let them stuff fliers and brochures inside.  I promised to read them, which I'm sorry to say that I have yet to do.  I will though, I promise.  As I walked through the rain from my train stop in Center City towards the Starbucks, I decided that I would stop in The Bellevue-Stratford Building to eat the sandwich, dried apricots and walnuts that I had carried in with me for dinner.  The building, built in 1904 and costing over $8,000,000 (in 1904 dollars), is just beautiful.  The ceiling and iron work are magnificent.   As I entered the building I was so focused on getting out of the rain and folding my umbrella that I barely noticed the lobby.   After finishing my dinner in the downstairs dining court, I headed back through the lobby to walk over to the Starbucks.  Now, here is the point in my story when a jewel dropped into my life.  There on my left at the front revolving door was a Starbucks!   I wondered over, looked around and decided to stay.  It was a wonderful shop and Starbucks had made good use of the space.  I settled into one of the four velvet chairs and began my letter.

Lobby
The Bellevue-Stratford Building

In the picture above (taken 12-2010),  you can see the iron work on the stairway behind my daughter and some of the ceiling work.  This is the area that I walked through to get to the stairs to go down to the food court.  The Starbucks in just on the other side of the stairway.

 COMFORT COMMENTS: The comfort of this shop for me was all in the aesthetics. Starbucks had made full use of the grand lobby by leaving the front wall open at the top so that you could see the ceiling work. That same front wall had a beautiful stain glass window above the condiments table and the wall itself was made of mostly glass so that you never felt that you had left the lobby. Although there was a separate seating area that offered more choices, I preferred to sit in one of the velvet chairs so that I could watch the people coming and going in the Starbucks and through the revolving door of the building. I realized after a bit of time that I could see out a window to the building across the street which was being illuminated by lights that were changing in color and where a ballet rehearsal was taking place. Even the floor of the Starbucks competed for space in my mind with its mosaic flower design.

SHOP CRITIQUE:  The only choice of creamer was half and half.  A customer had to ask for the staff to refill the half and half.  The store was very clean.  This store did not have restrooms.

EMPLOYEE COMMENTS:  The employees were very friendly.  And because of that I do feel badly for repeating the following incident, but it struck me the wrong way at the time.  I had ordered my coffee and forgot to say that I wanted decaf, which is a must for me after 2 PM.  I got the barista's attention and asked if I could make it a decaf.  Luckily she had not made the espresso yet and it was not a problem.  However, when I apologized for forgetting, she replied, "Don't worry about it. When you pay $20 for a cup of coffee I think that you should get what you want."  I don't really think Starbucks wants customers to walk away feeling that they are being overcharged.

INTERESTING AND INFORMATIONAL WEB-SITES:
*http://instantencore.com/music/player.aspx?ListItemId=1958473&webkitkey=140da1305820429f92ec3037551aaced
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellevue-Stratford_Hotel
*http://www.starbucks.com/
*http://www.soldiersangels.org/
*http://www.samaritanhospice.org/

Starbucks - Mount Laurel, New Jersey

10 Centerton Road
Centerton Plaza



Even though I did have a letter to a soldier to write while I sat in one of my local Starbucks, it wasn't a letter for a soldier that had been nominated to and selected by Soldier's Angels.  On this occasion I wrote to a friend's son who had just started his training at the Army's Officer Candidate School in Georgia at Fort Benning.  I wanted to write to him because I am so proud of his decision to enter the military and because many years ago I had learned to cuss at the very same fort.  I just knew that I had a story that needed to be shared.  I was hoping that it might bring a smile to his face for I felt certain that he might be having a few homesick moments.  Just as I expect many of our youth in uniform experience.

One Christmas while living at Fort Benning, my parents had purchased a tricycle for me.  Before giving it to me, they had hidden it in a closet.  As my father loves to tell me, one evening they heard me complaining and fussing about something.  When they entered the room where I was making the fuss, they heard me say, "Summa   _ _ _ _ _ !"   They found me pulling on the bike and cussing about not being able to get it out of the closet.  Now, I have no memory of that event, but I can tell you without a doubt just where I learned that Kentucky cussin'.  No place like home!!!

I have visited this Starbucks Coffee Shop many times since it opened about five years ago.  The outside has never felt very "local" to me, basically because of the look of the building.  Just another urban development, although a nice one.  However at one time this Starbucks hosted a talent night once a week.  Customers were invited to bring their talents and perform.  I always wondered how those talent nights turned out.  At the time the girls were still home and I just didn't have the time to go watch.

