Joel Achenbach wrote this terrific little piece about Starbucks last August. He begins:
Going to Starbucks is one of the most challenging and worrisome things an urban person can do. It is not for the faint of heart or the indecisive of mind. It is an exact science, like human space flight. The slightest misstep can mean disaster.
There is, for starters, the important question of which Starbucks to patronize. In many modern American cities, people have a bewildering number of Starbuckses to choose from. (You may recall that the Starbucks pandemic inspired a story in the Onion about a Starbucks opening in the bathroom of an existing Starbucks.)
If you’ve ever been, you will probably enjoy Joel’s essay. Unless, that is, caffeine withdrawal is making you cranky.