I am delighted to write a blog post about the Starbucks in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle.  Though I have never worked nor lived in this neighborhood, I have long believed it has got to be the neighborhood in Seattle with the most personality.  Where else can you find a HUGE statue of Lenin, a troll under a bridge (under the Aurora Bridge but still in this neighborhood), and a heavily decorated statue called “Waiting for the Interurban”?  On top of it all, Fremont has the Fremont Bridge, which according to urban legend, is the drawbridge with the very highest number of bridge openings yearly anywhere in the United States.

Amidst the troll, the statue of the Russian revolutionary Lenin, the statues, the sights, and the bridge you find, not surprisingly, a Starbucks.  True to form, this Starbucks is also unique.  The store went through a remodel in about September of this year, and now has a Clover brewer also.

I visited the store today (Friday November 26, 2010) and it was fairly busy.  I tried to get a good photo of the two very large photos hanging on a wall, over the comfy chairs.  One shows the sign in Seattle that gives Fremont its nickname “the center of the universe”.  There is a sign in Fremont designating it as such.  The other shows bicyclists heading in the direction of the Fremont Bridge.  I have heard that these two large photos were actually taken by a store partner in that very store, and that Starbucks liked them so much that they bought the rights to the photos from the partner!  Also notice the neon “F” on the community board in the store!!! I LOVE it!! That so fits with the quirkiness of the store’s neighborhood.

My visit today was met with the store manager on register, and a barista on bar.  My drink (a tall chai with one pump vanilla) was perfect.  I hung out and took photos, though the store was quite busy so it was difficult to get everything I wanted without getting customers right in some of the pictures.  One person, wearing a heavy coat and reading a book, sitting near the Clover volunteered to be featured in the blog!  His name is Josh, and I told him I was writing a blog entry about the store, and he was quite intrigued.  I showed him the photo I took with him in it, and he very cheerfully encouraged me to use it here! What a good sport!

I want to introduce blog readers to the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle with this post.  I should have walked over and taken a picture of the troll but I was a bit lazy.  But you do get Lenin below.  Somewhere in Fremont, there is a rocket ship too, but I am not sure where.  Just as an aside, for the chocolate lovers out there, Theo Chocolates is headquartered in Fremont, not far from the Starbucks.  Sometimes what I want to do with this blog is really show people what a great city Seattle is, and not just that we have great Starbucks.  Well, we DO have great Starbucks, but I have a bias for the city too.

I notice that I rarely feature any Starbucks that are north of the  Lake Washington Ship Canal and the Fremont Cut, but this Starbucks is indeed north of that major Seattle divisor.  Barely north of it. 😉  If you are reading this and want to revisit the many downtown Seattle Starbucks I’ve reviewed, check out the links below:

6th and Union Starbucks (A barista gets her black apron event)

The First Starbucks – 1912 Pike Place (Store #301)

The Columbia Center Starbucks – Store #101 – Includes some interesting Starbucks history

Pioneer Square Starbucks (Store #363)

4th and Seneca Starbucks (Store #392)

Enjoy!