Sorry, dear readers, for being away for so long, but life tends to get in the way of what we'd rather be doing. Jacinda has now, no doubt, aced her finals, and Jerry is done with his paper. So, we decided to have some fun and headed over to the opening of the PostSecret show in Georgetown last Thursday. For those of you who don't know, PostSeret is an art project started by local Frank Warren. Folks around the country would anonymously mail him postcards on which they had written a secret about themselves. Warren would then post them to a blog. At the Georgetown show, which is open through January 8th, you can see 2,000 of those postcards. They are alternately funny, scary, sad, and depraved. Highly recommended.

While in Georgetown we couldn't pass up the opportunity to check out one of the Starbuckses there. We were joined by our friend Shaka who, when we started taking pictures of the store and our drinks, was nice enough to pretend like it was a perfectly normal thing to do. He noted that the White Mocha he ordered at this store was one of the best he'd had.

We didn't see much of the clientele since we were there on an icy and rainy night at around 9. The store, however, was nice. It has two floors, and the second floor has a fireplace, several couches and armchairs, and a great big window that must be lovely in the daytime.

In our haste to get out of the rain, we forgot to take a picture of the outside of the store. The picture above is borrowed from Winter. Although we plan to take our own picture next time we're in the neighborhood, we would love it if someone who lives around there would send us a picture.

Consumed: A tall pumpkin spice latte (Jacinda); a tall mocha (Jerry); and a grande white mocha (Shaka).

We had never been to this Starbucks before this visit, although we had walked past it many times. What struck us was how tiny it is. It is even smaller than the usual small store. It therefore goes without saying that it gets crowded very easily. The location is in an old building and the interior is pretty. However, its diminutive size doesn't quite make it cute, but instead confining.

The clientele was what you'd expect in the gentrifying U Street corridor. It was mixed, but decidedly trending toward yuppie; we surely didn't change the mix on that score.

We had just stuffed ourselves with brunch at Rosemary's Thyme, so we didn't get anything but drinks. Jacinda did get one of their seasonal offerings, a peppermint mocha. She said that it was good, but a bit too pepperminty.

Before we sign off, we'd like to make sure you know about our news page, since it's a bit hidden. On it we frequently post the latest Starbucks news and gossip. We also have links to our favorite coffee-related sites, as well as a constantly updating collection of Starbucks-related pictures. Check it out.

On Veterans' Day we went to the Starbucks nearest Jacinda's place by the Cathedral. This store was very different from others we've been to so far. For one thing, it was split into three areas. First you had the store itself, which is sort of inside a mall, but it really isn't a mall so much as a collection of no-name stores in a building's lobby. Then outside the Starbucks, but still indoors, there is a large seating area with tables and armchairs. Finally, there was outside seating.

This part of D.C. is one of the wealthiest and you could tell by the clientele. They were much older than in the other stores we've visited and there was Lacoste as far as the eye could see. This is also probably the first store we've been to where there were kids; the nannies must have had the day off. Even though there were kids there, it's probably the nicest Starbucks we've been to yet.

The day before, Starbucks corporate had decided it was Christmas and all the stores were appropriately decorated. (Here's a story about how their holiday promotion almost failed.) We didn't try any holiday drinks on this visit, but we will soon. Jerry did have a "peppered bacon," egg and cheese sandwich, and it lived up to its spicy name. This Starbucks seemed to feature their breakfast sandwiches and they had a person dedicated to manning the toaster. Jim Romenesko has a post up on why Starbucks shouldn't bother selling hot breakfast food. One other thing: Overhearing a customer order a drink led us to wonder, what's the point to ordering a decaf doppio, which, to the uninitiated, is a double espresso.

Consumed: A half-caf grande two-pump no-whip mocha and a gingerbread loaf (Jacinda); a grande mild blend coffee and a peppered bacon, egg and cheese sandwich (Jerry).

Out of four Starbucks in Dupont CIrcle, today we visited our third. This particular location's claim to fame is that last year an assistant to Donald Rumsfeld left notes lying around there. He had prepared them to brief Rumsfeld before he went on a Sunday morning talk show to discuss Richard Clarke's testimony before the 9/11 Commission. They also included a hand-drawn map to Rumsfeld's home, which is apparently nearby. A patron found the notes and did what anyone would do in the same position--turned them over to activists who promptly put them on the web.

We didn't find anything quite so sensational, but we had a nice time there nonetheless. The associate that helped us was especially friendly and, not surprisingly, new. It's probably the case with most Starbucks in this town that the buildings they are in have been converted from a prior use. You can especially tell that that's the case with this one. It's very pretty inside, has high ceilings, and a chandelier. It's also why one of the cash registers is directly behind a load-bearing column, so that customers can't see who they're giving the order to unless they crane their neck. This is also the first location we've been to that has two TVs always tuned to CNN--very D.C. Like the other Dupont locations, this one is busy and the crowd is full of all sorts of folks. However, unlike its trendier cousins up the street, this location feel more relaxed for some reason.

Hat-tip to the Washington Post's Express newspaper for mentioning us in their Blog Log column last week.

Consumed: A half-caf grande two-pump no-whip mocha and a cream cheese danish (Jacinda); a tall latte and a cream cheese danish (Jerry).

The U Street Starbucks is truly an Urban Coffee Opportunity. Unlike its Logan Circle sibling, this is a neighborhood still in transition, but it's coming along beautifully. Ben's Chili Bowl, a D.C. landmark, is across the street and still going strong, while new shops, restaurants and the Ellington Apartments have revitalized the area.

