Located at 2370 Broadway in New York is a regular Starbucks, though it tends to be busier than usual. Across the street from this Starbucks once stood another location, which was the first to open its doors to New York City residents. Starbucks is an establishment that has committed itself to providing a morning boost of coffee for the residents of New York City, famously referred to as the city that never sleeps.

Coffee in New York City has always had a deep history going back to the very birth of New York, or what was formerly known as New Amsterdam. The Dutch had utilized coffee as a good in trading and also brought it to the New World when they immigrated here. It remained a staple in the city and gained some notoriety during the revolution, as many meetings would be held in coffeehouses.

After the revolution, coffee stood as a rebellion against the British tea tax and began to take off. Coffeehouses became places of socialization, political debates, and financial decisions. Even now, modern cafes offer a variety of types of coffee due to the large amount of immigration that brought the different tastes of coffee around the world to local cafes like Starbucks. To this day, cafes remain a place of productivity, cultural connection, and socialization, and this is also largely thanks to social media.

Regardless of the reason to come to Starbucks, it offers a pleasant environment to get work done or relax over a coffee of your choosing. Looking out the window at this location, you may reflect on how much coffee and cafes like Starbucks have evolved since they first made their debut in NYC.