1) Manahattan Valley: BREAKING: A Curbed reader emails, "Someone mentioned a Starbucks closing a few weeks backs and I have another one for you: the location at 102nd and Bway closed Sept 17th and left a rather strange Dear John letter in the front door window. I wasn't able to get a photo of it, but I'm sure you can imagine the bizzareness of a corporate love letter."
2) Harlem: Despite the failure at 102nd, the 'Bucks is citing its success in Harlem as proof that the company has plenty of room to grow in the U.S. market: "[Chairman Howard] Schultz said stores in neighborhoods it previously overlooked, including Harlem, have performed as well as stores in wealthier neighborhoods, such as the Upper East Side. That gives the company 'all these real estate possibilities we have never looked at before.' The locations in Harlem have 'given us tremendous confidence that we will open a store today in almost any neighborhood in America if we feel the density is there,' he said." Uh, way to go, Harlem! [NYDailyNews]
3) Soho: Speaking of expansion, early frontrunner for most horrifying restaurant trend of the fall goes to the new Starbucks Salon concept. Food blogger Eat reports from the opening of one last weekend in Soho (photo, above): "Starbucks has really pulled one over on these sad consumers, wiping out coffeehouses from coast to coast only to start opening these ersatz dens of literature and music. Can you believe that there is a bouncer and a press entrance here?" [Eat]