Starbucks to Open 20,000-Square-Foot Store in Chelsea

While I make it a point to go to mom-and-pop coffee joints when I have the chance, I'm not a complete snob about Starbucks -- mainly 'cause its espresso is fine and I'd rather have a new Starbucks than another Chase bank or nail salon open around town. That being said, I'm not sure my beloved -- and beleaguered -- neighborhood needs to be the home of the coffee giant's largest store in the world. But that's what's about to happen.

WSJ reports:

Starbucks Corp. aims to go bigger and bolder in New York City, planning to make southwest Chelsea the home of its largest store in the world.

The Seattle-based coffee retailer said Tuesday that it would set up its second roastery in a 20,000-square-foot space at the bottom of a boutique office building at 61 Ninth Ave. The massive store, expected to open in 2018, will be modeled on the company’s Seattle roastery, which the company describes as “coffee-as-theater” and a highly sensorial experience.

At the 15,000-square-foot Seattle location, where the company roasts small batches of rare coffees, customers chat with baristas to learn about the various methods of brewing and sourcing, and taste the high-end coffees. 

“In New York we want to take elements from what we originally created and build something even bigger and bolder,” said Starbucks Chairman and Chief Executive Howard Schultz.

I guess if the onslaught of tourists visiting the Meatpacking district, Apple store and Chelsea Market weren't enough to keep me out of the area, this seals the deal.

WATCH: Starbucks' First LGBT Commercial

Coffee Frenemies, courtesy of OutTV and Starbucks

Starburst

This is why I hate people.

From a friend in Palm Springs:

I couldn't wait for the lady next to me to get up so I could snap a pic of her Mac at Starbucks. Thinking she's been here for a while. She just said to me she hates it when the Internet is slow!! Lol. I'm speechless

Built for Speed

Interesting to see that coffee from Starbucks has twice as much caffeine as McDonald's, although I guess I'm not really that surprirsed. Read more HERE.

Starbucks Strikes Out

Derek Jeter uses phony name 'Philip' at Greenwich Village Starbucks 

 The ever-reliable New York Post is reporting that Derek Jeter used a fake name when ordering coffee at a Starbucks downtown. But anyone who's ever gone to the chain knows "Philip" is exactly what baristas write on your cup when you say your name is "Derek."

And I'm Diness, thank you very much.

Strong Coffee

Starbucks CEO to Shareholder: 

'You can sell your shares if you don't like company's support for marriage equality'

I like this guy's style. Read HERE.

Bookshelf: Starbucks, Michael Beaumier and Eric Poole

Via GalleyCat: This library-themed Starbucks in Tokyo looks like it's going to be the coolest thing ever. (Remember books?) Wish they'd put one of these in the city. Just finished Michael Beaumier's "I Know You're Out There" (hilarious!!!!!) and started Eric Poole's "Where's My Wand? One Boy's Magical Triumph Over Alienation and Shag Carpeting" and would love to take the day off and read it all afternoon with a nice big Americano. (Has anyone else read it?!)

Footnote: I bought "Where's My Wand?" from iBooks, which I find far more user-friendly than the more popular Kindle format. But now I see with Apple's big iPad Mini launch yesterday that iBooks is being updated to feature "continuous scrolling" instead of the regular pages. Not sure if this is mandatory, but it sounds awful to me. I love at least pretending I'm reading an actual book -- and it helps you keep track of where you are and provides a certain rhythm. Anyone know about this? Is this the way Kindle is going, too? I swear -- you give a digital inch and they take a mile ...

The Morning After

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This post was written by guest blogger Frank Anthony Polito.)

Part of the fun of this whole blogging-thing is coming up with what clever item I'm going to post next...

So last night I went to bed around 4:00 AM. I set the alarm for 10:00, thinking I'd wake up early, do a little blogging, check my emails, then head to Starbucks (for those of you who don't know me, I'm a huge Starbucks fan! I even wrote about it in my play, Another Day on Willow St)

What I forgot was... After a night of drunken debauchery, I don't sleep well. So at 8:45 AM, there I was, wide awake... Now here I am!

Speaking of The Poseiden Adventure...

I must take a moment to brag about something related to my day job (I'm a freelance Publicist). When I logged onto Yahoo! this morning, what did I see?

What Really Sank the Titanic?
A new book blames low-grade rivets for the sinking of the Titanic.

This is a fascinating new book I've been working on for the past few months... The authors, Jennifer Hooper McCarty and Tim Foecke (pronounced "Fakey") have come up with a new theory on how/why the HMS Titanic sunk like a rock 96 years ago. They were written up in The New York Times last week and now everyone wants to talk to them! (Now if only I could get them to take a look at BAND FAGS!)