Suburban Pioneering
It's a beautiful day in New Orleans. Since it's a nice lazy Saturday and I don't have anything to do, I figured I'd take a book outside and read for a while, or maybe go for a walk. I also could really go for an iced coffee. In the interest of combining these things into one, I've decided to do something I'm pretty sure no one does: walk to a suburban Starbucks.
While I have a nice porch on the front of my house, it faces a fairly major road on which people routinely drive 50mph, and where white kids with $6,000 stereos blast rap at anyone not barricaded inside with the AC on high. So I can't sit out there and concentrate on my book. Plus there's no coffee here. So I could drive to a coffee shop, but they're all pretty far away except for a Starbucks in a strip mall on the major commercial strip in Metairie (NO's suburbs), about a mile and a half away. That wouldn't really satisfy my desire to take a walk, though. And there's no greenspaces within walking distance that are quiet enough to sit in.
So, I've decided to make a foray into the belly of the pedestrian unfriendly beast and walk to Starbucks. It'll be scary at times, yes, but I think if I run very fast I can make it across the 7 lanes of traffic after the third person in an obnoxious Mustang runs the red light and before the idiots in their Hondas take off from the stop line a half second before the light turns green. If I survive, I may have tales of the wonderous things I'll see venturing where few pedestrians have dared.
And before anyone gives me crap about going to Starbucks, for all their faults that company has done a damn good job of creating a comfortable space to be in, something we don't see enough of in our homogenous utilitarian cartoon surroundings.
March 20th, 2004 at 9:34 pm
ah, bil.com is so refreshing. it gives me faith that there are intelligent people in the world.
March 22nd, 2004 at 11:29 am
Regarding Starbucks, while I join the ranks of those who dislike national chains for the bland, artificial sameness they spread across our land, sucking out regional differences as they proliferate, I view Starbucks as among the most benign of them. They often do tailor their stores’ architecture somewhat to fit into the local neighborhood atmosphere while still keeping their brand identity intact. In some areas, Starbucks have renovated and restored buildings that were otherwise empty and forgotten urban jewels. They are also often the most relaxed, intelligent, and comfortable outposts in otherwise unpleasant areas. I remember walking through the bland and empty streets of Madison, WI one winter with -30 degree windchill when I found a Starbucks oasis that offered warm air, warm drinks, comfy chairs, and free newspapers to read. It was fantastic.
- Garris