Tag Archives: Starbucks

“Hey, The Sign Meant No Parking On The Street…

Posted on March 17, 2014 | 13 comments

…so I think I’ll just park here on Starbucks’ muddy lawn.”

Starbucks parking

13 Comments

Posted in Local business, Transportation

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A Dog’s Tale Ends Well

Posted on January 23, 2014 | 12 comments

This morning, an “06880” reader sent a photo of a dog outside Starbucks. It was cold, the dog looked — well, like a dog — and the reader worried she was out in 9-degree weather while the owner had coffee.

I assumed the worst too, and posted the photo.

Readers were quick to respond. (They always are when dogs are involved. And cats. Deer, too.)

Many suggested that dogs are hardy animals. They like to be outside. Some readers said they’d seen the dog often downtown, with her owner, and appeared to be well cared for.

Then the owner bounded in. She wrote:

We spent 1 minute at Starbucks. Since I am a regular, the minute they see us, they start my coffee order. We walk every day to Starbucks.

I debated walking in this temperature, but Liberty was game. I tried to put her in a new jacket, but it was too large and dragged on the ground. We stay an average of 1-2 minutes in winter for the coffee. She doesn’t mind. She is extremely spoiled and only goes out for these walks and sits in the warm house with me all day.

Now, I’m at liberty to divulge even more poop about Liberty.

Her family rescued her in 2006. At that time, her ribs poked through her skin.

Today she is perfectly happy and healthy.

Liberty dog

So the next time you see Liberty, say hi. Pet her. Give her a treat.

I hear she loves a vanilla mocha pumpkin toffee nut latte. With extra steamed milk.

12 Comments

Posted in Downtown, Local business, Totally random

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Caffeinated Parking

Posted on September 29, 2013 | 16 comments

The loss of the Brook Cafe parking lot to construction is causing problems for Starbucks customers.

Here’s how they solve it:

Starbucks

Drivers are parking on the grass. On Cedar Road. In the “No Parking” and handicapped zone crosswalk (not shown) on the side of the building.

Things were so much easier years ago, before this was a coffee shop.

Back then, it was Krazy Vin’s.

Westport’s only strip club.

16 Comments

Posted in Local business, Looking back

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Imus’ Ass

Posted on October 14, 2012 | 30 comments

I didn’t hear this — around 8:30 a.m. last Thursday — but a couple of “06880” readers did.

Don Imus was talking about last weekend. He and his wife were in Westport.

Apparently, Don’s wife told him that the people in their Texas Starbucks were much nicer and friendlier than the one in Westport. Which one — downtown, by the diner, in Barnes & Noble (where I once saw Imus straightening up a pile of his own books) or in Super Stop & Shop — is unclear.

Whichever it was, Imus seems to have gone on a rant about the type of people who live in Westport.

He ended with — and this, one reader says, is a direct quote — “Westport can kiss my ass.”

The front side of Don Imus. He discussed his backside on the air.

30 Comments

Posted in People, Totally random

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Business Casual

Posted on July 16, 2012 | 6 comments

Like many Westporters, I “do” a lot of meetings.

Like many Westporters without an actual “office,” I “do” them at the usual places: Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, the library.

Two weeks ago though, someone asked to meet at the Compo Beach brick pavilion, next to Joey’s by the Shore.

Last Sunday morning, someone else scheduled a meeting for the beach. This time it was the other pavilion, by the volleyball courts.

Both meetings were wonderful. Breezes blew, birds chirped — and stuff got done.

I can definitely get into this new meeting spot.

And you can’t beat the dress code.

A wonderful place for many things — including meetings. (Painting by Matthew Levine)

6 Comments

Posted in Beach, Restaurants, Westport life

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When Is A Starbucks Not A Starbucks?

Posted on April 21, 2012 | 12 comments

Among Barnes & Noble’s many great features — comfy chairs, puzzles and games, CDs, Nooks, even a few books — one of the best is the Starbucks café.

