Starbucks coffee: reliable, good coffee, nice collection of toys for the coffee enthusiast, a nice sign with friendly green letters. I like Starbuck's; really. It's a great place to grab a cup of cappuccino and then run back to work. It's not a a place where I prefer to hang out. The shops, by their inherent franchise nature, are devoid of personal character. The sitting area does not leave me feeling as if I'm in a McDonalds or a Dunkin Donuts rerun, but they are all, by my estimations, the same. Starbucks over here, is Starbucks across town. Nothing unique. Incidently, this month's column is not about Starbucks.
An old time favorite coffee hangout is Cafe Espresso Royale, located on Newbury street in Boston. It's a few blocks down from and on the same side as Tower Records, a little past Newbury Comics. Go down the stairs; it's below street level. For all you convention hounds from Seybold, NetWorld, etc., its easy walking from Hynes Convention Center for even the most heavily Powerbook laden. ERC (pronounced "irk"), as many call it, has immense character. Its heavy, worn, wooden tables and chairs, its ever-busy sitting area always bustling with a great variety of faces, and, of course, its great coffee, make ERC a memorable hangout. The small patio outside allows for some of the best people-watching on the planet. You could spend a significant portion of a summer vacation just watching the passersby on Newbury street.
Last year, Starbucks moved into Boston, and the rumours of ERC being bought out started. My sources tell me this actually happened. Starbucks owns ERC. Horrors! The vivid scene in my mind of that nice, cozy wood being replaced by Starbuck-green is one of the things of which nightmares are made. Someone at Starbuck corporate must have been aware of this, for, in truth, you can't tell anything is amiss. ERC is still ERC. No Starbuck-green, no pristine image. I can't even tell. So, those of you heading to Boston this summer, for whatever reason, should spend an afternoon or an evening at Espresso Royale Cafe. It may someday soon be just a memory. While you're there, try an Orange Cappuccino, my personal favorite dessert drink.
