My Review of the Smithsonian African American Museum in Washington DC

I recently had the chance to visit the Smithsonian African-American Museum in Washington, DC over the Labor Day 2018 weekend (thanks for the tickets from my sister).  It was an emotional and moving experience that I recommend to EVERYONE of color, and especially your children.


It is an amazing place full of history and facts presented in a modern way through the use of immersive multimedia and interactive exhibits.

First Impressions
When you first see the building from a distance your first impression may be WTF????  It's a modern design that seems out of place with the existing classic Greek/Roman influenced architecture of the rest of Washington DCs buildings that surround it.

My initial thought was that the building was inspired by a church hat or a crown, and my impressions weren't too far off the mark.  The Architect was inspired by a crown and the design is a subtle nod to the importance that headgear has played in our history.

The building is covered in a metal skin which filters the light inside the building.  I went on a hot, bright September day but the light inside the building was cut down significantly once inside making it cool and comfortable for your eyes to take in all the exhibits.

This is a modern museum with many, many multimedia exhibits and in some cases interactive ones.  And the multimedia exhibits are extremely well done, entertaining and (this is the best part) INFORMATIVE!  You're going to learn something every time you visit here, and this (if nothing else) means the museum will have accomplished its intended goal. 

Where Is It Located?

Where is it exactly?  The museum sits across from the park which houses the Washington Memorial so if you have the time you can actually visit both attractions.

How Much Does It Cost?

Like all Smithsonian museums there is no admission fee, BUT the lines to enter the museum can get long, especially on weekends.  If you are a member of law enforcement, a senior, or a veteran there is an express entry line.  The building is wheelchair accessible and friendly to seniors and those using mobility assistance devices like walkers, scooters and in some cases hearing assist devices.

On the day I attended it was crowded, but not overly so.  We had timed entry passes that had specific entry times so we didn't have to wait on the general entry line.  In fact I think the other visitors add to the experience since they come from all over the world to visit both DC and the museum itself and before you know it you'll be making new friends as you tour the many exhibits.

The Lobby

You enter the building into a spacious lobby, unlike a standard lobby though there is an important piece of history here.  On a wall is a list of donors that made the museum possible broken into groups based on their charitable giving.  

Normally most visitors don't or won't pay attention to things like this but in this particular instance its important to take note. There is a current mindset on social media that wealthy Black business people or athletes don't "give back".  That mindset is dead wrong as proven by the giving exhibited to open this museum.

The Exhibits
The way the museum is set up is you are supposed to start in the basement which covers the 1500's to roughly the 1700's, as you go up floors you pass through the major periods in African-American history finally reaching the top floor with the modern (post 1960's) era of exhibits.

A word of warning, the basement exhibit covering the slave trade will make you want to cry.  I couldn't take a picture because it's lit by low light which makes for bad photos without a tripod, but it is probably one of the most moving visual representations of the sheer amount of Africans stolen from Africa and sent to the Americas and Brazil.  On the walls of the exhibit are the names of nearly all the slaves ships that came west from Africa and the country the ship was flagged under and number of slaves on each ship. 

When presented visually I can't put into words how both emotionally stunning and sad this is.  Coupled with the fact that somewhere on that wall on one of those ships was MY ancestor.  Some unknown man and woman survived that most brutal and inhuman of treatments, met and lived long enough to start a bloodline that runs through me. 

I don't know who they are, or where they wwere originally from, I just know that for the first time in my life I had something to emotionally connect to that allowed me to say thanks aacross the sands of time.  I wish I could describe that moment, but unfortunately I can't, I just hope that on the other side of the veil of time they can be proud of how strong their roots have grown.

Make no mistake about it, there is a LOT to take in covering nearly every facet of Blackness and Black culture from sports, to cooking, to Greek letter organizations, to politics.   


So how are the exhibits?  Excellent!  Plan to spend a significant amount of time here, in fact plan to spend all day.  There is a LOT packed into this building


Many exhibits you really have to see for yourself to really appreciate but here's a small selection:

Chuck Berry's Cherry Red Cadillac

The Parliment/Funkadelic Mothership

One of many exhibits highlighting the life and achievements of Muhammad Ali

Redd Foxx's very first comedy album

Another exhibit celebrating Muhammad Ali

The museum is a celebration of Blackness, Black culture and Black people, from the first presence on this land in the 1500's until today.


