Scandal! Julie Saltman admits to liking Starbucks. But secretly, I agree with her. Yay Starbucks! They pay their workers well, so we're not talking about the Wal-Mart of coffee beaneries, and I can allay my bleeding-heart guilt for a bit (just a bit). Plus, their regular run-of-the-mill coffee has far, far more caffeine than any of the competition, except for maybe the old days of McDonald's (from what I remember, McD's used to superheat their water to eke more caffeine out of the beans, but that ended when a lady burned her thighs and (rightly) filed suit). So for someone like me, who would inject caffeine directly if I could, ends up drinking 4-5 cups a day before 2pm, and has poor tastebuds, it's a fantastic deal!

Um, I guess in theory it's a bit ridiculous to see two of them across the street from each other, as was the case when I lived in Harlem a few years ago, but whatever, most of the independent cafes that Starbucks cluster-bombs into submission are small, cramped, and pay peas for wages. And yes, yes, those "inspirational" slogans creep me out and the music is often grating (I love Norah Jones too, but come on...) but sorry, the caffeine quotient wins me over every time.