Coffee Comfort

It's hard to escape the hustle and bustle of school life around campus. Most students are busy reading, studying and trying to pass classes. But there is one place where students can go to feel secure in this time of demand, a place where they feel comfortable hunched over the books. At Starbucks, winner of the Best Place to Get Coffee, students relax as they fuel their minds with hot coffee to make that A or the next deadline. It is a haven for graduate students who need to feel at home when they haven't closed their books in days.\nJessica Ingis, a sophomore and self-proclaimed Starbucks addict, says there's a Starbucks on every street corner in New Jersey.\n"It's a touch of home, because where is there not a Starbucks?" she says.\nA diverse crowd of students and locals gather together around the two-foot round coffee tables with smiles and laughs. They can be seen at Starbucks hacking away at their laptops with earphones hugging their ears, staring at the computer screen, buried inside a book, cautiously sipping coffee or sharing their lives and struggles together. There is an energy supplied by the caffeine and a calm and soothing atmosphere from the light folk and jazz music in the background. \n"I come here to get a wireless Internet connection through the Bryan Hall satellite network," says Florin Cutu, a graduate student. \nDuring the summer, coffee drinkers sit outside and watch the cars zoom by on Indiana Avenue. During late fall and winter, people enjoy the fall colors and the beautiful white snow through the gigantic windows that front the townhouse café. \n"The relaxed atmosphere and the electricity of the caffeine running through the body create a place where a person can get in touch with themselves and the person they are with," says Todd Bailey, a sophomore. \nBefore Bailey came to Starbucks, he didn't like coffee, but now he says he's hooked.\n"When I was ordering, I told them I didn't like coffee," he says. "They said I should try the Café Mocha, so that's what I got. I can't believe all this lies at the bottom of a Styrofoam cup."\nThe dimly lit interior of Starbucks is filled with comfy couches, promoting an environment that is suitable not only for the studious, but also people seeking friendly conversation in a variety of languages. Though Starbucks is sometimes known for its decor, some people like it just for the coffee.\n"They're always open, and the drive-thru on the west end of town is a complete convenience," says Disney Bronnenberg, a Starbucks regular. "I always order Caramel Macciato because I like saying it." \nThe first Starbucks opened in 1971 in Seattle's Pike Place Market. The idea of the espresso bar was inspired by the similar café culture in Milan, Italy. There is now a total of 5,688 stores around the world. In 2001, Starbucks was voted "Number One Restaurant Chain" in Tokyo by the Nikkei Restaurant Magazine, selected "Top Chain" in Nation's Restaurant News and chosen "Most Admired Company" in Fortune.\nAlong with whole-bean coffee and Italian-style espresso, Starbucks serves a variety of pastries and confections and coffee-related accessories and equipment. Bottled Starbucks Frappuccino coffee drinks and ice cream is sold along with bags of coffee beans in the store and a wide variety of other markets. \nSamantha Jacob, a sophomore, says she drinks Starbucks coffee religiously.\n"It's like a drug," she says. \nThe two official Starbucks cafés in Bloomington are at 110 S. Indiana Ave. and Whitehall Crossing, 284 N. Jacob Dr. Starbucks dining stands can be found in Read, McNutt and Eigenmann dorms.