COMFORT COMMENTS:  Although, this shop only has two comfy over-stuffed leather chairs, I have never sat in any other chair except for the times that I sat outside.  There are many tables with plenty of outlets.  One feature that I really like besides the outside seating is the bar and stools at the service area.  People seem to like to sit at the bar. 

SHOP CRITIQUE:  I hate the way the doors open in this shop.  I nearly froze every time someone came in or went out.  My tea cooled off way too soon because of that.  The shop and restroom were clean.

EMPLOYEE COMMENTS:  The employees always seem happy in this shop.  I've even seen a couple of reviews on-line of this Starbucks giving the staff high ratings for their friendliness. 

INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINING WEB-SITES:
http://www.starbucks.com/
http://www.soldiersangels.org/
http://www.npr.org/  (why kids cuss...do we really need  psychologists to tell us why?)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_L._Benning
  (THIS may be worth cussing about, an American Army base named after "an ardent secessionist, bitterly opposing abolition or emancipation of slaves"* who served as general for the Confederates during the Civil War. WOW!!)  *quote  from wikipedia.

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)

Starbucks - New Hope, Pennsylvania



New Hope, Pennsylvania
East Bridge Street



As I sit here thinking about the blog for this Starbucks,  I'm struggling.  If you look at the Photo Review of the Starbucks that I have visited this year, I think that you will agree with me that the most interesting ones from the street are the Starbucks located in interesting or older buildings.  I can even say that the Moorestown building is growing on me since I've started this project.  I do like it better than the Cherry Hill or Marlton or Commack buildings even though I do believe that the Cherry Hill and the Commack buildings were also buildings or spaces that Starbucks rescued.  And I do give kudos to Starbucks for not simply tearing down a perfectly good building to build a new one.  But the building that this Starbucks is located in is just one ugly building on the outside.  It is probably a great location for Starbucks though since it is located at one of the busiest intersections and at the bridge to New Jersey.  It does have a nice covered porch with plenty of tables. 



New Hope is a great little artsy town on the Delaware River north of Trenton, New Jersey.  It is full of wonderful art studios, craft shops, cafes and restaurants.  Unfortunately, bikers have decided that this makes the ideal destination for the weekend joy ride.  Now I have no problem with motocycles, I actually like the thrill of a good ride, but the noise can be very unpleasant.  I have even sworn in the past that I will never go to New Hope again due to the noise level of the motorcycles.  I find no joy or relaxation in having to shout to talk with the person next to me or to feel the need to cover my ears.  So, personally I don't put a lot of value on the front porch at this Starbucks.  I feel that the bikers should be forced to quiet their cycles before they enter the town or to park their bikes at some location and walk into town. 



Nice tables

Arsty



I really liked these tables.  You could adjust them to suit your space needs.  I thought that they were special to this Starbucks, but my daughter told me that her Starbucks, wherever "her" Starbucks is, has the same tables.


Strange comfy chair
At first glance, I thought no way this chair is going to be comfortable for the next couple of hours while I write my soldier's letter.   How wrong I was, I really enjoyed this chair without arms.  Although I did feel a little exposed.



 COMFORT COMMENTS:  There were limited "comfortable" seats in this Starbucks.  There were two like the one above and limited comfortable seating in the back room of the shop.  Between the entrance room, the back room and the front porch there seemed to plenty of seating.  Never were all of the seats taken at one time.  I think because New Hope is more of a tourist, shopping town, few people come to this Starbucks to work on their computers and to sit for long periods of time.  There was at least one round table with a game top for checkers.

SHOP CRITIQUE:  The traffic flow in this Starbucks Coffee is very poor.  It is confusing for customers to know where to order and where to wait.  The condiments area was right in the middle of all of that causing customers to have to squeeze around others tweaking their coffee.  Starbucks should have knocked out the dividing wall between the service area and the back room, which I found depressing.  The back room was just a large room with seating.  It had little connection to the main Starbucks Coffee shop and two paintings were missing from the wall.  Why when the paintings were removed Starbucks didn't bother to take the hanging hardware down is beyond me.  To be excellent, details matter!  Details should matter to Starbucks, especially since they are selling more than coffee.  The restrooms and shop were clean.  However, the restroom had one of the soap dispensers on the wall, which drips soap onto the floor.