Highlights that Caught My Attention

• Parliment's Mothership, last time I saw this it was on stage in the 80's!
• An S1W uniform and and a nod to Professor Griff and Public Enemy
• Some love to the transformational effect of hip-hop on American music and America itself
• Multiple well deserved exhibits on Muhammad Ali
• A life-size staute of Michael Jordan (he's not as tall as you may think, but then I am 6'4")!
• A trainer biplane for the Tuskegee Airmen
• A slave cabin
• A great exhibit on Black feminist writers of the 60's/70's

The Cafeteria
There is a cafeteria in the basement that offers a very nice selection of what many would consider "soul food".  The smells coming from the cafeteria are just heavenly with a mix of sweet potato, fried fish and greens tickling your nose.  This has to be by design, nearly everyone of color has been pre-programmed with the comforting smells coming from Mama's (or Daddy's) kitchen.

I say "soul food" in quotes because to us it's regular, common food.  To the tourists, especially foreign tourists it's exotic.  Beware, the food is expensive premium priced!   For example, a plate of fried catfish and collard greens for $21??? Seriously????  Since when does catfish and collard greens cost $21 a plate?

If you are curious about the menu, you can view it here.


Photographers Notes

• No tripods or monopods are allowed
• Photography is allowed throughout the museum but many of the exhibits have subdued or dark lighting, you WILL need fast lenses although cell phones seem to capture ambient light much better.  I was using 1.8 and 2.8 lenses and still struggled to get decent shutter speeds.  
• Bring your widest wide angle lens!  Many exhibits are placed in fairly close quarters.  FYI, there is nothing here that will you will need a zoom lens to capture.

Peaceful Journey Anthony Bourdain, A Personal Message

First I would like to wish my brother in the written word, Anthony Bourdain, a peaceful journey.  As you read these words some time will have passed for all of us to process (or at least try to reckon with) his death, but as I write this his passing is only days old and the abruptness has left me stunned, shocked and a little melancholy.

Anthony Bourdain was my word hero, and my inspiration for creating both AfroPublica and this blog as a vehicle for sharing my thoughts and adventures in this world, and specifically when I write about food.  I will sorely miss his witty, sometimes caustic and always sarcastic takes on the state of the people and events that exist solely to divide us (or worse, bullshit us), and his pure love, appreciation, and awe of the things that unite us.  Say what you want, the man knew how to use words like a painter uses paint.

I read "Kitchen Confidential" during a period where I was working a "struggle job" as a kitchen helper/prepper/cook and bartender at a club in Louisiana.  Instantly I connected with Anthony Bourdain's struggle as related in the book and if you haven't read it yet stop right here and purchase it!

I make no excuses for that fact that this was a really dark period of my life and thanks to the club owner and his staff and family for helping me through that time by giving me an opportunity to work.  I was fresh off a nasty, expensive, and soul-sucking divorce and had lost everything I worked for in one big swoop.  Wife, house, dog, and eventually the job all fell victim to a nasty spiral of depression and despair.  And yet somehow reading Anthony Bourdain's words touched me in a way that helped me to see light at the end of a long and dark tunnel.  They even inspired me to break out the keyboard and write again.

Like Anthony Bourdain, I too was a soul in search of a place in the world after totally fucking up my life.  Through his words, I found out we both sought redemption for our sins and like him I found mine in a kitchen, and a keyboard.

Working the line in a kitchen is a place where everyone is equal, doesn't matter where you're from, what language you speak, who you pray to, what degree you have (or haven't) or what ethnicity you are.  All that matters is your skill at getting those plates (or drinks if you are a bartender) out to customers and serving a quality product fast.  Is that steak medium rare?  Those fries are done? And for God's sake where the hell is that salad?  The modern restaurant kitchen is the place to truly find what you are made of, and in the heat of those moments (literally), regain your soul.

Struggle jobs like kitchen and bartender work can really ground you.  They remind you what hard work really is and through that work you gain a deep appreciation for every nickel and dime you sweated, cursed and put up with shit for.  It's hard to properly frame the experience if you haven't done it, but its a tough, shitty and downright challenging way to survive, but also one of the most rewarding and genuine since your customers, your coworkers and often your boss will immediately give you feedback.  Drinks suck? You'll know it right away.  Food tastes like shit?  They will let you know on the spot.  You learn to take the compliments and the grief, the joy, and the pain, and it either will build you up or grind you to dust.  There ain't no HR dept in the kitchen!

But....