It’s warm, welcoming, and highly caffeinated.

The other evening, I bought a coffee. (Regular. Small. Sorry, I don’t speak “Starbucks.”)

But when I went to pay with my Starbucks card, the woman baristette recoiled like I had handed her some used Dunkin Donuts toilet paper.

“This is not a Starbucks!” she said, coldly.

WTF?

“It’s a Barnes & Noble!” she explained, in a tone I would use with a dog that had just soiled my Persian rug, if I owned either one.

My bad! I can’t for the life of me imagine why I ever thought I was in a Starbucks.

12 Comments

Posted in Local business, Restaurants, Totally random

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Going To The Can

Posted on February 9, 2012 | 4 comments

Alert “06880” reader Kerith Harding asks:

Have you noticed the sudden disappearance of the trash can that was in the 2nd of the 2 grassy seating areas along the river near Parker Harding Plaza? I think there may even have been one by the tables at the far end that has disappeared as well.

It makes taking a walk along the river and disposing of one’s dog-poop bags, Starbucks and yogurt cups a bit more challenging, as it is no fun to have to navigate across the parking lot, dog or children in tow, to find another one.  What’s up with this?!

I haven’t been down to the river’s edge since last summer. Even if I had, I doubt I’d have noticed the vanishing cans.

but thanks, Kerith, for asking. And for sending along photographic evidence — including what looks like an extra can at Starbucks.

Mystery solved?

Clockwise from upper left: The lone trash can left on the Parker Harder Plaza river; Haley where a can once sat; there used to be one here too, Kerith says; 2 cans, for some unknown reason, at Starbucks.

4 Comments

Posted in Downtown, Local business, Totally random

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No Milk Today

Posted on August 30, 2011 | 21 comments

Alert “06880” reader Ed Paul reports:

I was at the downtown Starbucks tonight (7 p.m.).  The place looked like it had been looted.  Shelves were empty.  Showcase was empty.  The usual supply of boxes with things to unload was missing.

I asked the manager if they lost their supplies because of the outage.  He said they had power all day, and the lines were out the door most of the day.  Now they were down to their last gallon of milk, and were going to be forced to close because of a lack of it.

I asked (maybe with disbelief) why they don’t go to a store and buy extra milk. The manager told me (with more disbelief) that Stop & Shop, Stew’s, Cumberland Farms, Fresh Market and several delis were either closed or had run out of milk, so he literally had nowhere to buy any.

Apparently in a storm, milk is more valuable than gold.

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Meanwhile, further down Main Street, Jimmy Izzo from Crossroads Hardware posted a short item on Facebook:  “Had my first storm-related return.”  A customer returned some lights, saying, “I didn’t need them.”

Jimmy — who emphasized that 98% of his customers are great — added to his post:  “Well, someone sure could have used those lights.”

The comments from Jimmy’s friends were perfect:

  • “Did the guy who purchased sprinklers on Saturday return them yet?”
  • “I can’t wait to see if people try to return generators.”
  • “That reminds me, I need to bring back salt we didn’t use last winter.”
  • “Can I bring back my barely used roof rake later today?
  • “I’ve got a spare key you made which I haven’t needed.”

21 Comments

Posted in Downtown, Local business, People, Weather

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Drips And Drops From Irene

Posted on August 29, 2011 | Comments Off on Drips And Drops From Irene

With power back on here at “06880” headquarters — my house — we’re ready to report stories, observations, thoughts and photos from the long-anticipated, the-jury’s-still-out-on-its-hype Hurricane Irene.

Alert “06880” reader Denise Nicoletti reports:  “Several people, including my son Chris and I, were at Starbucks downtown.  A very kind hearted soul went out and bought a power strip for everyone!”

Equally alert reader Andy Kaplan saw a similar Starbucks-related random act of post-storm kindness:  “Early this morning, there were a couple of CL&P trucks repairing power lines at the intersection of Gault and Imperial.  A guy in a Land Rover pulls up, and hands out Starbucks coffee to the entire crew.”