This a very small Starbucks, with barely three tables inside. There is outside seating, however. The crowd is diverse. Jacinda tried a Pumpkin Spice Latte for the first time, and she thought it was surprisingly good. Good enough to make Starbucks's profits soar last quarter.

We'd like to take this opportunity to welcome all the new readers who've found us after a number of gracious bloggers linked to us. The response to our little project has been largely positive and we appreciate all the encouragement. But we'd also like to take a moment to address all the haters.

Some of the commenters on DCist may have missed the point of what we're trying to do, which is have a little fun doing something we do anyway--drink Starbucks coffee. It also gives us the opportunity to do something we wouldn't have done, and that is explore some of the unique neighborhoods in D.C. Sadly, for some reason, when Starbucks is involved, some folks can't look beyond their bleeding hearts. How humorless do you have to be to suggest that we should instead be touring every independent coffee shop in town? But as Louis Armstrong said, "There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell them."

The meme seems to be that Starbucks has homogenized coffeehouse culture. However, we're not sure that there ever was such a culture in the U.S. before Starbucks came along and popularized this European concept. Some say that in fact the independents have benefited from the millions Starbucks has invested in marketing high-end coffee culture. Whatever the case, Starbucks didn't force homogenization on anyone. They offered it and people took it because they wanted it. Nothing wrong with that.

Consumed: A tall pumpkin spice latte (Jacinda); a doppio espresso (Jerry).

For breakfast this morning we went to one of the other three Dupont locations, the one Starbucks calls Dupont North. The place was very crowded. It has a nice patio and all the seats there were taken. There were lots of young people, a group of Italian middle-aged guys, couples, etc. Of note was a young guy sitting outside reading the paper and smoking a big stogie and a barista with a pronounced (Australian?) accent. We give this store nine thumbs up!

On our walk home we witnessed a minibus inferno right off Dupont Circle. (See pics below.) We first noticed it when a good samaritan began yelling at cars and pedestrians who were headed towards it that there was a fire and to stay away. This only prompted us and everyone else to rush to gawk. It was pretty cool, as fires tend to be.

The firemen arrived and they started to hose down the bus. However, that only seemed to make the fire angrier as the flames got bigger and began to shoot out of the windows. From where we were standing it seemed to be engulfing the firemen. Eventually we decided to high-tail it before the bus exploded.

Consumed: A half-caf grande two-pump no-whip mocha and a chocolate donut (Jacinda); a tall mild blend coffee and a chocolate donut (Jerry).

This Starbucks is one of the busiest in the city. We got there after 9 p.m. on a Wednesday and just about every seat was taken. There were all sorts of folks at this location, young, old, black, white, gay, straight--the works.

This store's central location virtually guarantees that it will always be mobbed. This might not be the best Starbucks to go to if you want to enjoy your coffee in peace or concentrate on your reading, but if people-watching is what you’re in the mood for, then the spot is great. Almost all the walls are windows and the corner of Connecticut and New Hampshire is in a very high-traffic area. The windows don’t just let you see the dozens of people who walk by every minute, they also let you be seen, and Jerry has a sneaking suspicion this is just how some of the kids there like it.

We sat next to a group of young women still in work clothes who were deep in conversation about a conflict one of them was having. The subject was obviously important to at least one of them; she talked in maudlin tones. It was the kind of conversation that makes Jacinda want to go the person and say, "Look. Whatever you're talking about is really not important. Don't you realize your life is meaningless?" Jerry just wanted to give the girls a Starbucks cup with an uplifting quote from Jonah Goldberg printed on it.

Consumed: A half-caf tall one-pump no-whip mocha and a black bottom cupcake (Jacinda); a tall decaf mint mocha (Jerry).

We braved a torrential downpour today in order to continue our coffee adventure. We went to the Starbucks at 15th and K, right across from McPherson Square. Don't confuse it with the one across the square, on 15th and I -- a mere half-block away. We asked the very nice girl who took our order how the two stores refer to each other, but, not surprisingly, she was new and didn't know a thing. So, we've settled on calling this store McPherson Square North and the other one South.

The clientele in the store is surely very different during the work week, when all of the K Street office dwellers converge there. However, on this rainy Saturday, most of the patrons were middle-aged or older (and some possibly homeless). Since downtown is quiet on the weekends, this store wasn't bustling, so we were able to enjoy our coffee in peace.

While we were sitting there, we noticed that the police began to block off K Street and put flares on the road. Jerry thought it might be the President coming through, since we were so near the White House, but it turned out to be someone much more interesting. Lance Armstrong rode by on his bike, escorted by several police cars and followed by an ambulance (just in case). Lance was finishing the last leg of the Tour of Hope, which began in San Diego and finished at the Ellipse. Unfortunately, today's Old Testament-like flooding resulted in the cancellation of the finish line festivities.

Consumed: A half-caf grande two-pump no-whip mocha and a cream cheese Danish (Jacinda); a tall bold blend coffee (although he asked for mild blend) and a cream cheese Danish (Jerry).

On our maiden voyage, we thought we'd ease into it and go to our usual place. We went to the Starbucks nearest Jerry's apartment off Logan Circle. This Starbucks is nominally an Urban Coffee Opportunity store, which means that it is in a ghetto (or what the Starbucks website calls "ethnically diverse neighborhoods"). However, Logan Circle has been thoroughly gentrified in the past few years. There's a Whole Foods across the street and a couple of trendy restaurants on the same block.

The clientele is mostly comprised of yuppies and their dogs. Being Logan Circle, there are many openly gay folks, too. The nearest Starbucks to this one is half a mile away on 15th and K.

Consumed: A half-caf tall one-pump no-whip mocha and banana loaf (Jacinda); a tall mild blend coffee and a cheese croissant (Jerry).