Dupont South 1301 Connecticut Avenue NW - Nov 6, 2005

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).

What do you have to say about this Starbucks?