Since I’m traveling this week, I am submitting my first “special edition” to this blog. As I write, it is currently 6:30AM and I am sitting in the Southwest terminal at LAX. My flight takes off in almost two hours and I found a plug for my computer. I almost let several people ahead of me in the security line, since I am so very early and they claimed to be so very late. At first I wondered why they got to the airport at 6 for a 6:25 flight. Soon, however, the question became: why would you stop at Starbucks at 6:15 when your flight is at 6:25? Both of the loudest complainers behind me got into the Starbucks line in front of me.
But this is a coffee blog and not a “why other people suck blog,” so I am going to use this occasion to discuss Starbucks in the context of airports and traveling. I was recently had two very pleasant layovers in Denver International Airport. Flying from Burbank to Denver is kinda like flying from a very nice, clean bus station into the Mall of America. Despite it’s recent bad press, Denver has a really nice airport, even if it does appear to be about 120 miles outside of the city. What it lacks, however, is decent coffee.
I could not locate a Starbucks in Denver International Airport.
Much ink has been spilt about the increasing expense of a cup of Joe in America. However, in my experience, there is plenty of decently-priced drip coffee to be had in the Dunkin Donuts, 7-11s and WaWas of the world. In an airport, however, you are captive to their pricing schemes, especially since you can no longer bring your own liquid aboard. During my Denver layover, what this meant was that I paid almost five dollars for an undrinkable latte. If I had chosen to get drip, it would have been two fifty and certainly just as bad.
I am sure that Starbucks has caused the demise of many beloved, locally owned and operated coffee shops around the country. Where I live in LA there are four Starbucks within a mile of my apartment. But there are also two excellent independent coffee shops, a Coffee Bean, and a lunch place that will let you sit with your coffee for as long as you want.
While in Denver, I decided that airports should be required to have a Starbucks (or a similar chain) in each terminal. It isn’t just that travelers need coffee and the comfort and familiarity of home (in the form of Starbucks). At Starbucks you can get filling, low-calorie food. You can buy salads and apples and non-fat, decaf lattes. Your money goes to support a company that provides its part-time employees with health insurance. And I feel better knowing that the pilot in front of me that just got her tall coffee with chocolate syrup (ewwww) will be consuming the quality caffeine that his body needs. Starbucks has already diluted and mass-marketed its brand. Sure, Pete’s has better coffee, but it has standards, too.
But this is a coffee blog and not a “why other people suck blog,” so I am going to use this occasion to discuss Starbucks in the context of airports and traveling. I was recently had two very pleasant layovers in Denver International Airport. Flying from Burbank to Denver is kinda like flying from a very nice, clean bus station into the Mall of America. Despite it’s recent bad press, Denver has a really nice airport, even if it does appear to be about 120 miles outside of the city. What it lacks, however, is decent coffee.
I could not locate a Starbucks in Denver International Airport.
Much ink has been spilt about the increasing expense of a cup of Joe in America. However, in my experience, there is plenty of decently-priced drip coffee to be had in the Dunkin Donuts, 7-11s and WaWas of the world. In an airport, however, you are captive to their pricing schemes, especially since you can no longer bring your own liquid aboard. During my Denver layover, what this meant was that I paid almost five dollars for an undrinkable latte. If I had chosen to get drip, it would have been two fifty and certainly just as bad.
I am sure that Starbucks has caused the demise of many beloved, locally owned and operated coffee shops around the country. Where I live in LA there are four Starbucks within a mile of my apartment. But there are also two excellent independent coffee shops, a Coffee Bean, and a lunch place that will let you sit with your coffee for as long as you want.
While in Denver, I decided that airports should be required to have a Starbucks (or a similar chain) in each terminal. It isn’t just that travelers need coffee and the comfort and familiarity of home (in the form of Starbucks). At Starbucks you can get filling, low-calorie food. You can buy salads and apples and non-fat, decaf lattes. Your money goes to support a company that provides its part-time employees with health insurance. And I feel better knowing that the pilot in front of me that just got her tall coffee with chocolate syrup (ewwww) will be consuming the quality caffeine that his body needs. Starbucks has already diluted and mass-marketed its brand. Sure, Pete’s has better coffee, but it has standards, too.
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1 comment:
I too have been concerned about the lack of a Starbucks at Denver International Airport.
Good news! In a news release dated May 1, 2007, HMSHost Corporation announced that they had recently opened 2 Starbucks at DIA.
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