If you can overcome the challenges and actually make good drinks or food, man, the love you get from your customers is like nothing and nowhere else.  I spent a lot of years writing code to an anonymous audience of users and can recall maybe one or two instances where someone gave me actual feedback.  In the kitchen I was getting it every day!  That's just the nature of that business.


So to my brother in the written word I wish peaceful journey, may you finally have found the peace that seemed to elude you in this life.

So I Checked Out the Brandless.com Pop-Up Store

Recently, while taking a walk in the city, I ran across a pop-up store for the website Brandless.com.  Brandless is a fairly new entry to the online shopping market and their gimmick is they have a basket of 350 goods and everything on the site is $3, or some multiple of that amount (depending on quantity).

The front of the Brandless.com pop-up store

A peek inside the pop-up store

Everything $3 you say?

Yep.  And truth be told some of their products are quite good, at least the ones they had available to try.  Like anything purchasable online you have to really take a close look at what's being sold to find bargains.  Like other online stores, the key is to buy enough (or at the right time) to beat the shipping.   But if you are looking online for products that are GMO-free, feature natural ingredients fully stated in plain English on the front of the package and with environmentally conscious packaging you can definitely find some value here.

So what did I think? 
Overall their products were quite good, and depending on the product I can see a value in the quality and the social statement, but as I mentioned you have to shop carefully.  For some products based on the price and size/amount, you can do better locally.

Brandless.com snack station (granola and popcorn)

For example, one of the hits of the pop-up store was their snack display which let you try some of their popcorn and granola.  I gotta say, their granola was pretty darn good and at $3 for a 12oz bag not a bad buy at all compared to Whole Foods and other premium grocers.  At the pop-up store, they were selling their granola as a bundle, 2 bags for $6 (of course) and they had two flavors available: flax seed-blueberry and maple-pecan.  Both were delicious, and being a guy with Massachusetts roots and Southern history, the maple-pecan went fast.  Of note, there were actual chunks of pecan readily visible in the granola (this is always a good sign!).

Their popcorn was pretty good too, but at $3 a bag for between a 3oz - 5oz bag I felt it was overpriced.  You can do better at discounters like Dollar General and Family Dollar if you like popcorn, but there is no guarantee it will be organic and it will be chock full of artificial flavors.  But are you really choosing and eating flavored popcorn based on its health benefits? Really?

Brandless.com does offer some unique flavors to compensate for the value though.  I was given a variety selection containing: white cheddar, olive oil & sea salt and truffle oil with black pepper.   The white cheddar I liked the most, but the truffle and black pepper were actually pretty spicy with the taste of the black pepper pretty prominent.

My overall favorite item was the whole wheat animal cookies.  They were delicious!  And for animal cookie lovers (come on, admit it, you always loved them!) you won't go wrong.  The only downside is the plain packaging, I grew up with the classic Nabisco animal crackers and always was fond of the circus-themed box.

 

Here is a one-sheet listing the full range of their snacks, as you can see they offer a number of varieties, both common and uncommon.

So What Else Do They Sell?

Besides food, Brandless.com also carries a variety of household and beauty products.  These were not available for trying, though you could handle the packaging and smell, touch and feel some of them.   I buy my soaps and cleaning products locally so wasn't as interested in that.  If you are I highly suggest visiting their website for the full basket of products.

 

 

They also sell tableware, which they had mounted on a huge wall

The one thing I did not get to try because it was too crowded was their salsa and chips.

They were serving this at a makeshift bar but no one was leaving, this probably meant it was good.

Overall Impressions

•  If you shop carefully you can find some decent values here, especially if you are single or a couple.  The price/size/quantity is perfect for that but can get pricey quickly for a family.

• If you are a fan of organic, all-natural, non-GMO and environmentally packed products you will definitely find value here.
•  Everything I sampled tasted yummy, they definitely pay attention to the taste of their products
• I love the ingredient list in bold right on the front of the package in simple, clear English.  No need to decipher chemical lists.
• I actually liked the idea of the pop-up store sample and wish they did it in more places around the country to introduce shoppers to their website.

My Review of Whole Foods 365 Brooklyn

So I went to the Whole Foods 365 store in Brooklyn recently.  I was curious exactly what Amazon was up to by launching this brand.  Well, I found out. The Whole Foods 365 brand is an attempt to bring in new customers by offering lower prices, yet still retaining the Whole Foods quality and "look and feel".  Make no mistake about it though, this grocery is directly aimed at the millennial crowd.  It sits opposite an Apple store (on the other side of the block) and is in a pricey section of real estate in downtown Brooklyn, right outside Atlantic Terminal.

