Coffee in Atlanta

Atlanta metropolitan's 100th the Starbucks has opened on Sidney Marcus Boulevard. Starbucks is planning 200 more stores in Atlanta in the next few years.

Yippee! Sorta.

The first coffee chain that I can remember opening in Atlanta was Caribou Coffee in the early-mid 1990's. They were wonderful. Especially if you're not fond of 'Char'bucks. Not long after Starbucks noticed that Caribou was thriving and opening new stores, Starbucks followed suit, and usually opened a facility nearby.

Before the chains hit Atlanta, I found Intermezzo's Cafe in Atlanta's buckhead district, not far from Peidmont Hospital. My friends and I would hit the upscale joint late at night after movies for coffee and confections - after the movie, we couldn't afford a whole meal mind you.

There are plenty of independent coffee houses too. Caffiend's, In recent years, one of our favorite places to stop was the Drinkmor Coffee near our house. It has now closed up shop. I still have a cardboard cup sleeve from there with some wise words about coffee.

On Coffee and Why It Makes the World Go Round
With a good cup of coffee in hand, things happen.
Books are written. Tests are studied for.
Newspapers are read.
And let us not forget, the meetings met, paintings painted and theories theorized.
Coffee, but a mere beverage, is quite important.

Since then, Caribou's owners sold out to corporate investors (I would too) and while it's still a darn bit better than the coffee at the sign of the split tailed mermaid, things have changed at my beloved Caribou. The service and attention to detail isn't quite up to what it used to be since going corporate. And they have since closed down my favorite store. The one where I wooed one of their coffee wenches off her coffee stained tennis shoes and away to wedded bliss. That was just over 10 years ago.

They've opened a new caribou not far from 'our' store and we frequent it often as DaMomma has a coffee/caffiene habit. Since the kids are now old enough to ride the school bus and not need us to cart them to/from school daily, we've rediscovered a little bit of our pre-children marriage by hanging out at our local franchise. Kinda like old times.