Between the exit to the subway and the entrance to my office building there are two places to grab a cup of coffee and a bite to eat in the morning. One is a Starbucks, the other, a branch of a local chain of delis. This one is “Susan’s Deli of Course,” though I have seen other Delis of Course about town.

Starbucks is, well, Starbucks. This particular one is better than most, with a friendly crew working there. They have better than average coffee and passable muffins and bagels. Susan’s Deli serves mediocre coffee, but has excellent bagels and muffins, in addition to hot egg dishes. I go to both frequently, though tend to frequent Susan’s more often.

Susan’s is housed in my building, a thirteen story building from close to the turn of the century. It’s rustic. The Starbucks is at the foot of a monstrously tall skyscraper; I don’t recall how many floors it is, but it is easily four times taller.

In Starbucks, the morning crowd are suits. Dark suits, well groomed. Investment bankers and the like. Very important. Very busy. Cellphone conversations as common as face conversations. The morning in Starbucks is a dynamo of energy and importance.

Across the street at Susan’s, the crowd is mostly construction workers, and more “office casual” workers such as myself. The woman who runs the counter knows almost every construction worker by name, and what they want. Quietness and politeness rules the morning at Susan’s, I suppose because of these fellows gathering strength for the rest of the day’s labor.