Starbucking (and Scrabbling) the East Coast


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October 8, 2003

After my first day at Siemens in Princeton, I took a look a two rooms for rent, and then I headed down to visit the Starbucks in Yardley, PA. I first picked up some spaghetti at a nearby restaurant, and a soda at the Wa Wa (by far the coolest name for a convenience store ever!). Outside, a couple of youths (pronounce with a hard "th") asked me to buy cigarettes, and then made some wisecrack when I declined. Inside, a couple of girls paid for some snacks and then tried to sneak out with a bottled drink anyway, prompting the cashier to call them on it.

Things were quieter at the Starbucks as I ate my spaghetti and chatted with the manager, who still happened to be there, about my project Iand the store. The store was pretty cool, displaying photos of an older Yardley donated by a local historical society. The manager had to attend to some some business, and after a few minutes I heard someone exclaim "He's here?". It was a guy who worked in distribution or something like that, and he had a friend with whom I had exchanged some e-mails in the past year. He happened to have a digital camera with him and had the manager take a photo of us.

Meanwhile, an older woman had been shifting around and looking fairly impatient the whole time I was there. I suspected she was homeless, with the shopping bags and all. Turns out she wasn't homless, but had been out shopping (hence the shopping bags) and waited for a taxi for over an hour. So I offered her a ride home. On the way, I asked if she might have a spare couch, but not really expecting her to offer me a place to crash for the night. The way she replied that she really didn't made me suspect that her home situation was not the most ideal.

Of several new Starbucks to visit in the Philly area, I had chosen Yardley with the intention of sleeping at a rest area near the Yardley exit off I-95. But when I arrived at the rest area, I noticed a sign specifying a 2-hour parking limit, and a $250 fine for violators. So I moved on further south to the service area on the turnpike, where I saw no such sign. Sure, I had to pay, but only 60 cents at the next exit, and that sure beats the cost of a room. A few hours later, I was feeling restless, so I went a-wandering. Earlier that day, the coworker that gave me a tour of Siemens commented that I should avoid downtown Trenton late at night. So of course that's where I headed. I had not trouble, but I did encounter a girl that seemed to be wandering aimlessly. I offered her a ride home, and she was a bit, how shall we say, strange. But who am I to be talking about strange.

I didn't have to return to the service area because I stumbled across an AMC megaplex in Hamilton and found a dark corner in the back next to a creek. I was reminded of a similar AMC outside Ottawa--completely devoid of life once the last movie ended.



October 9

On the way to a famous Scrabble club in Manhattan, I visited 42nd and 11th. More...



October 10

On the way to a Scrabble tournament in Bayside, Queens, I visited a couple of new stores in Manhattan and Queens. More...



October 11

After placing second in a Scrabble tournament in Bayside, I finished early enough to head east on the L.I.E. to visit a few new stores. More...



October 17

On the way to a Scrabble tournament in Baltimore, I had time to stop in Cherry Hill and visit my first new Starbucks in Jersey since moving up to Princeton. While in Baltimore, I was able to visit the three newest stores that remained. More...



October 19

After the Baltimore Scrabble tournament, I headed back to Jersey. I detoured to Wilmington to reshoot a lousy photo of the store there. As I expected, cars were parked in front, but at least I got a better photo than before. I took I-495 north towards the Media store, and then proceeded to pass up my exit and had to take an indirect route. I was disappointed that the store lacked a T-Mobile connection, but the shift supervisor was really cute, so I forgave them. I waited a bit for a car to move so I could take a better photo. I took the Baltimore Pike towards Center City. As I entered Philly I passed through some seriously dilapidated communities, and made a mental note to take some photographs in the future. For some reason I'm attracted to abandoned or underserved communities, old factories, ramshackle houses and whatnot. Despite both a printed map and a laptop with mapping software I managed to get lost, but I turned around and found the Broad and Pine store.


October 25

After the day's Scrabbling I drove to Norwalk to visit the store there, that had still been under construction when I passed by in May. More...



October 26

The Scrabble tournament ended around 2:30, giving me time to drive some 30 miles from Stamford to Ossining. The manager there recognized me from when I visited the store in Rye. At the CVS across the street I bought some badly-needed deodorant. Then I drove into Manhattan and went first to the Trump Tower store. The manager of this store had seen me on the Food Network and was very enthusiastic. It's just a kiosk, but Trump Tower is worth visiting for its plushness and the water wall. At least plenty of other visitors seemed to think so. I didn't have to slink around to take a photo, because I realized that plenty of other people were talking photos around the building, and security didn't seem to mind.

I then headed to the 1675 Broadway store did went through my usual Manhattan deal of negotiating the traffic, one way streets, blocked-off streets, and trying to figure out the parking signs, all for just a few minutes spent in the store.

I was only happy to leave the car parked where it was and walk about 10 blocks down to 42nd street to to Loews that had a Bank of America ATM. On the way I spotted a marquis that advertised the RZA and ODB of the Wu-Tang Clan. What luck! The concert was tonight, in a couple of hours. There were a few tickets left, and only $25, so I decided to forgo the movie and see the show instead. After buying my ticket, I withdrew the limit, $500 from the ATM, and then put my wallet in my front pocket as I went back to my car to leave most of the cash in my glove compartment.

It started late, of course, but I enjoyed the excitement of a club show in NYC. In my previous visits, I was in such a hurry to catch up to all the Starbucks that I did not have much time to just do New York stuff, except late after the new Starbucks had closed when with friends or family. I figured there would be time in the future to start enjoying New York, and I'm glad that moment finally arrived.



October 28

I fought traffic down to Baltimore on Monday night in order to catch the final east coast stop of the Songwriter Tour, featuring Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, Dar Williams, and Patti Griffin. The acoustic show was wonderful, and completely made the drive worthwhile. I left thinking about flying to California to see them again (and visit more Starbucks of course). It's that kinda thinking that led to my financial troubles to begin with.

I crashed at a service area not far from the Delaware line, and in the morning I caught a bit of traffic as I detoured off I-95 to the PA Turnpike to visit the Dresher store. That's the only one I planned to visit, but I realized that to get back on the turnpike, I would pass by the Willow Grove store, so I visited that one too. A final stop to photograph the Yardley store that I had visited almost three weeks prior, and onto work.



November 2

Immediately upon finishing my final Scrabble game, I sped away from Falmouth towards Boston. On the way, I called Kinko's to try and find the one closest to my route in order to waste as little time as possible retrieving my list of stores to visit in Massachusetts and Maine.

My first stop was the new store in Cohasset. While I waited in line, I tried to peek around a customer to see if there were any business cards, which often have the store number. He finished his transaction and turned around to leave, and though I tried to move out of the way I kept moving into his path. He was not amused by the dance, and he gave me a look like he was going to hit me. Friendly, these Massachusettians.

Being in a hurry, I did not introduce myself. I was not charged for half a cup of coffee, but then I had to explain why I asked for the store number. Asking for the store number without explaining my project has tended to arouse suspicion or concern.