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Very alertly, reader John Karrel emailed:  “The Burying Hill Beach parking area looks more like a bad minor-league infield right now, post-Irene.  I wonder if it’d be worth trying to organize a dozen+ strong types to dig out and sweep off the lot this Friday afternoon, prior to the long weekend?  It would tick one item off what must be a substantial Parks & Rec punch-list/budget.”

I said to myself:  What a great idea!  I’ve got nearly 100 strong boys trying out for Staples soccer right now.  School is off until Wednesday; they’ve got time on their hands, and no doubt would love to impress the coaches work hard.

But it made sense to check in first with Parks and Rec director Stuart McCarthy.  I wouldn’t want to rain on his parade.

Stuart thanked me profusely for the offer.  But, he ventured, it might not be a job for high school boys — as fit as they are.

“I’ve got 2 front-end loaders from Kowalsky down there right now,” he said.  “They say the sand’s almost too heavy for them.”

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John Hooper of Christie’s Country Store was hit by Irene not once, but twice.  He, his wife Renee and son Nash were in Puerto Rico when the hurricane hit that island.  They returned to Westport Friday night, just in time for the 2nd coming.

“My poor son’s 9th birthday was yesterday, and of course no  power,” John says.

“So I packed up the clan (2 employees rode out the storm with us), dodged downed trees in Greenfield Hill and made it to Christie’s, where the new generator was humming along.  Many folk stopped by looking for coffee, food, conversation.  We stayed open till 9;30.

“It’s been the same way today.  I just sold out of ice, and the bakery couldn’t make it — but Chefy was here at 5 a.m., baking bread.”

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Finally:  Metro North had its hands full this weekend (still does, in fact).  So we’re not trying to pile on.

Still, this sign caught our eye.  In its own, strange-spelling way, it manages to convey the essence of the situation, in calm, collected, almost Zen-like prose:

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Posted in Local business, People, Staples HS, Teenagers, Weather

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Down By The Riverside

Posted on August 17, 2011 | 52 comments

Last week’s “06880” post on “Downtown Activism” really roiled the water.

More than 40 commenters waded into the long-running debate about downtown Westport’s charm (or decrepitude).  Some of the most interesting replies noted the decided lack of advantage we downtown property owners have taken in what really is a spectacular riverside setting.

San Antonio's riverside...

Parker Harding Plaza, for example, snags what could be a wonderful shopping/strolling/dining/hanging out district — think San Antonio’s River Walk — and uses it instead as a parking lot.

It’s not as if people have parked there since, like, colonial days.  Until the 1950s, the Saugatuck River lapped up against the backs of Main Street stores.  Today’s “plaza” is all landfill.

I won’t hold my breath waiting for a River Walk.  (I’m already holding it waiting for the Post Road/Main Street crosswalk to be striped.)

But the comments got me thinking about one of my (many) pet peeves:  Starbucks.

... and Westport's.

No, not the uber-ubiquitous chain itself.  (Though I still maintain that if a “tall”  is the smallest size offered, I am Yao Ming.)

My beef is that our downtown coffee shop is the most poorly designed of all 3,287,682,451 Starbuckses in the galaxy.

Who gets to look at the river?  Not the customers.  The workers baristas.  (Well, they would if we weren’t standing in the way.)

The seating area should face the river.  The serving area should be where the seats are now — that pitch-black, very unwelcoming section in the back.

Or so it seems.  I don’t sit there.  I’m afraid I’ll get mugged.

Which leads to today’s “06880” question:  What other places in Westport — downtown or elsewhere — need a makeover?

Click the “comments” tab.  All ideas will be collected, collated, tabulated, and passed along to the proper authorities.

Who will toss them into the Saugatuck River, never to be seen again.

52 Comments

Posted in Downtown, Local business, Looking back

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