A Guide to Boston's Starbucks

A while ago, Mr B—, of Wellington Street, the South End, proposed that a guide to the Starbucks of Boston be published. Now, in the event that my loyal readers are unaware of their humble correspondent's love for Starbucks, allow this post to serve as notification of that fact. Yr humble correspondent is indeed a most loyal fan of that august corporate giant, thus he would truly welcome such a guide.

Sadly, however, Mr B— is a notoriously busy Gentleman & he, as noted in his original proposal, most likely will never find time enough to write such a guide. So & all, this task falls upon the shoulders of yr humble correspondent, who will, for the weeks to come, be providing reviews & descriptions for the many Starbucks locations in our fair city.

We begin, then, in Boston's West End, at 222 Cambridge Street.


This, my dear readers, is the Overly-Friendly, Gay Starbucks, as yr humble correspondent calls it. It is located near to the Charles Street / Massachusetts General Hospital Red Line station, & is rather unobtrusively placed on the first floor of a nineteenth-century apartment house.

The O-FGS, to use a handy acronym, is one of Boston's rare "U-shaped" Starbucks, in that it's design accomodates the stairway used by tenants to access the upper floors. One enters the O-FGS on the left-hand side, at the corner of Cambridge & Irving Streets & exits through the right-hand side, back on Cambridge Street, effectively circulating in an upside-down "U."

Due to its small size & unusual shape, the O-FGS is not considered a "lounging" Starbucks, where one goes to sip coffee with friends, read a book & so forth. Granted, some people do engage in such activities at the O-FGS, but they are rare & are more frequently found at the Greater Charles Street Starbucks (a post about which is to follow). During the day, customers are generally employees of Massachusetts General Hospital (doctors in their full "scrubs" are not rare sights), with the occasional student from nearby Suffolk University. On the weekends & after standard business hours, the number of students increases, as does the number of Beacon Hill residents.

Yr humble correspondent refers to the O-FGS as such owing to its staff, which is, as the name suggests, gregarious to an occasionally off-setting degree & possessing of a fair number of homosexuals (or, if not, than individuals who play into the stereotype well enough to fool yr correspondent). Their friendliness, beyond the usual banter and good cheer exhibited to most customers, extends to an unusual practice which yr humble correspondent has encountered only th ere. To wit, the staff of the O-FGS frequently asks its customers "Questions of the Day," which range from "What hospital were you born in?" to "What was the name of the person you took to prom?" Strange, but intriguing — yr humble correspondent has certainly learned some interesting facts about his fellow customers in this manner.

Yet even on those days which lack the Question, yr humble correspondent has found the staff to be quite talkative; certainly, they are more talkative and social than the average Starbucks barrista. They joke with their customers over any little thing, and are quick to rib their own corporate practices or the complex beverage orders of others. Truthfully speaking, they are both fun & entertaining, so do not think, dear readers, that yr humble correspondent disapproves of their attitude. Only at first are their jovial banter & eager smiles slightly unnerving, especially on those bitter winter mornings when yr humble correspondent is not entirely happy to be alive. Thereafter, expectant & prepared, the employees at the O-FGS can be a charmingly refreshing encounter.