EMPLOYEE COMMENTS:  The employees were busy and friendly.  They were attentive to the condiments table, which is always nice.

PET PEEVE:  Why do parents feel that allowing their children to roam a store unattended is okay?  I watched a little girl play with all of the yogurt/fruit parfaits in the refrigerated case.  So who do you glare at the little girl or the parents?

HELPFUL/INFORMATIONAL WEB-SITES:
http://www.starbucks.com/
http://www.soldiersangels.org/
http://www.newhopepa.com/

*http://waaaaaay-to-loud.blogspot.com/ and  *http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090304054036AAtrmDb    Just to prove I'm not alone on the noise issue



Starbucks - Photo Review

Marlton, New Jersey
http://independentat50.blogspot.com/2011/03/starbucks-marlton-new-jersey.html




Cleveland Height, Ohio
http://independentat50.blogspot.com/2011/03/starbucks-cleveland-heights-ohio-cedar.html

 

Cleveland Heights, Ohio
http://independentat50.blogspot.com/2011/03/starbucks-cleveland-heights-ohio.html

 

Princeton, New Jersey
http://independentat50.blogspot.com/2011/02/starbucks-princeton-new-jersey.html

Cherry Hill, New Jersey
http://independentat50.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-goal.html

Montclair, New Jersey
http://independentat50.blogspot.com/2011/02/starbucks-montclaire-new-jersey.html

Commack, Long Island, New York
http://independentat50.blogspot.com/2011/02/starbucks-commack-long-island-new-york.html

Moorestown, New Jersey
http://independentat50.blogspot.com/2011/02/starbucks-moorestown-new-jersey.html

Fort Myers, Florida
http://independentat50.blogspot.com/2011/03/starbucks-fort-myers-florida.html

Starbucks - Marlton, New Jersey

Marlton, NJ
Routes 70 and 73
http://www.starbuckseverywhere.net/NewJersey.htm

Before I get started, I want to say that my youngest daughter has told me that I do not add enough details or personal feelings to my blogs.  Today I will try to do better on both accounts.

I've loved Starbucks since my very first visit to a shop in Seattle, Washington in 1990.  My husband and I had taken a trip to the Seattle without the girls.  It didn't take either of us to realize that Seattle and the surrounding area "owned" the American coffee world.  It was the first time that I had ever seen roadside espresso stands.  I loved it.  We happened into the Starbucks at 1912 Pike Place, Seattle, becoming a fan right away.  When in 1994 Starbucks opened their very first shop in Houston, Texas, we would drive all the way across town just to get a Starbucks.  It wasn't until we returned from a two year stint in France that we discovered that we now had not one but two Starbucks in our own "backyard".  We were thrilled! 

Starbucks became the "carrot" for excellent school work and great test scores.  Many times when the girls were given the opportunity to pick their reward for some activity, they would choose a drink at Starbucks.  At Christmas they were excited to find a Starbucks gift card in their stocking.  My oldest daughter even ended her 16th birthday slumber party with a morning trip to Starbucks.  Starbucks, an American company, found a way into our lives while making us feel like we were a part of the Starbucks family.

With all of that being said, I've never been a big fan of the Starbucks that I visited this week.  Why does this shop not have the Starbucks name on both sides of the building?  I have over the years taken letters or books to this Starbucks and spent some time inside either at the window bar or if available in one of the comfy chairs, but I've never really liked the inside.  It is small and basically you sit right at the doors, so in the winter it can be cold and drafty.  It was with all of this in mind that I headed into this Starbucks.  Much to my surprise, things have changed.  The inside seating arrangements have been totally redone.  I headed over to the leather comfy chairs staking out one for myself.  I settled in with my green tea and stationary for my soldier's letter.  This being a busy location at the intersection of two major highways, this Starbucks has always seemed to me to be more of a quick stop in, run out kind of place with the occasional customer or group settling in for any length of time.  But today it felt different.  Several people were working on their computers and others were reading.  All seemed to stick around as long as I did.  I noticed that a bulletin board had been added.  When I checked out what was posted,  it was local news.  I'm happy about that, because I want my Starbucks to be around for a long time.  Making themselves more a member of the local community will build loyalty.  I think that slowly over the years Starbucks has become too cookie cutter, just the latest addition to the fast food kingdom.