From there, I was so far from the freeway that it was shorter to stay on Highway 3A to Boston. On the way I spotted a Starbucks that did not look familiar. It didn't help to look at my list, because with my laptop non-booting, I didn't even know what city I was in. Just in case it was one of those stores not listed on the Starbucks web site, I quickly pulled into a parking space, hopped out, and asked a lady inside what city I was in. She replied "Hingam", but then gave me this look like I was some kind of pervert. Now maybe I am a pervert, and maybe I'm not, but there's no way she could have known either way just from the question. I guess that's why it's "Minnesota nice", and not "Massachusetts nice". In fact, that reminds of the night in Boston when I asked this group of guys coming from a bar if it was okay to park on the street, only to receive a rather rude reply. Well, the Hingam store was indeed on my list, so I drove on.

I spotted a Burger King, and debated whether or not I wanted to wait to eat something good in Boston or Maine, when suddenly the radio station I had just tuned to started playing a track that I had heard recently in the movie "Kill Bill, v1". I started to lose the reception, and I thought that was a great track, so I immediately pulled into the BK parking lot to order from the drive-thru so that I could continue\ listening to the track. When it finished, I listened intently to see if it was in fact from the soundtrack to the movie, but the DJ started chatting with some artist.


Rant

I backtracked on 3A to the CVS to find a Coke in a can so I could continue listening to that radio station. I listened for a few minutes to see if the DJ would announce the name of the song, and when it became apparent the interview would go on indefinitely, I rushed into the CVS. No Coke in a can, so I grabbed a Snapple. But some inept lady couldn't get her store card to work, and I ran out of patience. So I drove on, still seeking my 12-oz can of Coke. I stopped at nigh well half a dozen gas stations, but all I saw were 20 oz bottles. I was rather miffed, thinking "Fuck y'all Coca-Cola execs and all you super-sizing motherfuckers. All y'all conspicuous-consuming obsesity-promoting fucks can just suck my dick. I got yer super-size right here!"

After I calmed down, I settled for a goddamned 20 oz Pepsi.

Guess I hadn't calmed down enough, because I missed the entrance to I-93 north thanks to a combination of awful Boston-area roads and dumbass drivers.


Those Wacky Boston Roads Again

It took me forever to get to Kinko's because of difficulty of driving in Boston without a map, and construction. I began to doubt the I would reach Portland by 8:00. But I was so close to the Brighton Village store that it didn't make sense to skip it. And Somerville was on the way to the interstate, so it made sense to stop there too. At Brighton Village I asked locals for directions to Somerville, and received two different sets--one took me out of my way, so I chose the more direct route. But it required staying on the same road for more than a few miles, a task easier said than done in Boston. So of course the next thing I knew I was on some street I didn't recognize, and had to call the Somerville store for directions, which was tricky business because I didn't know where I was.

I made it, but I had lost so much time getting lost around Boston that I'd couldn't be sure I'd make it to Portland, and it just wouldn't do to arrive minutes after the Starbucks closed and have to return another day, wasting time and gas. I couldn't stay the night and visit in the morning because I just wasn't up for a 370 mile drive to work in the morning. Not that I haven't done those types of the drives in the past. Many times, and twice as far. But I'm getting old.

So after visiting the Peabody store (where I found a dollar--yay!), just minutes before it closed for the night, I turned around and headed to Acton. This was the store that I had missed in May by a day because a delayed inspection by the fire marshall delayed it's opening. Finished for the night, I relaxed for a while and chatted with a barista there who recognized me from my visit to another store.

I headed down to Providence and evaluated one of its gentleman's clubs, the first I had visited in Rhode Island. Strictly a scientific study, of course.

Before I left, I went downtown to Kinko's to obtain the addresses of three new stores near Hartford. I was debating whether to try and visit them early and then make the drive to work. In the end I decided to leave them for another trip. Truly am I getting old. So I should probably stop eating at places like Spike's Junkyard Dogs, around the corner from Kinko's.

I slept for a couple of hours at the welcome center in Conneticut before continuing on to my usual service area in New Jersey for the remainder of the night.



November 8

On the way to a Scrabble tournament in Bayside, I stopped on Staten Island to rephotograph the Richmond Ave store and visit the third newest S.I. store at Forest and Bard.

After the tournament in went into Manhattan to get some good grub and see a movie. Afterwards, I parked on some downtown street to sleep for a few hours because I was too tired to deal with the tunnel traffic. I made the amazing discovery that, even in 30-degree weather, I could still sleep in the car when covered by three blankets. I actually sweated a bit at one point. But when I stuck my hand outside my cave of warmth, the air was bitter cold.

Around 3:00 AM I got up and found an open Kinko's so I could make a list of the Starbucks I wanted to reshoot. Traffic was light into NJ, and I spent the rest of the night at my usual rest area.



November 9

In the morning, I visited a couple of the last remaining new NJ stores. First, Basking Ridge, and then the second Denville store. The route to Denville took me through Morristown, where I spotted a Starbucks I had forgotten about. I didn't want to waste computer power by turning it on so I could see if I needed a better photo of Morristown, so I just shot a bunch of frames for good measure. At the Denville store, the barista had heard about me from her manager who had e-mailed me a few months back when she found my photo of her old store, Rockaway, and was amused to see herself in the photo. I hadn't realized she had moved over to this new Denville store, or I would have tried to visit on a day when she was working.

I drove into the city and rephotographed the Harlem store, and then stores all the way down Broadway. For brunch I felt like a bagel, but some place called HM Bagels or whatnot did not prepare the bagels in any way. They wouldn't toast or even add cream cheese. So I went across the street to an interesting looking deli-type restaurant named Zabar's and had my first cheese blintz, and then half a Belgian waffle. The waffle was good, but I guess that small blintz filled me up. Zabar's has no tables, just a large counter in the center that was full nearly the whole time I was there, typically with a line of customers stretching around the counter.

After circling the block around 42nd and 5th a couple of times to find a place to park the car for a couple of minutes, I waited in line at the kiosk at the corner of Bryant Park so I could ask the barista and confirm what I had heard, that that kiosk, and the one in front of the New York Public Library, were licensed stores. Finally I could remove them from my list. I continued down 42nd, and to my surprise, the 42nd and Park store was open. That left only two stores in Manhattan to visit.

A couple more stores to reshoot on 3rd Ave and 2nd Ave, and then I movie at the Angelika, Shattered Glass, and then I discovered an interesting restaurant offering both Chinese and Latin cuisine. Not fusion, mind you, but completely separate menus. I'm not partial to Chinese, but the Latin food was exactly what I was looking for.

On the NJ Turnpike back to Princeton, my engine suddenly died. I immediately started the car again, and it immediately died. Repeatedly. I moved to the shoulder and let it coast to a stop, and I wondered what to do. I tried starting it again, and it immediately died. I thought about what to do for a minute or two, and then I tried starting the car again. It didn't die! I was nervous as I drive five miles to the service area, but I made it. I had heard the temperature was going to drop to 25, and what a difference that made. After about 4:00 AM, I had the hardest time staying warm from the waist down. It finally occurred to me to put another pair of socks. This helped immensely.



November 10

In the morning it occurred to me to check the oil. It was almost empty! The gas station at the service area had oil, and I added a pint and crossed my fingers that I would make it back to work. I made it back, and the car ran until Thursday without a problem.



