Starbucks inside of a Star Market in Cambridge
On Saturday, 16 April I went to my Mom's grave in the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. That was her birthday. She would have been 74 if she were alive. Unfortunately, she died in 1994 at 46, and I am already older than she ever got to be.
I spent years living in Boston or immediate suburbs but then I spent years living in a more rural area between Boston and Providence. The difference between rural areas and cities, especially big blue cities, seems quite significant - and it seems to have grown larger over the last few years. Big blue (Democrat controlled) cities have stronger social safety nets but they are also highly bureaucratic and that may be part of why they are so expensive. Also, these cities are highly politicized and after the 2020 protests when police were basically stood down to allow "politically correct" rioters commit their violence I personally feel like entering a foreign, if not hostile, territory whenever I visit areas of this sort. Not saying I feel fear or apprehension because I don't - but I don't feel at home in any city where a person can be placed outside of protection of the law depending merely on that person's politics or race or class.
Driving into the city this time I was a little surprised by the quality of the pavement of this stretch Mount Auburn Street which is a major thoroughfare in Watertown and Cambridge. I generally don't care much about a few rough patches here and there but that was literally a mess of one tar patch over another, as if they spent years doing nothing but patching it over and over again. The contrast between that mess and the neighborhood consisting of houses most of which would likely sell for over a million dollars couldn't be starker.
The picture above is of a Starbucks Coffee shop inside a supermarket near the cemetery. These are their coffee prices. As you can see, you can't get a cup of coffee for under 3.85 USD. For reference, where I live you can get it for under 1.5 USD.
It is interesting - looks like these blue cities are more and more a place where you need to either be a high-paying business person or professional, or someone getting some sort of a subsidized arrangement (subsidized housing, some sort of a pension, etc.) The working poor whom liberal Democrats proclaim so much support for likely can't even afford a cup of coffee, never mind renting or buying an apartment or house.
It is also starting to looks like more people move out of these big blue cities than into them. That I would think is for a good reason.
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I think I would never long for a coffee in my life and I have never understand what's so special with Starbucks.
In my opinion, absolutely nothing. 😁
Good to see someone consider it like that :)