[See in original format at The Real Estate Lounge Chicago]
So the lances have been drawn and the steeds mounted as the coffee battles are being waged.
In billboards and full-page ads in income-deprived dailies like the Chicago Tribune and The New York Times we are witness to the skirmishes as grinding teeth of corporate titans have been supplanted by grinding coffee and lots of lattes that are being tipped to and from Starbucks and the cafe of the masses simmering under McDonald's Golden Arches and the double "d" of Dunkin' Donuts.
And while I will be the first to admit that I have enjoyed more than a few specialty coffees that I have snagged from Mickey D drive-thrus in-between showings of pristine (and less than) pieces of real estate in Chicago, I'd like to tell you of an adventure of sorts that I had earlier today as Lucas shimmied through the playground at a McDonald's on Ashland in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood.
[If I am not mistaken, this is the same McDonald's that is the source of endless comments on a Northside Parent's Network's chat room that involves a bad nanny - but that's a story for a different day.]
But the story for today has to do with coffee, McDonald's attempt to usurp the market share currently controlled by Starbucks and the ease of grabbing a cup of joe while keeping up the good fight behind the computer screen while going wireless.
If I'm not mistaken, as more and more places offer wifi service, McDonald's restaurants are part of this trend. And while wireless service itself isn't so much of a concern to me as I have modem service through Verizon, what is of concern to me due to the feeble battery life of my hp computer is an outlet.
So there we were today chucking a single stone at two or three birds - Lucas plays in the kiddie land with Nicole while I crank out some work before heading to show my West Loop loft listing at 1250 Van Buren. And as I surveyed the situation I came to the grim discovery that amid the hubris of the morning rush was a complete and utter absence of outlets.
Nowhere to be seen was an outlet to bubble the life of electricity into my computer. Rats!
Then lo and behold after resigning myself to be less wired rather than wireless my eyes stumbled upon a single lonely outlet stranded below one of two benches in the playland. Hah, and so surrounded by the green shoots of social skills of a group of two to five year olds I set up shop, returning emails and advising clients about our searches for Chicago area real estate and the state of currently negotiated contracts for a couple of Chicago condos.
And so it went for fifteen or so minutes. And then my screen went black.
I suppose later I will laugh while mulling over the line of "being careful what you pray for" because my silent prayer had been for an outlet, not a working one. But at the time my frustration was palpable. Again, rats!
The good news is that while my computer went cold my latte was still warm. And more good news is the lesson learned.
It boils down to you get what you pay for.
A to-go latte from the Mickey D's drive-through is great as I stitch appointments together from showing my Andersonville condo to my Lakeview condo to my River West condo to my West Loop condo to my Roscoe Village condo to my Bucktown condo to my Wicker Park condo. But when it's time to settle in do some search engine optimization for google, yahoo or bing or provide something more than the terse email that a Blackberry allows, I need a place that provides two types of juice - a tasty latte as well as a working outlet.
So at the end of the day, as well as at the beginning, that's the perfect time for a place like Starbucks. Face it, given the option I will always opt for the little guy. Especially the one who rocks the globe with service and quality that makes you want to be a stark-raving fan. So my true choices will be Metropolis Coffee in Edgewater or The Coffee Studio in Andersonville.
But I won't turn my back on Starbucks, forever crediting them for changing the lexicon of coffee and ensuring that a true, reliable and strong cup of coffee is always there. So hip hip hooray Starbucks.
And hip hip hooray for other things that are worth what you pay for them, like the input and counsel from a Chicago real estate professional whose advice and input is insightful, reliable and valuable.
That, my friends, is a classic soft-sell of your's truly, Thomas McCarey and his team at The Real Estate Lounge Chicago.
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