November 15

On Friday afternoon I rented a Ford Focus for the weekend to avoid the risk of being stranded and missing my Scrabble tournament on Sunday. I figured that the Integra finally refused to start, and I was far away, like in Delaware for example, I could face a hefty towing charge.

I could have just slept at my room in Lawrenceville, but I had planned to drive up to Manhattan and catch a flick at the Angelika. But shortly after getting cash at the Menlo Park Mall, I changed my mind and headed over to the GSP towards Neptune. I always get up earlier when I sleep in the car, and I'd be closer to the stores I wanted to photograph. I stopped at the Cheesequake (what a name!) service area for the night. Though the Focus was a hatchback, it sucked for sleeping. Besides being smaller, the seat wouldn't go down all the way, leaving a portion of the space at an angle and unusable. I barely had more than the trunk space.

I was more than eager to get up around 7:30. I rephotographed several stores on the way to visit the new store in Neptune. I had a feeling that I could find a good place for breakfast in Red Bank, and I was right--the Broadway Diner.

I photographed a couple more stores, in Shrewsbury and Oakhurst, and then arrived at the Neptune (Ocean Township) store. The shift supervisor and a couple of other partners seemed pleased to meet me. Later, at the Southhampton store in PA, I discovered that I had left my articles back at the Neptune store. I called to confirm and discovered I had yet another fan who was disppointed she had missed me. But I wouldn't have time to return for my articles that day, and probably not anytime soon. I'd have to print out more articles, but unfortunately a couple of those were no longer available on the web without paying for access to the magazine articles.

Without articles, I didn't bother to introduce myself at Southhampton and groused at being charged full price for half a short coffee. But at Upper Moreland, a partner gave me the coffee to make up for another partner's having mistakenly told me the store had Wi Fi access, when in fact it did not. So I went in search of Wi Fi so I could finally upload an update to my site, and I ended up lost, looking for the Maple Glen store that had been misplotted by my mapping program. I finally found one, in Jenkintown, but I was running late for an informal Scrabble club meeting, so I didn't upload anything.

The next day, at the Walnut and 34th store in Philly next to U Penn, my Wi Fi card was causing the computer to freeze, so I couldn't upload any files. The new hard drive that Dell had sent had not solved my booting problem, so I was still having to boot off the CD. All these problems with a computer I had just purchased were really beginning to annoy me!



November 21

Having my final Scrabble-less Saturday for the forseable future, I decided I need to get up to Maine to visit those new stores. Once again I stopped in Elizabeth for dinner, and tonight's choice was Sam's Restaurant on US-1, specializing in Peruvian Cuisine.

On the way towards Elizabeth, I booted up my laptop and noticed that the boot sequence had frozen. I had thought it was the hard drive, but now I thought it was the old Wi Fi card, because I had not seen this problem with the new card. I had bought a new card thinking that my old one had been stolen back in Philly. Turns out I had only misplaced it inside a manila folder. When I found it again, I packaged up the new card to return it and left it back in my room in Princeton. So now I was going to be without my T-Mobile access for another weekend. Curses!

I stopped in Brooklyn to meet up with a girl who had posted an ad on Craig's List. She wanted to go for martini's, and we walked to the Blue Moon Cafe. I'm glad I stuck with trusty old Mike's Hard Lemonade, because her martini was way too sweet for me, as well as three times the price. The waitress was much prettier than Sarah. What's that they say about the grass being greener? I hope she doesn't find out about my Starbucks project, or at least that she doesn't read this log.

I didn't leave Brooklyn until 2:00 AM. It wasn't that far to the rest area in Connecticut. This was good, because shortly after crossing into Connecticut, I felt a sensation that was completely new to me. I find it hard to describe. It was lie a shuddering spasm. It may have been that I felt asleep for an instant and woke up suddenly, but I don't think so. It had been several hours since I had the one drink, but I wondered if it combined with the supposedly non-drowsy Benadryl I took earlier. Whatever it was, the sensation was so new that it scared the heck out of me. Thankfully, I was only 5 miles from the rest area. I put Dar Williams into the CD player and tried to focus on the lyric. Once or twice I thought I felt the sensation coming on again, but nothing happened. I made it to the rest area, and I was soon asleep.



November 22

I woke around 8:30 and figured six hours was enough. The day was sunny--absolutely beautiful, and I wanted to take advantage of every ray for my photos. I remembered all of a sudden that I had forgotten to call Nicole to let her know I wouldn't be crashing on her couch after all. I thought maybe I'd stop by her store and say hi, but I couldn't remember which one it was. But I looked at the photos of all the stores in southern Connecticut, and I remembered mentioning that I needed a better photo. Southbury wasn't much of detour, so I headed there first to say hello and take a new photo. Next was Plainville, where one of the baristas looked familiar. She recognized me too, from when I had visited the Homer Township store. I remembered the name Homer Township, but I drew a complete blank on the visit or what the store looked like. I wondered if all the memorization I was doing for Scrabble was affecting my ability to remember the Starbucks I had visited.

I then took a slight detour to the Avon store and said hi to a partner who had e-mailed me. I'm glad I did, because since I had originally visited the store, a custom mural had been put up, and so I got to update my caption for the store. The final new store in Connecticut was up in Granby. At least four four days, when a new store in Enfield would open.

I gassed up in Springfield, but it was expensive, and I thought I could do better. But I didn't get enough, and as I pulled out of the last service area on the Mass Pike my fuel light came on. Curses! As I suspected, no gas stations were to be found in downtown Boston, either on the way to the store at One International Place, nor on the way to the freeway. I got off I-93 at the first exit that seemed like it might yield gas and not get me lost trying to get back on. I pulled into a Getty's, but then I realized it was full service. I didn't want to the deal with the attendant--I was sick enough of not being able the mandatory full service in Jersey--so I head across the street to the more expensive Mobil. As I waited to cross, the attendant glared at me, like why the @#$% did I pull in to begin with.

Meanwhile, I had only eaten a donut and a banana. I had had my heart see on breakfast at Betty's Kitchen in North Hampton, NH. But it was already 3:00 in the afternoon, and I figured I'd never make it in time, so I just had another donut.

I made it to Kittery while it was still daylight, but it was darkening fast. A car was blocking my photo, and the line in the store was long, so I asked the lady in the passenger seat if she wouldn't mind moving it so I could take my photo before it got darker. I didn't mention that the car wasn't even supposed to be stopped in front of the store like that, not in a parking space.

By the time I reach Saco, it was already dark, and I had to break out the tripod. I didn't mind, because I had to wait for my pizza anyway, while getting my coffee and taking the photo. I was too hungry to wait to get back to the Cuban restaurant in south Boston. South Portland, and then Portland, and I was once again finished with Maine. I hoped they wouldn't build any new stores for some time to come, as Maine is pretty fucking out of the way for me.

I should have taken the exit as soon as I saw the traffic backing up on I-93 southbound into Boston, but I was afraid of being too far from my destination and having to navigate a mess of Boston streets. I ended up spending more than 30 minutes to drive about a mile to the next exit. I was thankful for the laptop, because I could work on my log while stuck in traffic. After I cleared the construction I headed to the Hard Rock Cafe to buy a t-shirt for a friend back in Houston who collects them.

