UNF Starbucks

Right next to the library on the University of North Florida campus in Jacksonville is the largest Starbucks I have ever seen (being the backwoods rube that I am). Tables and seats abound everywhere. And along the very long window, facing the campus walkway, is an "endless" table with stools and chairs for students to study at. I wish Gainesville had a place like this. Well, maybe it does, I don't know. I haven't been to the Reitz Student Union at the University of Florida lately, and they have renovated the place quite a bit recently. I probably wouldn't recognize it if I went there. Still, this UNF Starbucks beats everything! Of course, it is specifically designed for the UNF students and faculty to use, so there would be an added emphasis on seating. But the sometimes very long lines move very quickly, due to the organized and efficient procedure the employees use to process orders. The only complaint I might have is that they probably need to turn up the air conditioning a bit. And it's awfully noisy (but what do I expect, anyway?). I could always take my drink to a table outside if I wanted to, though....

....and now I'm sitting at an even better (though smaller) Starbucks, located within the huge Barnes and Nobles bookstore on Town Center Road, still here in Jacksonville. It's actually a few days after the first part of this article (I really don't spend my entire life sitting in coffee shops). This quieter Starbucks is a welcome break from the UNF Starbucks, and the demographics are comfortably spread out enough across the population spectrum (at 52, I tend to stand out in that college crowd).