Showing posts with label Starbucks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Starbucks. Show all posts

Friday, July 3, 2015

Starbucks inside Barnes & Noble, Sugarhouse, UT

Hello world! It has been quite a while since my last post, but I've decided to jump back in. I miss reminiscing about coffee shops and the quirky experiences that I sometimes encounter.

Today, Friday, July 3rd I spontaneously decided to stop at the Starbucks inside Barnes & Noble in Sugarhouse. I realize that anyone who drinks coffee knows all about Starbucks--whether you are a lover or a hater. However, I love the atmosphere of a coffee shop inside a bookstore and I always love the atmosphere of Sugarhouse.

I ordered a Grande Iced Vanilla Latte, which took no time at all to receive, due to the bookstore being fairly quite this evening. I found a table alongside the windows. There is actually a four-person table in the Northwest corner that provides a nice view of the courtyard across the street. It was fun to see all sorts of people (old and young, clean and shabby) walking and driving by. I even saw a few joggers waiting at the stop light.



WINDOW VIEW
Cleanliness: Average. The tables were wiped clean, but the floor had probably not been cleaned since that morning. Crumbs, napkins and paper scraps scattered.

Volume: Fairly quite, four of the fifteen(ish) tables were taken, but most people were by themselves reading a book or paired up and quietly talking to their friend. There was a dull chatter from the store in the background, along with the occasional exclamation of an excited child running through the store.

Book: I am currently re-reading The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I read this book about eleven years ago for the first time and its funny how perceptions and interpretations can change. I remember absolutely loving the first half of the book and being so jealous of character Esther Greenwood's New York magazine experience. It seemed so glamorous and I thought Esther was living it up as a socialite. I did not quite enjoy her downward spiral of mental health, but still finished the book. This time however, I notice right away that Esther is not too happy: "I was supposed to be having the time of my life. I was supposed to be the envy of thousands of other college girls just like me all over America who wanted nothing more than to be tripping about in those same size-seven patent leather shoes I'd bought in Bloomindale's one lunch hour...."


I'm not quite so jealous of Esther this time around. I suppose this is a good example of 'we see what we want to see.' Anyways, for those who have not yet read The Bell Jar, I highly recommend this book. Although it is a classic, I would easily describe it as easy to read, but worth your time.

On a side note: It was quite nice to have an hour of reading without my little yorkie in my lap vying for my attention.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Starbucks, Riverton, UT

Yesterday was a perfect Starbucks day (work was another story, so coffee was definitely needed)...

I received an email a couple of days from Starbucks (I'm letting my true colors show now- I am a HUGE fan of Starbucks and while I'm trying new places, it's made me miss the known comfort of my first true coffee love) letting me know that their Pumpkin Spice Latte & Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino drinks are back, along with a new flavor Toffee Mocha. So I decided that Friday I would finally take advantage of their Summer Treat Receipt Promo (buy any drink before 2pm, come back after 2pm to enjoy any grande size cold drink for $2).

I actually stopped by their 90th South and Redwood store in the morning, ran in and ordered a Grande Toffee Mocha Latte on my way to work. It was really good! A sweet signature drink flavor that seemed similar to their other latte flavors.

On the way home from work I went over to their Riverton store, as this has become my favorite among the locations closest to my Herriman home. I ordered a Grande Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino with whip cream and sat outside on their patio. I love this location because they have 5 leather couches among the other seating in their dining area and then an additional 6 tables outside on their patio, which gives me plenty of area to pick that perfect comfy spot.


CAFE REVIEW:



CLEANLINESS: Clean as far as I can tell. I was briefly in the dining/ordering area and then sat outside. The outside tables were clean. The bathroom was clean but needs a bit of an update.

SERVICE:
Great. The barista even commented that she liked how I kept my card and receipt in my book (which I did so that I wouldn't have to bring my purse in).

ATMOSPHERE: It was a lazy time for the Starbucks crew as the entire hour I was there only 2 cars passed the patio area to order through their drive-up, which goes right past their patio area. I think my only complaint would have to be that I kept getting whiffs of french fries from one of the nearby fast food chains, and the occasional whiff of chicken from the nearby Wingers which made me hungry. It is a little off the main road, so the traffic noise was minimal.

WOULD I RECOMMEND?
Yep, as I said this is one of the locations I really enjoy. It's bright with lots of windows and has a very open and welcoming feeling.


Starbucks
134th South & Bangerter, Riverton
3728 West 13400 South
Riverton, UT 84065

Reference:
www.Starbucks.com

Coffee. Espresso. Hot Chocolate. Pastries. Oatmeal. Breakfast Sandwiches. Tea. Smoothies.


BOOK REVIEW:
I am currently reading Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins the third book in the Hunger Games Trilogy. The series follows Katniss and Peeta as they try to survive Suzanne's version of future United States known as Panem. The country has been divided into thirteen districts and the capitol. The thirteenth district was destroyed after they tried to rebel against the capitol, leaving only twelve surviving districts and the creation of a yearly event called The Hunger Games. Once a year two tributes are chosen from each of the twelve districts (one boy and one girl) and they are placed in an arena and forced to kill one another until only one victor remains. The citizens of each district are required to watch the event on their television as a reminder and punishment of the rebellion about 75 years ago. I don't want to spoil anything so I wont say what is actually happening in the third book. I LOVED the first two books as Suzanne really keeps your attention with her unforeseen story twists and even left us with a cliff hanger after the second book. The third book however, I'm not really sure about and want to complete it before I decide weather I love it or dislike it. I will say however that so far it is nothing like what I could have predicted or imagined.