After stopping at a club in Rhode Island, I crashed for the night at the secret rest area about 10 miles shy of the Connecticut line. I call it "secret" because, while there is a sign alerting drivers to a rest area/weigh station one mile ahead, the sign at the entrace ramp only specifies a weigh station, and that it is closed. There was no restroom, but that was fine, because there were only a couple of trucks parked there, and a bunch of trees leading into the woods. It didn't seem that cold outside, and I was for the most parm warm inside my cave of blankets, but my feet were cold when I stretched out, maybe because the trunk hood was letting a bit of air in. Not sure, but the solution was a trick I had discovered a few weeks back when the temperature dropped to 21. Double-socks! They kept my tootsies toasty warm.



November 23

I didn't see any cool places for breakfast in New London, but I did see this cool van. In New Haven a local pointed me to Clark's Dairy. The French toast was okay, but what I liked about the place were the photos of celebrities on the wall, like Bill Clinton and Peter Jennings. When I opened my laptop on the table the waitress told me not to get too comfortable, because she expected a large breakfast crowd of Harvard fans who stayed overnight after the previous nights game. Harvard had won.

I couldn't start my Scrabble tournament without my daily cup 'o joe. I stopped at the Rye store to get another look at the historical photographs. One of the partners recognized me from my visit last year and introduced me to the new manager, and I came away with a Christmas shirt and New York mug for my efforts.

My mapping program misplotted the location of the La Guardia Ramada, so I got off I-687 at 20th Ave and stumbled across the Whitestone store, and took another photo that included the offending McDonald's that it's adjacent to.



November 26

With Thursday and Friday off for the Thanksgiving Holiday, I had time to drive to Oshawa, Canada, for a Scrabble tournament, and visit new Starbucks in Albany, Vermont, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto, on the way. I left work at 5:10, and it took me about 3 1/2 hours to drive 200 miles, which include a stop at the ATM, gas station, and a 5-mile detour when I got on I-287 southbound instead of northbound. It was good thing I gave myself plenty of time, because when I arrived at the Starbucks in downtown Albany I learned that it would not be open on Thanksgiving.

I had still forgotten to print copies of my articles to replace the ones left at another store, but I made my intro without articles, and one of the partners had seen my web site, so I had no trouble getting my half cup of coffee.

I headed to the Stuyvesant Plaza store and made my first real time photo and log upload with my Wi Fi connection!!!

Since I had plenty of time to reach Oshawa, I decided to make some headway on my goal of driving every US highway by driving a stretch of US-7 in Vermont. First I had to take SR-7 west from Troy, and I stopped downtown and was surprised to see plenty of people out and about. A girl in a car motioned for me to lower my window, and she asked me if I knew where I Love New York Pizza was. I motioned for her to cross the light and pull over. I displayed the pizza restaurants on my mapping program, and I Love NY was listed. I wasn't sure exactly where I was, though, so I couldn't give her directions. Instead, I just told her to follow me. I continue past the restaurant, and then I got to thinking that the banana and power bar weren't going to be enough, and it would be a cold night, so I might as well have a full stomach. Plus, the girl was cute, and might be dining in, and alone. I circled the block and parked, and I spotted the girl leaving with her order. Rats! Still, the chicken and parmesan pizza was pretty good. I washed it down with an Orange Crush from the market across the street. I hadn't seen Orange Crush for sale in a long time.

I guess that banana was more filling that I had imagined, because I could only finish 2/3 of the pizza. Still, that may have been too much, because not long after leaving Troy behind on highway 7. It was past 1:00 AM, and everything was closed in the small towns I passed. I didn't think I'd be able to sleep the way I felt, and stomach was feeling worse, so I was desperate for an open gas station. Finally in Hoosick (I'm sick, that's who!), I spotted a gas station open. I was just going to buy some windshield wiper fluid as an excuse to use the restroom, but then I thought about it and decided on some Alka Seltzer too. Right to the bathroom was a rack of porn magazines, and I didn't know how long I might be in the bathroom, so I bought one of those cheap three packs of assorted magazines. Maybe it was my upset stomach, or maybe it was because the photos were crappy, but I found none of the magazines appealing. I remembered why, other than the Starbucks issue of Playboy, and the Girls of Winter special issue, I had not bought an adult magazine in about eight years. Cuz they're mostly crap! So I left the mags in the trash for someone else to find. It occurred to me later that I should have geo-cached them instead.

State roads often lack lights, and it was cloudy and pitch black as I continued east. For kicks I turned my lights off, and immediately felt a surge of adrenaline, a fear response. A coworker once told me he used to drive for miles by moonlight on a stretch of New Mexico highway. Well, there was no moon to be seen, and this highway was curvy, not straight, so the lights came back on right away. I was now feeling the fatigure and longing for a place to pull over. Nothing looked good in Bennington, VT, and so I got on US-7 and started heading north, hoping for a turn out or rest area. Nothing through the third exit, and so I decided I didn't want to drive 11 miles to the next exit and pulled off. It was also started to sleet, or snow, very lightly. I had to drive a couple of miles towards Shaftsbury, and I spotted the corporate headquarters for Mack (the trucks, presumably). There wasn't a car to be seen anywhere, and I figured no one would be at work early on Thanksgiving, if at all, so I found a dark spot by the loading bays to camp out for the night.



November 27

I started driving after only 5 hours of sleep in the morning, and right after pulling out of Mack I spotted a turn out that I could have used, had I been able to see it in the dark of night. Then further up on US-7, another turnout. It felt like 5 hours wasn't enough, so I pulled into the turnout and slept for another hour.

In Rutland, I spotted the Seward Family Restaurant, for some basic eggs, bacon, toast, and home fries.

The drive north on US-7 in Vermont was slow, but I didn't mind, because I was in no hurry, and the day was beautiful. At the Williston store a partner from the Burlington store recognized me.

I had no trouble crossing the border, but I was disappointed that the shop advertising a good exchange rate was only giving $1.20 Canadian on the U.S. dollar, when the rate I looked up last night put the amount at 1.30. I passed a strip club on Iberville and stopped in to see if it took advantage of the full contact lap dances legalized by the provincial supreme court. But the exchange rate offered was even worse, 10%. No way would I take that, preferring to find a bank or some place that gave a better rate, like Starbucks, or many American franchise restaurants. Anyway, when I asked the dancer about lapdances, she said they weren't offered--only sex. I told her that's not what I was looking for. She gave me directions, half in English and half in French, to a bank, but I only half understood ended up leaving the town without seeing the bank. I passed a Dunkin Donuts/Burger King and stopped in to check out the exchange rate. It was better, 24%, which was good enough for me, and so with three separate purchases I was able to get a good bit of Canadian cash back in change without incurring ATM fees.

Shortly after crossing into Quebec I scanned my dial for a French station. While my comprehension is not good enough to understand ordinary speech, fast as it is, I do understand occasionally words and phrases, and I just like the sound of the language. And after hearing certain phrases over and over, like in the chorus of a song, sometimes the meaning just comes to me.

After a several mile detour east in order to get on the highway west into Montreal, I still arrived in time to photograph the two new outside stores in daylight. The two other new stores were in malls. At the Le Faubourg store I wanted to say hi to the manager but he was out. I had also wanted to confirm the locations of the other stores, and a very helpful and knowledge

Meanwhile, this piece-of-shit that Dells has the nerve to call a laptop is falling apart on me. The F12 key came loose this morning. That wasn't so bad, because I never use it. But now the period key came loose, and that really sucks.