COMFORT COMMENTS:  So many nice changes here.  The window bar is gone, which is okay with me since you were basically watching the auto traffic when seated at the bar.  Now there are eight leather over-stuffed chairs with tables and foot stools.  I loved the foot stools.  I had just come from ice skating and needed to elevate my knee.  The foot stool was perfect.  This Starbucks Coffee Shop has a very long wooden table that seats 12 at the front of the store.  I find that interesting, I would guess that it was added for traffic flow of customers.  I wonder if it is ever full.  Although I could tell that it had been used, no one used it while I was in the shop.  There were 5-6 tables with chairs along the large windows on the other side of the shop from me and a bench type seating in the back of the shop.  I loved the lighting, very modern and moody.  Nice selection of music playing.  I noticed that many times either employees or customers were singing along.

SHOP CRITIQUE:  Very clean.  Several times during the time that I was in the shop, employees cleaned and straightened the condiments tables and seating areas.  The women's restroom was clean.

EMPLOYEE COMMENTS:  I heard them having fun with each other and with customers.

PICK OF THE WEEK:  R.E.M. "Oh My Heart"

INTERESTING/ENTERTAINING WEB-SITES:
http://www.starbucks.com/
http://www.soldiersangels.org/
http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/
http://www.coffeepartyusa.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Join-the-Coffee-Party-Movement-in-Washington-State/362064099762
   

Starbucks - Cleveland Heights, Ohio (Cedar and Fairmount)

Okay, this has got to be the very best Starbucks Coffee Shop that I've ever visited.  I decided to spend my afternoon in this Starbucks simply because I liked the picture that I saw of the building while googling Cleveland area Starbucks.  Upon arrival, I realized that I would have to use metered parking on the street in front of Starbucks.  Now maybe there was free parking available, but being unfamiliar with the area I just wasn't sure and didn't want to drive around looking for it. After I paid the meter, quarter/30 minutes, I headed in with my low expectations in hand.  Low expectations that were directly related to the fact that I had to pay for parking.  I hate paying for parking, it just sorta puts me in a bad frame of mind.  Spoiled child of the burbs, I guess. Or just one of my "they tax us to death" pet peeves. 

Cleveland Heights
Cedar and Fairmount

Once I was inside of the shop all of my bad feelings dissolved.  I felt like I had entered a ski lodge.  On my right was a fireplace with seating all around it.  Of course, I headed straight away for one of the over-stuffed leather chairs facing the fire.  Once settled in with my Tazo Venti China Green Tips tea, I started checking out the rest of the shop.  The place was packed with people reading or working on their laptops.  Most people were alone.  I started to feel like I was in a college student center.  Matter-of-fact, I was probably within a mile or two of Case Western Reserve University.  I'm sure that that must account for the "student" feel of the shop.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself inside this Starbucks Coffee Shop.  Prior to coming, I had been ice skating, so I was a bit chilled from that and it was a cold Cleveland day.  There is nothing like a fire to warm one, even if it is all just a mental pleasure. 

COMFORT COMMENTS:  This has to be one of the most comfortable Starbucks that I've visited.  The choice of seating was pretty amazing.  There were over-stuffed cloth chairs, over-stuffed leather chairs, leather couch, bench couch along one wall with tables, window bar with bar stools, and tables with regular dining chairs.  The main seating area was carpeted, which I loved.  As mentioned above, there was a fireplace with fire burning that was on a raised ceramic tile platform.  Several people seated around the fireplace had their feet propped up on the platform.  People were so comfortable that one man had taken his shoes off to gain more comfort.  Because I had parked in the one hour limit metered parking, I had to leave way before I felt like leaving.  I will definitely visit this Starbucks again and again once I reside in Cleveland.

SHOP CRITIQUE:  Very clean, even the carpet in the main dining area was clean.  Plenty of room for customer comfort and for the service area.  I really liked the service area, which had a glass shelving wall displaying coffee products and Starbucks products.  The restroom was clean.  I hope that the Cherry Hill Starbucks has put in one of the user friendly trashcans that all the other Starbucks seem to have in their restrooms.  I noticed that employees cleaned the condiments bar while I was in the shop.

EMPLOYEE COMMENTS:  I was seated in such a way that I could not observe the employees nor hear their conversations. 

HELPFUL/INTERESTING WEB-SITES:
www.starbucks.com
www.case.edu
www.tazo.com
www.clevelandheights.com