Starbucks is planning to open a new location right across the street from my office. To announce the upcoming store, they put up a big sign that reads, “Don’t Worry! Expected Delivery Winter 2011.“
But here’s the deal: I wasn’t worried. Seriously, this is Seattle and coffee is just not something I have to worry about.
Here is a list of adequate (if not favorite) coffee shops that I can get to easily each day, without even going more than a block or so off my normal pedestrian route:
- Palazzo coffee, 2 blocks from home
- Expensive Baking, errr, ESSENTIAL Baking, 2 blocks from home
- Gypsy Cafe
- Solsticio
- Pete’s in Fremont
- PCC Fremont
- Starbucks Fremont
- ETG
- Sweet and Savory PIE
- Homegrown
- Kakao in South Lake Union
- Uptown Espresso
- Moka’s
- Starbucks Westlake location in South Lake Union (1/2 block from office)
- Tutta Bella
- Whole Foods
- Tin Cup Espresso and Coffee
And these are just the places I am willing to grab coffee. There are other places, like Fremont Coffee Company and Caffe Ladro, which are more than 2 blocks from my pedestrian path & hence not on this list. There are others I’ve left off because I don’t enjoy their product.
So as you can see Starbucks, I wasn’t terribly worried. But I appreciate your thoughtfulness and your concern for my mental health. In a day and age when companies don’t often consider their customers’ needs, your consideration of my mental state is refreshing. As refreshing as a hot, steamy espresso drink on a cold, rainy day in the Pacific Northwest.
Now, when does the new store open exactly? I’ve got a hankering for a caramel macchiato.