At the Mont Royal store, I noticed a container of liquid sugar (sucreliquide)--interesting.

I was relieved that the Place Montreal Trust mall only had one kiosk--the helpful customer and the barista at Le Faubourg seemed to think there were several.


In the Lap of Lustful Cheries (Courtesy of the Strong U.S. Dollar)

Having visited the Starbucks, and with plenty of time still, I was determined to find out about these full-contact lap dances for $10 (Canadian!), so I went to a club on St. Catherines. As it turned out, I was mistaken--they were full contact dances, meaning that patrons could touch the dancers, but they were not lap dances, a-la Showgirls. I should point out that various web sites indicated that just about any erotic service was to be had in Montreal, legally. However, I happened to get it into my head to find what I couldn't get. Isn't that just the human condition, to want what we can't have.


Fal-awful

I located an Internet cafe where I could check my mail and do some research. Afterwards I just didn't feel like hunting to hard for good, so I went to an Arab cafe next door and, in the absence of bagels or pizza, ordered my first falafel. I hoped that I would like it, because I was starting to get really hungry. I did not like it at all, and I left before the owner could ask, because I did not want to disappoint him.

I'm barely out of Montreal when I started to get really sleepy. I had planned to stop at one more club, outside Montreal, in a town named Rigaud, and I was glad to get off the highway because it's harder to stay awake on the unchanging highway. This club had different rules than the ones in Montreal--different, in fact, from any other club I'd been to in any state or provice. Frankly, I was astonished.

I was also astonished to find a rest area, called an "Infotouriste", not too far from Rigaud. I wasn't bothered during the night, except by my own imagination. It seems that when I shift around, some part of my car makes a sound that sounds just like a cop knocking on my window to tell me to beat it. Never a Cop...

Shortly before reaching the Ontario border, the group of cars I was pacing approached a police car in the median. Then suddenly, a car in the left-hand lane change to the right and would have hit me had I not been alert. I think the driver was on the phone. The cop must have witnessed my abrupt evasive maneuver, and I was hoping he would pull that other car over, but nothing happened. What are these cops good for, anyway?

It was a miserable day for driving and photograph, in sharp contrast to the previous two days. It was raining when I reached the one new store in Ottawa (Nepean, actually), and the rain intensified as I continued west towards Toronto. At the one new Starbucks in the Ottawa area I saw a sign for an exclusive Canada Starbucks card. I figured it would be neat to have and I planned to buy one with whatever Canadian cash I had left before heading back into the states.


In Search of Ham and Cheese Biscuits

Couldn't find anything that looked like a good breakfast place near the Starbucks, and didn't want to get too far from the highway to Toronto, so I just settled for Tim Horton's. Easier said than done. I had the urge for a ham and cheese biscuit that I had found at a Tim Horton's last year. After waiting in a long line, the first location didn't have it on the drive through menu. I went inside and asked if the location down the street was larger. Yes, it was, but still no ham and cheese biscuits, because they didn't sell well in the area. So I got on the highway and started looking for Tim Horton signs at the exits. I spotted one, but when I got off, I saw that the restaurant was some three miles off the highway. Not worth it, so I kept driving. Further down, the sign pointing to the restaurants was on the off ramp, but of course it did me no good because, at highway speeds, I need to know a few seconds beforehand so I can plan my exit. Finally, in Prescott, I got my biscuit, but it wasn't as good as I had remembered.


I called the One Financial Place store to find out if it would be open on Saturday, and when, and I chatted with the manager a bit about my project, because she was curious as to why I asked about the Toronto General Hospital store which, by coincidence, had just opened today.

Despite having my mapping program right in front of me, I passed the exit for the Oshawa Centre and had to double back. Then, when I arrived, I learned that it is a licensed store, operated by Chapters. Rats! Not that I want more Starbucks to visit, mind you, since I have plenty of new ones in Toronto to keep me busy. But I ended up wasting about 30 minutes. It's a source of continuing frustration that some Starbucks in Chapters are operated by Starbucks, but others by Chapters.

As soon as I reached the Don Valley Parkway, I was in slow traffic for the next several hours, no matter where I went. I visited stores at Bloor and Jarvis, the Hudson Bay Centre, and One Financial Place. I confirmed that the Eaton Centre and Toronto General Hospital stores would be open early Saturday morning, so I could visit them then. I was in traffic for about an hour getting to the Keele and St. Clair store, and as I listened to the news I heard them say that this Friday was one of the worst for traffic in a long time. No kidding, eh? Thankfully, I had my laptop and was able to work on my backlog of logs, as well as comic books for when I laptop ran low on power. I have a general purpose power adaptor, but it was complaining with a loud squeal, as it has been doing on this trip when in stop and go traffic. I don't know what the squeal means, but it can't be good.

At Keele & St. Clair I hung out for a while charging up my laptop. I asked a partner about the Latin restaurants down St. Clair, and he said he had seen a couple. I drove down a few blocks and spotted La Paisa, a Colombian place. Of course my favorite plate, la bandeja paisa, was on the menu--I had not had one in months, since my last time in Dallas.

I headed out to Missasauga and visited the store in the Square One Shopping Center. Canada doesn't celebrate the American Thanksgiving, so it doesn't make sense for them to have the big shopping day afterwards. But you wouldn't have known this from the crowds in the mall. I had to wait forever to get a photo with less than 50 people in the way.

I drove a few miles back towards the city--Etobicoke, maybe--to some back streets with wherehouses, office parks, and small manufacturing facilities. I parked next to a van, across from some railroad tracks. Not too far down I could see a door open, and sounds like of machinery coming from indoors. But I saw no people coming in and out, so I settled down for the night. I usually prefer it quite and dark, but my windows soon fogged up for privacy, and the sounds of industry were actually kind of soothing. At some point during the wee hours all noise was drowned out by the wind, beginning with a gust so powerful that it shook my car and woke me up. Then the temperature began to drop. Around 5:00 AM it was so cold that I decided to drive back to Missassauga, to the other new store, just so I could run the heater and warm the car.



November 29

Suspicous Minds

The Starbucks had not opened at 5:30, as I I had thought I remembered a partner telling when I called. So I killed some time in the grocery store waiting for the bathroom (washroom, in Canada), finally becoming frustrated and going back to the Starbucks, now open. I bought one of those nify Canadian Starbucks cards as an excuse to use the restroom. The barista asked me if I was buying it to sell on eBay--she had heard that people are buying and selling these cards. What will they think of next!

I went back to the car to try and sleep a bit longer until the sky lightened. I must have slept some, because I dreamed, briefly, of a friend mixing some chemicals in a test tube, then lighting a lighter, and an ensuing explosion that woke me. I went back into the Starbucks for my coffee. The same barista noticed my Starbucks t-shirt and asked if I was a fan. I should have told her that I was a bigger fan of fair skin, dark hair, and freckles. On second thought, it's best that I didn't--I'm just not the type who can get away with clever (or not-so-clever) pickup lines.

As I was leaving, I noticed the manager, a suspicous aura about him, giving me the evil eye. He must have noticed my taking the photo, and, without an explanation of my project, assumed that I was a corporate spy. Oh what a tragedy it is that we live in a world so full of suspicion.

