Before I go any further, let me get this out of the way. I neither love, nor hate chain coffee. If you drink coffee, you've probably already got your opinion about Starbucks, and I won't try to steer you in any particular direction.

All I'll say is, the Starbucks at University & 29th Street is classy and comfy, fitting the neighborhood nicely. And I enjoyed my mocha very much.

If you're a coffee fan, you've most certainly been to Lestats in Normal Heights.

Lestats is the epitome of the eclectic local flair that is Normal Heights (a different link). It touts a quirky decor, diverse clientele and goth-y atmosphere... not to mention lots of live entertainment, including open-mic nights, stand-up comics and indie music acts.

As I mentioned before, I'm a bit of a coffee newbie. So I thought I'd try-out some of the local coffee shops and let you know my impressions.

For each coffee shop I'll order the same thing (a large mocha) and try to connect to the WiFi with my laptop and iPhone. I'll report the results here.

There's a website out there called WalkScore.com, and you can use it to assess the walkability of your neighborhood. You might be surprised to know that North Park gets an impressive score of 91 out of 100.

(I knew North Park would do well, but I wouldn't have guessed it would score in the 90's.)

I'm a newly-converted coffee fan. Having grown-up in a Mormon family, coffee was always forbidden. But now that I'm a devout agnostic, all bets are off.

My first attempt at trying coffee was from a vending machine at work. Probably not the best choice for a first-timer. I didn't care for it then, and so I just kinda forgot about it for awhile.