Blogging a scene

Warm, yellow light floods out through the big windows of the olive green and brick building and spills onto the surrounding grey sidewalk, empty wooden benches and half-filled parking lot. As you approach the door, the familiar black-and-white face of a crowned woman greets you.

As you pass through the first set of windowed doors and walk over the speckled maroon and turquoise linoleum, the faint smell of coffee wafts by you. Overhead, small, black speakers hang on the tan walls a few feet below the brown, flat ceiling and silver-and-orange heat lamps. The lyrics of a song you can’t quite place by an up-and-coming male singer/songwriter intermingle with four students’ discussion of chemical bonds. Students huddle around the five wooden and metal tables and sit side-by-side on the wicker and wood couch with chocolate brown cushions. Worksheets, notebooks, coffee cups, cell phones, iPods and laptops litter the square and circular tables.

As you pass through the second set of doors, the walls brighten a shade as warm air and the scent coffee with floral undertones envelopes you. Country music plays overhead as in front of you, row after row of pumpkin scones, slices of cinnamon coffee cake, oatmeal raisin cookies, and doughnuts beg and plead with you to order them as you approach the black and white marbled counter.

A 20-something brunette greets you with a smile and says, “Welcome to Starbucks. What can I get you?”

You stare at the off-white boards above her head for a few moments, searching among the Caffe Mochas and Cinnamon Dolce Lattes for the holy grail of coffee drinks.

After placing your order, you sink into one of four red-brown, leather chairs as the coffee machine makes a grinding, humming noise to your left. Around you, students sit around big or small mahogany tables, sipping on lattes and iced chais as they read from biology textbooks or scribble down homework in notebooks. To your left, you can hear the click-click of Macbook keys as a scruffy looking man wearing a green and blue flannel types out his essay. A couple sitting in front of you laughs as they reminisce about freshman year.

Suddenly, an upbeat voice announces, “I have an Iced Grande Carmel Macchiato on the bar. Thank you!”

You approach the bar, thank the barista smiling behind the counter, grab your drink, and head for the door. As you step into the cool night and look up, you lose your breath as you take in the snowcapped Flatirons that glisten in front of the setting sun.

Welcome to Boulder.