Okay, so, I passed by the original Starbucks yesterday (after having gone to another one I thought was the original) but I actually went today. I bought a mug (yeah, another one) with the original twin tailed mermaid logo on it.

Why is this such a big deal to me? I’m not really sure. I love Starbucks. I always have.

That’s kind of like saying I love Dunkin’ Donuts or I love McDonalds. Great, you love fast food. Or maybe it’s like being really excited to go to the Jack Daniels distillery in Tennessee. Yeah, dude, it’s, like, not good that you drink that every day and maybe it shouldn’t be part of your identity.

Maybe.

But, whatever, I enjoy it and it’s just strong mass produced coffee that has always been part of my adult life.

I look forward to the red Starbucks cups coming out every year. It announces the beginning of Christmas season. And then I’m sad when the cups change back to white in January and I’m reminded that we have at least three months of crap weather to endure.

I think the thing that people hate about it – its ubiquity – is what I love about it. When I first got to New York and I was lonely and had nothing to do, I would go on walks all throughout Manhattan. I’d bring my journal and when I’d get tired, I’d stop into a Starbucks to write for a while. The thing was, I could do that no matter where I was in Manhattan. A Starbucks was always a short walk away.

I used to kill time in Starbucks (or a Barnes and Noble Starbucks, usually in the Barnes and Noble that is now a Trader Joes) between work and improv class or work and whatever stand-up show I was doing that night.

When things have sucked at work throughout my career, I could bribe myself out of bed with the Starbucks I was going to get before getting into the office.

When things would be tense at home during the holidays, I knew that I could escape the house to grab a cup of coffee from Starbucks at Twelve Corners.

So, look, there’s no dignified way to say this but I have a personal connection to Starbucks. It was cool to see the first one.

In an ironic twist, Starbucks named its signature blend Pike Place after the street the original storefront is on. I hate Pike Place, so, I ordered a grande dark. It was good, as always.