Seattle and Starbucks - The relationship!

So following the trend, we moved to Seattle a few months ago. Whenever I visit a new city, I tend to approach it with the only knowledge I have, and the only knowledge I have often revolves around a popular TV show or a movie. “So it rains all the time, people live in houseboats and ride ferry boats to work?” was my first reaction when Ashish told me that we are moving to Seattle. Cliché, I know. But Tom Hanks had convinced me that Seattle is all about gray skies and rainy days; and McDreamy rode Ferry boats and lived on top of beautiful green hills.

But Seattle is much more than that. Seattle has it all – mountains and beaches, arts and parks, music and film, quirky neighborhoods, award winning restaurants, thriving industries, food and coffee, Oh! so much coffee, Amazon and Starbucks; Microsoft and Starbucks; Boeing and Starbucks; Nordstrom and Starbucks! I guess what I’m trying to say is, this city has everything and then some more, a lot more of Starbucks!

I have never been a coffee drinker, but I have always loved hanging out at coffee houses. I mean, you could hang out at movie theaters, diners, malls, arcades. Each of them are fun in their own way, but each of them have an explicit goal, which once achieved, you are encouraged to leave. Movie’s done? Leave the theater. Dinner’s over? Say Goodnight. Out of money? Oh darn! But Coffee houses are different. Sure, you gotta buy at least one drink, you don’t want to be frowned upon. But after you got the drink in your hands, it’s all about comfy chairs, couches, people to sit and talk with, gaze outside the window, or write a blog post :) And what makes your life even more easier is if you are in Seattle and there’s a Starbucks every 10 steps.

Here’s what I think Starbucks brings to the Seattle culture. In this fast paced, technically advancing, exponentially speeding cybercity, where people can easily feel frazzled and out of sync with their deepest selves, Starbucks slows down the pace, forces them to take a break from their hectic parts of life. To contemplate. To connect with themselves again. To escape the rush.  It’s adds the much needed stability in the lives of  us, Seattleites. That's right, I'm a Seattleite now :)

After wrapping up my daily chores, I come to the Starbucks near my house and work from here. Be it job hunting, updating my websites, networking, socializing or just writing a blog post. I like to sit in my quiet corner and work un-interrupted (and by un-interrupted I mean, not being distracted by Netflix). And sometimes I just observe different people. Now, I’m not a creep spying on random people and their lives, but you can’t ignore the group of senior citizens who come in everyday at 11am and take up an entire table to play poker. They laugh so hard that they scare the little dog who accompanies a petite woman, who I assume gets back from her run and treats herself with a coffee. Then there’s differently abled Jack, who drives in his wheelchair and orders the same Grande Frappuccino, pulls out his straw and sits facing the door while sipping his coffee. He sits there for hours, and sometimes I think he has fallen asleep, but then he quietly smirks at himself, as if he knows exactly what life is about. I wish I had that kind of tranquility. Of course there are new faces every day. Group of new moms who just need to vent, or old friends catching up, or business meetings, or savvy bloggers, or people just taking a break. All these people are so different and distant from each other, yet they have one thing in common – their love for Starbucks. People from all walks of life, brought together by a cup of coffee. Now, that’s something.

Sure, there are many local coffee shops in Seattle and each one of them has a unique feel and caters to different people. Hipsters, Goths, Businessmen, Teenagers, etc. But I believe the reason Starbucks is where it is, is because it caters to each one of them and then some more. My credit card statement shows a lot of transactions in Starbucks now, but I do feel that it’s worth it. Walking down the street with a Starbucks coffee mug in my hand, makes me feel like I belong to this place.

At this point, I would like to make it very clear, that I am not a Starbucks ambassador, and nor do I work for them. Though I won't deny that the thought of working for them hasn't crossed my mind ;)

In a nutshell, If you are in Seattle, take a break, visit your nearest Starbucks, and connect with yourself.