How do they do this?  From my observation, they have streamlined the product selection quite a bit, choosing to go mainly with store brands over other suppliers products.  The hot food line is still there, but the variety has been slimmed down (compared to the regular Whole Foods hot food selection).  Amazon branding, including ads for Amazon Prime, is featured near the registers on huge monitors (you knew that was coming, right?).

Pricing was (and this is totally subjective to the items I bought) a little lower than the regular Whole Foods, and slightly to considerably above Trader Joe's from what I saw.  Some items were reasonable (like sale items on veggies and fruit), but you have to pay attention to notice this.  Sale signs weren't blatantly obvious, just simple black & white signs.  The store was extremely well lit, clean and merchandised.  I saw a decent number of staff running around to answer questions also.  Items were easy to find and extremely well presented, especially the vegetables.

There are 20 registers, though at the time I was there (about 10 pm on a Monday) only 5 were open.  The line moved very fast though (still using the Whole Foods round robin method).  Where Whole Foods 365 shines is in the selection of organics and vegan foods.  Trader Joes just doesn't compare to their selection, though they try.  If you are a vegan then this is the place for you!  Even the hot food line and store prepared foods have a nice selection of organic and vegan items.

This store has two floors, the first, ground-level, has a variety of independent food vendors like a coffee shop, a bakery, self-serve beer and cider, and two other vendors that I can't remember what was sold.  The actual grocery is in the basement.

Overall I still prefer Trader Joe's for pricing, but I can say if you are a vegan or eat organics (and the price is not an issue for you) this will be the better choice.  Trader Joe's can't compete with the variety, selection, and atmosphere.

Street Photography 101 - My Equipment

Some of you may know, first and foremost I AM a street photographer.  I don't do weddings, babies, portraits or even worse, fucking pets.  No! No! And Hell No!  I'm a street photographer, and my beat is capturing events as they happen on the street.  Protests especially are fascinating to shoot because they present many different characters and action that happens spontaneously.

Living in NYC offers some unique opportunities since there is always something going on.  In addition, the city itself is a character, often the biggest character, in many of my photos. NY is a photographers city, offering some of the most (and fairly easily accessible) spots to capture the city and its residents in so many ways.

I love New York City, it is my home, my canvas, and my model.

A Little Background

So who the hell am I?  A little of my photography background and training is in order.  I started off as a film photographer and literally worked my way through college shooting for the Public Affairs office (thanks to your tutelage Bruce O'Hara!).  I did more than my share of shooting graduations, donations, celebrations and every other dog and pony shows surrounding and in support of that school.  At one point I was spending over 40 hours a week shooting events, then off to the darkroom processing and printing photos to be sent to donors, published, included in press releases, etc.

Needless to say, I burned out and crashed - - hard!  It was many, many years before I picked up a camera again.  By then photography had transitioned from film to digital, and with the tech advances in photography in the new millennium, piqued my curiosity.

Digital offered new ways of doing old things, and for those of us who grew up and learned with film, this has reinvigorated and reawakened a love for capturing the world through a lens -- again!

My Gear

First off, I rarely, if ever, buy new equipment.  Being in NYC you have access to some of the highest quality used gear the industry has to offer.  Adorama, B&H Photo, and Unique Photo & Video over in Jersey offer some seriously high quality used gear.   And if you are patient you can find top quality cameras and lenses for well under $200.

If I do ever buy new its always lenses.  Good lenses are highly coveted by photographers and many digital cameras use older film lenses quite well.

Something to note is that Adorama and B&H Photo are NOT open on Saturdays and close early Fridays as per Jewish custom, so if you plan on shopping with them do it in the week or on Sunday!

For cameras I used a combination of three (all bought used):

 

Canon EOS Rebel XSi
(Even though this is a small DSLR, it's much bigger than the other two below)

Panasonic Lumix LX5
(a point & shoot and the smallest camera of the bunch, my everyday camera)

Olympus PEN E-PL2
(this guy is also small, not much bigger than the Lumix above)

The Micro 4/3 Standard

For street photography, I can't say enough about the relatively new Micro 4/3 standard.  Why?  The size and weight! Lugging heavy, expensive equipment around on the subway and bus is no joke, and in NYC having lightweight gear allows you to be out on the street for long periods, with less wear and tear on you!  It also lets you hide your gear in times of "stress".

I have been to more than a few protests and rallies where anxious police will literally smash your gear if violence breaks out.  You can literally throw this puppy in a bag almost instantly and get the hell out of dodge.