As I drove back into town, I listened to classical music on a French language radio station. Gee, it sounds the same as classical music on an English language station.

I went back to the St. Claire store for a reshoot, and I was caught by surprise as I pulled a u-turn and skidded on some ice. Then when I got out of the car my feet nearly slid out from under me. It was most assuredly slower going towards town, and at the next major intersection I cut down to Bloor St., figuring that it since it was more heavily trafficked it would be as slippery.

I picked up a danish at a bakery, and I noticed some guy buying cigarettes, and asking for a specific box of Belmonts with a particular photo. I wanted to ask him if he was collecting them, but he struck me as the type that once you get going never shuts up.

No complimentary coffee at the Eaton Center store. How demoralizing. I blame the manager for my subsequent poor performance at the Scrabble tournament in Oshawa, where I headed after reshooting two stores on Queen St. East.



November 30

As the Scrabble tournament came to a close, I had been anxious about whether I could reach the Walden Galleria store Cheektowaga by 6:30. I thought it I left at 4:00 and traffic flowed smoothly, I might just make it. Then I remembered that I'd lose time crossing the border, and I began to have my doubts. I decided to put off the decision until I cleared the immediate vicinity of Toronto. I didn't have to wait even that long, because traffic on the 401 slow through Toronto, and I lost too much time. Ah, it was just as well--I could relax and visit a club and have a proper meal. Well, if you consider a burger from Harvey's a proper meal. Hey, at least it's a Canadian franchise. Local culture, eh?

As my final act before departing Canada, I stopped at a Starbucks and put the remainder of my Canadian currency on my Starbucks card. As I would confirm the next day, this technique provided a good exchange rate with with no service fee.

Between my dawdling in Toronto and the delay at the border, and finally arriving in the wrong part of Buffalo to find the Delaware and Kenmore store, courtesy of my imperfect mapping program, I lose so much time that I doubted I would reach Rochester in time to visit both new Starbucks. But that was fine, because I had a backup plan, which was to finally visit the store in State College, PA. And I was able to confirm that Harrisburg had also opened, so I could hit that one too.

The staff at Delaware and Kenmore were very friendly and had me sign a cup for them. Next door was a T-Mobile store, and I was surprised that my Wi Fi card did not detect a T-Mobile signal.

It wasn't that late, only around 10:00 PM, but I began to feel really sleepy not long after leaving Buffalo. Heading south on US-219, I passed through Springville, NY and spotted a Wal-Mart Supercenter, the oasis of rural America. I've never had a problem staying the night at one of these.



December 1

The night had brought heavy winds and then snow. The road to State College was slow, the smaller US and state highways not as well plowed or trafficked. I passed many small towns and would have liked to stop for a good breakfast, but I would already be arriving late at work because of the weather and detour through PA.

Not long after setting out from Springville, I witnessed a small black car traveling northbound skid into our southbound lanes and spin around several times. A pickup ahead of me blocked my view, so I didn't see what prompted the driver to lose control, but I could see that she was lucky not to go over the side. I reduced my speed even more.

When I reached Salamanca, or perhaps Carrollton, I missed a turn onto the highway and ended up on a road into Allegheny State Park. I did not realize my error until I reached the park gates. I turned around and drove extremely slowly and carefully down the icy, curvy hill to avoid skidding too much out of control.

After reaching State College and visiting the Starbucks, the trip to Harrisburg was smoother and faster. After recovering the keys I'd left on the counter of the Starbucks, I gave up on my deliberations about what to eat and settled on the Boston Market in the shopping center. The last time I ate at Boston Market, I ended up suffering from food poisoning later that night (on Christmas Eve, of all nights), and I'll never know if it was the Boston Market or the On the Border that did it.

Before getting back on the highway I stopped at Kinko's to look up an address, and I was surprised to discover they offered the T-Mobile service. I had figured Kinko's would not offer Wi Fi because it would cut into their Internet business, as customers can just use their own laptops for free.

The drive back to Jersey was without great delays, but I had already lost so much time that I doubted I'd arrive in time to fax in my time sheet, so I had to call a coworker to do it for me. This allowed me time to stop in Bensalem, PA, and pick up a couple of cases, from a wholesale/retail beverage vendor, of my latest obsession, TradeWinds tea.



December 18

Finding myself ahead of schedule at work, I decided to attend the Manhattan Scrabble club for the third time, and to give myself plenty of time to arrive on time. Despite having left Princeton just after 4:00 PM, it seemed that the crossing of the Lincoln Tunnel took even longer, and it was almost 6:30 when I reached Manhattan. Still, I was determined to finally visit 33rd and 10th, one of the two remaining new Starbucks in Manhattan I had not yet visited. Taking the photo was tricky, requiring me to put a stone column between myself and the security guard at his desk, which resulted in being too close for the photo. I'd have to return and see what I could do from the passageway in between the doors.



December 19

Desperate to recover Scrabble ratings points, I flew to Detroit so I could attend a tournament in Farmington. More...



December 20

I did so poorly in the Scrabble tournament that I didn't feel like answering questions, so I visited the remainder of the Starbucks in Michigan incognito. First the Village at Rochester Hills, where I had to hang out for a while to charge my laptop and phone, then Grand Blanc and Birch Run, and finally the new store in Lansing. On the way to Lansing, I heard a gun ad on the radio, and I was amazed. I could not recall ever having heard an ad for any firearm on the radio. Oh, wacky Michigan!

After charging up my laptop at the Lansing store and relaxing a bit while I planned the rest of my trip, I drove towards the center of town and stumbled across Theio's, offering breakfast all day and serving biscuits! They were okay, but I guess my loss took away my appetite, because I barely ate more than half.

I headed out towards Grand Rapids and stopped at a rest area on the way for another uncomfortable night in the cramped rental car. The sleep wasn't so bad actually, but the water fountain didn't work, and so I had to ration my water and woke up with a mighty thirst.



December 21

On the radio in the morning I listened to some local news about how Farmer Jack would be closing locations. But then where will I sleep in Detroit???

The weather was great to the new Grand Rapids store and back, and I had time to rephotograph several stores before heading back to the airport and back to Princeton. The only blips were wasted time trying to reshoot 8 Mile & Haggerty because a I forgot that cars would be parked in front, and later at the airport, when the national security alert changed from yellow to orange and caused an unexplained delay in passing through security.



December 24

Ah, the spirit of Christmas! I sit in a Starbucks in West Windsor, planning which Starbucks I will rephotograph on Christmas Day, when suddenly a lady becomes very excited and starts screaming at a barista because, from what I can gather, she has driven here to pick up some item, it is not available, and she was not notified. Isn't that what Christmas is all about, the consumption of merchandise, and the obtaining of the perfect gift at all costs.



December 25

An invitation to Christmas dinner with my cousins in Ashburn, VA, compelled me to cut short my traditional Christmas-day itinerary of photographing Starbucks location. I missed about an hour of good sunlight for not having gotten up as early as I should have, but I still managed to reshoot eleven stores between 9:00 AM and about 12:30, when I had to start heading down to Virginia.

