There is now a site on the web that is trying to collect pictures of every Starbucks in North America (there really is a website for everything.) Mark Traphagen did a blog entry where he traced his past through the various Starbucks he has visited and I thought it was such a great idea that I'd try it myself.
Now, I can already hear you, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, Starbucks is corporate America evil, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, overpriced, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, and yeah, given the choice, I'd choose to get coffee elsewhere, too. But there is comfort in familiarity and convenience, and Starbucks provides both of those, so I do find myself frequenting the chain of coffee shops on a regular basis.
On with the memories....
This is on Federal Highway in Boca Raton, Florida, and probably my first exposure to Starbucks. This is also where in 1998 Ryan and Michelle Cole announced to me that they were getting married. They also asked me to be a groomsman in their wedding here (I deserved to be one! Given that I inadvertently set them up!) so this Starbucks has particularly good memories for me.
This one gets a lot of business from me and Adriene.
It's just around the corner from our house and is way too convenient.
Sometimes after a bad day at work, nothing can comfort you quite like an
iced coffee. I know, we're weak yuppies. I expect this store
will be getting a lot more of our money with winter fast approaching.
This is down in the old historic district of Savannah. Adriene and I were married in a church not very far from here. Adriene's parents still live in Savannah and the city holds good memories for both of us.
I've never actually been to this one (though I pass it
every day on the way to work), but I had to include it because a friend
of mine, Neil Jones, actually worked on the team that designed and built
the store. He would want to me to point out how clever the entrance
of the store is (it's made to look like a coffee cup)
This Starbucks reminds me of SECCNETWKD 2004. Alisa Smith called me a "sixteen year old girl" for ordering a Chocolate Brownie Frappacino here. No, I'm not bitter at all.
The best part of this picture is the guy actually labeled it "Starbucks at the Disco Kroger"... well, that's what it is!
Now, we didn't have Starbucks when I was in high school, but if we did, I probably would've spent a lot of time here. This one is not far from my parents' house in Snellville. This used to be an old music store (and actually the store may still be there, it just takes up the bottom floor only now) Adriene and I once went to this Starbucks when the power was out on US 78, and strangely, this was the only place with power. It was very eerie to see the highway normally brightly lit with an array of fast food restaurants, grocery stores, and car dealerships, dark as a midnight in the wilderness.
This one is located in Vinings and I've never been to it, but Vinings does hold some fond memories as it has come to symbolize an era of my life.
I thought "OK, this guy is good, but I'll bet he doesn't have the Starbucks we went to in remote British Columbia on our way to skiing at Whistler Mountain!" Think again. This is not too far from the amazing Shannon Falls. I would love to go back there some time and see the falls again, hopefully without the fog and cloud cover so I could fully appreciate the falls.