So What About the Bag?
Yep, your bag is almost as important as your gear since it will protect your gear when not in use AND if you have room can be your mobile office.  Strategically purchasing your bag should not be done in haste.  I use a combination of bags depending on the weather, shooting conditions and gear choice.

I use this bag from Wal-Mart as my go-to daily bag.  For $13 bucks it's a steal.  It holds my camera, gear and a 15 inch Chromebook, mouse and assorted accessories.  You need to add a bit of foam padding to the bottom to protect your gear but it can pack a day's worth easily, including a laptop/tablet and accessories.  I use an APE case foam insert to protect my camera gear from bumping around and the elements since this backpack is rain resistant, but not rain or snow proof.

I also use this bag

This is the big boy, the Lowepro Flipside 300.  When I want to lug ALL the gear out for a serious day of shooting with various lenses, filters, tripod, etc.

My Work

Here are some street shots to give you an idea of what I capture through my lens:

Chess players @ Union Square Park, NYC

Praise dancers outside the Mariner's Temple Baptist Church in Chinatown

The 59th Street Bridge from Roosevelt Island

60th Street and Second Ave taken from the Roosevelt Island Tram Landing

 

Real History Doesn't Have End Credits

Real History vs. Hollywood History

One of the more vexing aspects of American culture is the insensitivity to, and lack of knowledge of history (even within our community sadly).  We tend to believe movies and TV more than reading or reviewing actual history. 

You'll hear this in casual conversation among ourselves at functions, over dinner, and as general information being passed from person to person within the Black community, especially on social media (YouTube infuencers, I'm looking at you here!).  Often those inaccuracies are used to support, supplement or bolster positions and/or arguments or are sometimes the arguments themselves. 

Listen long enough and you'll see that typically what most people know about history comes directly from grade or high school textbooks or even worse from a generous helping of TV or movies.  Lately you'll also find many folks getting their knowledge from "Youtube University".  The problem with this is the fictional gets freely mixed with the actual in a weird gumbo that at best distorts truth, at worst is completely false.

In other words it creates VERY inaccurate portrayals of history, especially OUR history.

When it comes to slavery, many of those inaccurate versions of our history have far more to do with this guy:

Who was the "happy slave", sorry, happy "free negro" character from this movie:

than from anything real you can read in the slave narratives stored at the Library of Congress.

That movie, Disney's "Song of the South" has been "withheld" from distribution in the US for many years, and for good reason.  The setting of the movie is just after the civil war, the characters portray slaves though technically they are freemen.  From an African-American point of view, this movie represents the (literally) white-washed view of slavery and reconstruction as a simple place with good natured white folks that lived in harmony with newly freed Blacks.  History though tells us this wasn't the case with reconstruction being one of the most violent periods of history for people of color.

The issue (or specifically MY issue) with this particular movie is the general attitude and characterization of these former slaves.  They appear as happy, but obviously poor individuals satisfied with their world and going about their daily lives singing, dancing and telling fun stories for the benefit of their former 'slave masters' and their children.  Damn if this isn't the good life!  None of the horrors and brutality of slavery (and the post civil war reconstruction period) are depicted, referenced or even mentioned ANYWHERE in the movie.

For reasons I can't explain there's a LOT of *ahem* folks that really like this movie and want to see it released!  They are passionate to the point of creating online petitions and campaigns for its release.
I remember as a child seeing this movie at New York's grand Radio City Music Hall and wanting to scream "THIS IS BULLSHIT" at the screen.

Even as a child I could see this was about as real a world as my Marvel comics, but in a surreal "this shit can't be happening" kind of way.  To me, this movie has as much cultural significance as "The Holocaust, the Musical", and as much cultural sensitivity.

Don't believe me? Look at this clip and judge for yourself:

See anything wrong?  The biggest problem with films like this (and others like "The Green Berets", "Patton", "Gone With the Wind", "The Ten Commandments", "Cleopatra" and many others) is they become history, totally sweeping away real history in the collective memory of people. Then, when people try to properly put actual, real events in context, it is through the lens of these movies rather than supported by any real truth.

Real history isn't neat, doesn't have a catchy soundtrack and almost always doesn't fit a narrative.  It's messy because human beings are messy.  It's grey rather than black & white.  The good guys aren't always so good and the bad guys not always evil.  Study history long enough and this becomes clear.

