Until recently I never got the phenomenon of sitting at Starbucks for hours at a time. The Thursday of spring break was possibly the coldest day we have had all week. And Thursday was the day I had an interview in the city at1:30 in the afternoon and had agreed to meet a friend that had graduated last year for dinner around seven.
Ask me why I thought this was a good idea, well it depends on when you asked me as to what my answer would have been. Before I actually had to go through with my plan, I would have tried to impress you and tell you how it's no big deal and I'd hit a museum or two, walk up and down fifth ave and just see where the day takes me.
Well let me tell you how my day ended up... My interview was set for 1:30 and is about a twenty minute walk and is about a mile from Penn station. Typically I would take my time on the walk like I did for my first interview on Monday just to collect my thoughts on what I wanted to say and so I wouldn't show up too early. However, Thursdays temperature felt like it was zero degrees and the wind was out of control. Needless to say, my walk to the offices went by much quicker than usual. I arrived to get a pass from security around 1:05. That is wayyyy too early to head up to the twentieth floor and check in with reception. I decided to go to the place next to the building to fix my wind blown hair, put some lippy on, fix my outfit and use the bathroom. Thankfully, with the line waiting for the bathroom and taking my time fixing my appearance, by the time I got back into the building where their offices are located it was a little after 1:15 and it was all good for me to head up to the offices.
Each time I get into their main lobby with reception my breath is taken away. It is such a beautiful, clean cut lobby. After checking in with reception, I sat down and looked around some more and just took it all in. On a television screen they had the previous runway show playing on a loop. A coffee table had orchids and fashion coffee table books on it. The woman I was interviewing with finally came to get me and led me down a long hallway. Along the walls of the hallway they had some if their new products such as shoes, handbags and some jewelry. I was trying my best not to drool. I was led into a conference room that's was lined with their new clothing line. I was in heaven.
An hour later I was shaking hands with interviewers and thanking them for their time. Down the elevator ride I could finally exhale and patting myself on the back for not word vomiting or cutting the, off in the middle of their sentences. Now I'm off down fifth ave from 42nd street to 53rd street to go to the MOMA. I took my time walking and by that I was trying to stop myself from speed walking. I realized I had a ton of time till dinner so I made my first stop to Starbucks for the day.
Part of the reason I went into Starbucks this time was to warm up and get my caffeine fix. As expected, Starbucks was packed and everyone looked so chic! I got my drink and was lucky enough to spot someone packing up to go and I snagged their spot. I sat at Starbucks for about fourth minutes people watching and talking on the phone to one of my room mates. I raved all about the interview and how I was in love with their office to her and gave her a play by play of what was going on in Starbucks.
In the time I was there, I saw all sorts of characters. From the uber chic woman wearing a fur jacket, her hair in a perfect ballerina aka bitch bun and her classic black Chanel bag, to the not so chic homeless man that kept jumping from seat to seat. As entertaining as this little adventure had been I needed to move on, back into the tundra I went.
Walking town fifth towards the MOMA I passed the typical business men, the tourists, the Asian tourists with their iPad's out recording everything and the occasional mother dragging along her frozen kids in frustration. As I passed the American Girl doll store I looked in smiling to myself and thinking about how my dolls are now boxed up and protected but how I would have loved it when I was a little girl. Then I pass the amazing Cartier and other stores I look at dreaming if the day I can just go I. On a whim and shop away.
Finally out do the cold and $14 later to get into the MOMA I was living out my plan. I started from the top floor and worked my way down. I went into every room, looked at every piece of art, I even stopped and stared at many if the pieces. I really thought I was being good, taking my time and that a lot of time had gone by. Turns out, I was wrong, I did not take anywhere close to as much time as I thought I would have. I'm not saying I didn't appreciate it, but I've never been too much of an artsy girl, and to be totally honest, I like going to museums with friends who know a lot about art so they can explain everything to me. So now it's about 5:15 and instill have time to kill.
After I left the MOMA I went back on fifth ave and walked up to Bergdorf Goodmanm crossed the street and started making my way towards the restaurant we were eating at. We went to Bearburger, which is all the way in Chelsea on 8th ave between 17th and 18th street. So I had quite the walk ahead of me.
I again sped walked all the way down fifth, drooling as I was passing stores. I must have passed fifty different Starbucks as I was walking and looked into the entrance of each one debating if I should stop into that particular one or wait until I got closer to where I was meeting my friend for dinner. It was a tough decision but I kept tracking along, willing myself to just get a little closer to my final destination. As fifth ave turned from the beautiful, luxurious store fronts, into some not so hot looking doorways then finally the chic area of Chelsea, somehow I kept walking. Finally, at the cross section of eighth ave and 18th street, I walked into yet another Starbucks.
I was so cold ordering my drink, the words that came out of my mouth were hardly coherent. The warm venti cup of coffee was starting to warm my hands when I spotted a small table open. I sat down, planning to warm up and sit quietly reading. That did not happen, instead the man sitting next to me decided to tell me his life story. I got to hear all about how he was an executive at HBO but then he got let go when the economy crashed and how he's looking for a job. Then he decided to tell me about his coming out of the closet, oh and the old ladies that were sitting close to him the other day that were trying out different ringtones on their new phones. Needless to say, I did not get the quiet reading time I had anticipated.
Talking to this man turned out to be quite entertaining, probably more entertaining than my book. Even though I will most likely never see him again, that's okay because he provided an entertaining time for me. He did keep asking me which Starbucks I usually sat at, and for that I had no answer...
So why do people sit at Starbucks for hours and days at a time? I'm not really sure. Maybe it's to get out of the arctic cold. Or perhaps it's for the entertaining encounters like I had. Or maybe I'll never be cool enough to actually understand the whole concept.
until next time... xoxo J
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