My Favorite Starbucks

Shoot me. I’m a Starbucks-goer. I even collect the mugs. I am one of the millions of Americans who ENJOY the feeling of home that a Starbucks outside the US gives us. The US Starbucks have given up on “cozy” and crammed the space with as many wooden chairs and tables as possible. Those leather sofas and overstuffed armchairs take up room—and room is money.

Not so in the Starbucks in Munich, where I live. Cozy is still very much on the menu in München. Yet even with their Bavarian Gemütlichkeit, these little oases dry up in the shade of the Starbucks in Ubud, Indonesia on the island of Bali.

In contrast to much of the island, Ubud, the cultural center of Bali, is well worth a visit. You can spend days browsing the shops or rummaging through the markets. The hotels in Ubud are smaller and quainter than the large tourist hotels in Kuta. If you want more art and less sand, you’ll like Ubud. Hey, and you’ll love the Starbucks in Ubud. Shoot me, go ahead.

Or maybe you have a favorite Starbucks of your own? Perhaps you’ve been to a Starbucks that amazed you or a Starbucks that inspired you. OK, I’m nuts. True. Writers need Starbucks and all of the other Starbucks-like establishments. We need the roar of an audience (I often imagine the other coffee-drinkers nodding to one another, chinning to me and saying ‘Man, I wonder what he’s writing. He looks so, um, smart, and so, gosh I don’t know, handsome/dashing/scrumptious scribbling in that notebook. Wait, shouldn’t he have a laptop? Ohhhhh, he’s probably poor, and he’s not as cute as—’ OK, that’s enough. You get the picture.

For pictures of the Starbucks in Ubud, Bali (Indonesia) go HERE.

I must be off,
Christopher

Tags: Asia, Bali, Indonesia, Southeast, Starbucks

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Comment by Christopher Allen on January 26, 2011 at 1:24pm: Hey, Buca Book! Thanks for the comment. Hmmm. :)

Comment by Buca Book on January 26, 2011 at 10:50am: .

Comment by Christopher Allen on January 24, 2011 at 10:29pm: Hey, Biz and Steve :)

Yeah, and I know what I'm supposed to do there. Caffeinate and write. Starbucks was a great find in Antalya, Turkey where it's hard to find a real cup of coffee.

Comment by Biz and Steve on January 24, 2011 at 7:32pm: I was surprised to find Starbucks in Korea. In Seattle they are everywhere and I don't notice them, but seeing them away from home is almost shocking. They definitely ease the homesickness a little.

Comment by Christopher Allen on January 23, 2011 at 12:50pm: Hee hee. We'll see how it goes.

Comment by Aly on January 23, 2011 at 12:06pm: That is a most excellent plan - I approve.

Comment by Christopher Allen on January 23, 2011 at 10:35am: I was thinking "Lady named Shakira goess Gaga for Starbucks." What do you think?

Comment by Aly on January 23, 2011 at 10:28am: I don't know...I feel you might single-handidily bring down the internet. The number of hits on 'Shakira in Starbucks' might explode all the servers. Everywhere.

Comment by Christopher Allen on January 23, 2011 at 5:43am: I posted a link to this blog on the Starbucks Facebook site and was instantly inundated with hits. Last year I mentioned Shakira in a blog post about Ireland and got 130 hits in two hours. I'm thinking about writing a story about Shakira at Starbucks.

Comment by Christopher Allen on January 22, 2011 at 11:16am: Yes. All I need is a fresh cup of real coffee. Not a speciment cup of espresso in Italy, not a cup of Nescafé in Turkey (and much of the world east of Germany), and not a cup of dark sugar water in Asia. I just need a cup of coffee. ::trembles::