Movies, TV and other media are by nature of their design meant to entertain.  If they can also educate and inform at the same time it's an added bonus.  On the other hand history can definitely teach, inform and yes, even sometimes entertain.  But first you have to acknowledge that it won't fit into neat little boxes, or make everyone or every culture a hero or villain.

Best Spots for Getting Work Done in Jamaica Queens

Note: I changed the title of this article to allow for easier Googling....
Last Updated: April 2018

Being a Jamaica, Queens-based writer (and native son) for a long time I had to make the 30 minutes or so subway ride into the city for proper places to both get good coffee and write.  For many years Southeast Jamaica has been a good coffee desert, opting for cheap coffee and buttered roll served in bodegas and delis over anything resembling a quality latte, espresso or cappuccino.  No place for a proper writer to sit, connect with wifi and bust out his laptop.  That is until recently....

With gentrification has come the associated changes to the neighborhood landscape like the addition of small restaurants and eateries, chain pharmacies and stores and of course, that staple of the melanin-challenged invasion, Starbucks.

So while I'm NOT a fan of the bad shit that comes along with gentrification, like rising property taxes and rents, I AM a big fan of the ability to have places to write that are local (as in a short walk or bus ride away).  Sometimes you just have to take the sweet with the sour....

I will keep this page updated with new spots as I find them (and they open or close) to help my fellow Jamaica, Queens writers, cause why should we have to go to the city to work if we don't have to?

A Note About Starbucks

Given the Starbucks controversy, I will say this.  I have NEVER had a problem at any Starbucks I have ever been to and will not let the actions of a racist individual apply to a whole company.

Starbucks - (89th Ave and Sutphin Blvd)
Hours:M-F 6:00am to 9:00pm, Sat 6:30am to 9:00pm, Sun 7:00am to 9:00pm
(Note: this store changes operating hours depending on the season, google for the most current hours)

Located directly across the street from the Queens Civil Courthouse, this Starbucks was my go-to local spot for writing.  Warm, cozy, big windows, decent street parking nights and weekends (if you drive), close to a number of buses and located a couple of blocks from the E and F trains (located directly between the Sutphin Blvd station on the F and Sutphin/Archer station on the E subway lines).  It's also walking distance to the LIRR Jamaica Station.

As a bonus, if you are hungry, the next block has simply one of the best Asian dumpling houses in Southeast Queens.  I'm talking about the Beijing Dumpling House, home of the tastiest shrimp and pork dumplings I have EVER had, period.  For under $10 bucks you can get a heaping plate of noodles or fried rice, dumplings and a drink, highly recommended!

January 2019 Update:  Starbucks recently changed the hours for this store.  They now close at 9:00pm every day.  Since Starbucks Corporate plays with the hours of this store so much check their website for the current store hours.

Dunkin' Donuts - 144-01 Liberty Ave (Between Pinegrove and Inwood Streets)
Hours: Mon - Sun/24 Hours

Located right next door to a Family Dollar and now a brand new Comfort Inn hotel, this is a 24-hour Dunkin' Donuts that is also a Baskin-Robbins and Internet Cafe.  It is bigger than the typical Dunkin' Donuts (probably the biggest in the area) offering comfortable seating, tables, TV, and wi-fi and has become a social staple of the neighborhood.

Mornings and early evenings tend to bring the most customers and local construction workers loading up on caffeine on their way to work.  Other than that you can usually get in and out fairly quickly.   The staff can vary though (especially late nights) with some struggling with English on complex orders, but if you are a straight coffee and donuts/bagel person you won't have any problems

Starbucks - 132-40 Metropolitan Avenue (at the intersection of Metropolitan & Jamaica Ave)
Hours: M-F 5:30am to  9:00pm, Sat 6:00am to 9:30pm, Sun 6:00am to 9:30pm

Located at the intersection of Metropolitan & Jamaica Avenues, just one block west of the Van Wyck Expressway this Starbucks caters to and draws many (if not most) of its customers from nearby Jamaica Hospital and the various medical centers that support the hospital.  Because of this, the interior seems to reflect more of a social bent (small tables and chairs) rather than catering to workers or writers (no large tables to spread out books, notes or reference material).   For instance, I am writing this synopsis on an 11 inch Chromebook, and it covers over half the table!

Being right outside a popular exit of the Jamaica-Van Wyck subway station also means a LOT of in and out foot traffic which can be distracting if you are focusing on banging out some words.  On the plus side, it closes at 9:30pm on Saturday and Sunday which is later than the other local Starbucks, which gives you a half hour more to get'er done.