It made sense to start with the store closest to my room in Princeton (and that needed rephotographing), in Yardley, and from there I did some stores on the outskirts of the Philadelphia metroplex, including really nice-looking ones in New Hope and Doyleston. Traffic was light, as I had expected, and yet in Doylestown a cop who must have had a crappy Christmas Eve took time out of his busy Christmas Day patrolling to tell me that my parallel-parked car had the tail sticking out a bit. I told him I only needed a minute to take a photograph, and he replied that if somebody hit my car, he would arrest me. I didn't believe he had any grounds to arrest me and was just abusing his authority, but I could not protest because he would simply write me a ticket and force me to avoid Doylestown until I changed license plates. After he left I remembered I should have made a note of his license plate so I could file a complaint.

Weather.com had predicted partial cloud cover, but it turned out to be very light, and the weather was great for photographs. I really didn't want to break away from my photography to head down to Virginia, but my cousins have always treated me well, so I felt obligated.

When I finally reached Ashburn, I was surprised to see a Starbucks that looked completely unfamiliar. It was not on my list, and so I asked at the Blockbuster and learned it had opened only three weeks earlier. Unfortunately, it was closed and would not open until 5:30 AM. The rest of the evening I waffled between leaving that night or staying until the morning, but I decided I'd lose too much time in rush hour traffic through Philly, and I wanted to put in some time at work before the Scrabble tournament that started at noon in Parsippany.



December 31

It took me hours to plan my New Year's trip. Originally, I had planned only to fly into Atlanta on Friday night, drive to Rome, GA, for a Scrabble tournament on Saturday and Sunday, and then visit a handful of new Starbucks on Sunday evening before catching a late flight, or an early Monday morning flight, back. But I could not find an intinerary that suited me at a price I wanted to pay, so I decided to expand my travel options and amoratize the cost by trying to catch up on the new Starbucks in Florida. Because all cities in Florida except for the panhandle are out of the way of my normal travel routes, I would have to spend the gas to drive around Florida anyway, so why not now?

After search Travelocity for fares around $200 from Philadelphia or New York to just about every city with a major airport anywhere near Rome, I finally found a suitable round-trip into Columbia, SC that got me back on Monday morning. I needed to be back on Monday to have my time sheets signed and faxed to the agency. Columbia was a fine choice for two other reasons, because it had two Starbucks I had yet to visit, and because the car rental was cheaper.

After having arrived at the airport so early that I waited almost two hours a week and a half earlier, I decided to cut it a little closer this time around. As it turned out, I could have used extra time, because I screwed up and left my power converter in the car, and my pillow at the economy parking lot shelter. And furthermore, I brought along my nail scissors and file and had to throw them away (after sneaking off into a corner to cut my TOENAILS (ELATIONS INSOLATE)).

The plane was a turboprop. I'm not sure if that meant it had another means of propulsion besides the propellers, but it was the first time I could remember being on a propeller plane in 6 years, and I feared a bumpy ride like the last time. From my seat I could see the propellers, and as they spun up I marvelled at how them became completely invisible. I'm not sure whether how close to the ground they reached, but they seemed like the could easily kill a man.

The ride wasn't so bumpy after all, and because the plane was barely half full, I was able to choose a more comfortable pair of seats. Before I knew it we were landing in Columbia under clear skies. I've grown to like smaller airports for being less crowded. The rental car counter was in the terminal itself, and within 20 minutes I was on the road. I had to detour to US-1 instead of heading straight into the city to find a Wal-Mart and provision myself for the night. There was a Radio Shack in the same shopping center, and it carried the power converter I needed for my laptop and phone, but the attendant wanted to convince me I needed a $60 one--I didn't buy his story and found one for $25 at Wal-Mart, and it worked fine.

The sun was going down fast, so I photographed the first Starbucks I encountered, then went on to the second (which was actually the first in the city). I went back to the first (which was actually the second in the city), and I was pleased that the manager there had actually seen my web site.

The drive to Jacksonville was fast and uneventful, and I was amused to spot an El Cheapo gas station along I-95 in Georgia. I had not seen one in eighteen months, and I still think it's the coolest name for a gas station ever! The smooth drive made it easy to make several New Year's Eve calls.

Around 10:30 I stopped for the night at the welcome center in Florida, resigned to being asleep at midnight because I needed to get up early to make the most of the time availabe. After about an hour of tossing and turning in the passenger seat, I finally decided to try the back seat. While it was far from comfortable, I was at least able to sleep most of the night. Every time I got up to use the restroom, though, I had a headache, and I worried that I might be getting sick. Also because I thought I smelled blood in my nose, which reminded me of the sinus infection I had earlier in the year. Not what I needed during a busy busy weekend.



January 1, 2004

I got up at 6:40 and was able to reach the first Starbucks just after 7:00 AM. I saved time by not introducing my project, but then I lost time having to wait for baristas to go back inside to take photo so they wouldn't give me the evil eye. I'm very sensitive to the evil eye.

I had not planned on reshooting any stores unless it was convenient, because of time constraints, but I couldn't pass up the chance to reshoot a couple of stores on Atlantic Blvd with the subtle morning sunlight. Also on Atlantic I found a restaurant, Famous Amos, open, after having discovered Burger King close. I would have expected the other way around. I was about to sit down when I spotted a biscuit sandwich on the menu and decided to take it to go and save time.

At the last of three new stores in the area, I discovered another way to obtain the store number without asking--I spotted another customer throwing away her receipt and managed to surreptitiously retrieve it and retrieve the number.

As I headed towards Orlando after the Daytona Beach store, I discovered that three of the stores on my map for Orlando I had already visited and somehow mistracked. This meant I only had two to visit around Orlando and that I might finish with the Miami area before the last store closed, if they closed late on Friday, like 11 or midnight.

Meanwhile, my nose was more stuffed up and starting to run, and I was starting to get a headache. I was also really thirsty constantly and going through a lot of water (and subsequent trips to the restroom). At a service area I buy some Tylenol Sinus medication (no generic available) and take all four pills. Further down the turnpike I see a sign about all four lanes being closed 34 miles further south, so I get off at the next exit and make my way to I-95 rather than risk being stuck in traffic for the 5 miles to the next exit.

With eight stores spread through the greater Miami metroplex, the traveling salesmen problem was once again in effect, with an additional factor, that of trying time my visit to a couple of stores so I could say hello to the managers who had e-mailed me. Fortunately, seven of the stores were in pretty much a line from north to south, and the only one sticking out was in Coral Springs, so I visited that one first.

Weird--called a new Miami Beach store to ask what time they closed, and the barista asked who was calling. I think that's the first time in all the stores I've ever called that I've gotten that response to a pretty standard question.

Heading down Biscayne Blvd (US-1) from North Miami to Miami Beach I spotted a Now Open sign. I pulled into the parking lot and checked my list--it wasn't there. It had T-Mobile, so I was able to check the web site--not listed. Nuts--it had closed a 8:00, and I could have made it in time if I had known it was there. Now I'd have to wait 'til the morning and delay my trip out of the area.

Despite some more pills, Nyquill equivalent this time, I still had a bad headache and just couldn't take another coffee, so at the two new Miami Beach stores I bought a DoubleShot and half a coffee to save for the morning, hoping the coffee would not spill as I drove.

As I looked for the 416 Lincoln store, I was reminded of the hostel that I stayed in in '99 in South Beach. I got online and looked up some hostels, figuring a bed would help me recover from whatever bug I had, but the two I reached were booked. So I found a street that seemed less traveled by pedestrians and across from some construction. After a few hours, I was disturbed by what sounded like commands over a bullhorn, like from a police car. In a moment of paranoia I imagined some cop could see me in the back of the car and was commanding me to come out.

After some time, I headed back towards the mystery Starbucks and tried to find a place to crash there.



January 2

After a night of very little sleep, I was relieved that my flu symptons had not yet returned. When I walked into the mystery Starbucks at Biscayne & 69th, I immediately noticed the Magic Johnson mural and realized it was a UCO store, which explained the appearance of the neighborhood and why I had had a hard time finding a place to crash that felt safe, eventually picking a parking lot where a cop was parked, preferring to risk being hassled by him than by evildoers.

I reshot the Miami Beach stores and made good time down to the Falls Mall, only to discover it did not open until 9:00. So I went to the final new store (that I knew of) and hung out until 9:00. Actually, a little past 9:00 because the manager, who had heard of my project, showed up and we chatted.

Finally (after a bagel sandwich) I headed west out of the Miami metroplex, but not on I-75, but rather US-41, the Tamiami Trail, which was a more direct route to the store in Marcos Island. Ordinally I would have been glad to drive a new highway, but due to my time constraint I was worried about delays on the highway. But I got lucky and made good time the whole 80 miles, thanks in part to a speedy pickup I was pacing.

It took me quite a bit of time to get through Marcos Island and the first two Naples stores, the first because of congestion downtown, and the second because I introduced myself to the manager in the hopes of scoring a t-shirt I'd not seen before. But the shirt was handed out at the open forum, so I assume there were no extras. And one of the partners had seen me on "Unwrapped" and had a lot of questions, and then they wanted to take a photo. Additionally, they pointed out yet another store not on my list, further up US-41. Oy, vey! I doubted I was going to finish them all before having to beeline to Rome.

As I pulled off the highway into a rest area outside of Naples, a wave of fatigue hit me. I decided I wouldn't be able to visit all the new stores, and started planning which ones I would visit, the ones closest to the freeway.

There were delays on I-75 northbound, and after visiting the Sarasota store I considered a couple around Tampa just off the freeway, but decided I would skip them and see how I was doing on time once I neared Gainesville. I made good speed to Ocala and had time to visit that store, plus the two new ones in Gainesville, and to get some grub to go. It was exactly 10:00 PM as I pulled out of the final Starbucks, which meant if I drove the 400 miles to Rome in 5 hours, I'd be able to sleep for 6. More...



January 3

As soon as I finished the final game of my Scrabble tournament, I sped away from Rome in order to reach the Starbucks in Phipps Plaza by 7:00. I had called earlier to see what time they closed, but sometimes I am given incorrect information so I called again. If it had closed at 8:00, I would have had time to visit the new Alpharetta store first and drive fewer miles total. It's a good thing I didn't try that, because I barely arrived at Phipps Plaza before 7:00 as it was. As I got close, I noticed it appeared to be a mall on my map, so I called the store once more to find out if they were inside, and which entrace was best. The barista that answered asked me if I had called for the third time, and then proceeded to interrogate me about whether I was coming to the store, whether I was going to buy something, and such. This was a new experience, and I felt it extremely inappropriate for her to take such a tone with a customer merely asking for store location and hours.

By the time I got out of there and up to Alpharetta I decided I wouldn't have time to visit the Conyer's store before it closed at 10:00, because there were a couple of things I wanted to do in Atlanta first. It didn't matter really, because I'd be back soon enough, and now I'd have time to either have some food at the Flying Biscuit, if it was still open, or maybe one of the Cuban Restaurants I had discovered during the month I worked in Atlanta.



January 4

After three consecutive flights that went smoother than I expected, I decided to cut my return to Philadelphia close in order to sleep as much as possible. Parked at the Wal-Mart Supercenter a mere four miles from the airport, I set my alarm for 6:10 for a 7:10 flight. As soon as the alarm went off and was off and driving, but I had forgotten I needed to fill the gas tank or be charged for the gas. I pulled into the gas station and experience some serious panic as I could not find the wallet I had had when I entered the Wal-Mart just hours earlier. I lost at least 5 minutes tearing the small car apart until I found it. Then when I arrived at the airport to return the rental car, I lost more minutes because I couldn't find a space to leave it. Then there was actually a delay checking in because the lady in front of me had some issue with a stroller or heavy luggage or something. Then the line through security was much longer than I'd seen it in my recent flights, or expected this early from such a small airport. Then as a group of us got to the front of the line we were pre-empted by a flight crew. Finally, despite the fact that my bag had not been searched the previous three times, this time they said there was something the x-ray machine could not identify and they had to search my bag. I overheard them say something about lines, and I guessed it was the box of pens I had bought--other than shaving cream and some Mach 3 blades for my razor I had nothing different than when I flew into Columbia. I was really worried now, and then I heard them make a final call. As soon as she finished I ran to the gate, but they had already closed the door!

There was a flight bound for DC leaving at 12:25, and three staff members worked feverishly with some older computer system to try and book me onto that flight and a connecting flight to Philadelphia that was scheduled for noon. I did not manage to sleep during the short flight, and we actually arrived early into Reagan. I bought a scone and a ridiculously overpriced banana and called a coworker to have him get my timesheets signed and faxed to the agency. Then I found a corner and some seats to crawl under to try and get some sleep. It was a good thing I dealt with the timesheets, because around 11:30 I got up and noticed that the flight had been rescheduled for 1:00 PM. I was cursing my luck unti l overheard another passenger explain the flight was late every week. An elderly couple headed for Fort Myers had bigger problems, because they had already missed one flight or something, and were only headed to Philly to catch a connecting flight back south. But now they would miss their connection and have to make other plans.

I finally gave in to my hunger and paid for an overpriced slice of pizza and a Mr. Pibb (no Coke or Pepsi available), and just as I walked back to the waiting area they started boarding the flight. I started wolfing down the slice until I was told I could bring it on board. The attendant seemed anxious for me to board--the nerve of them, after keeping me waiting all that time. Once on the plane I ate most of my pizza but threw away about a quarter because I had this feeling I should use the restroom right then. My instinct was spot on, because the flight attendant soon announced that special regulations pertaining to flights out of Washington, DC, required that passengers remain seated for the duration.

It ended up being nearly 3:00 when I got out of the airport, and as I sat in traffic on I-95 I decided to call in and say I wasn't coming in. I had planned on leaving early to catch up on sleep anyway, and there was no point in trying to debug anything in my exhausted state. Had I only known that those extra 5-10 minutes of sleep earlier that morning would have cost me $25 + a day of work!



January 8

FUUUUUUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK ! FUCK!!!

I left work extra early and actually experience no delay in crossing the Holland Tunnel, leaving me plenty of time to visit the long-outstanding Pearl and Maiden store. But even though I had my map on my laptop next to me, I still was forced onto the Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn. I had to take the Brooklyn Bridge back and, in spite of my map, still had difficulty getting onto Pearl St. southbound.