Get off your Bed and go to Panera Bread!

                                                      Photo by: Businessmodelinstitute.com

Out of all the chain cafes, Panera Bread, has to be one of the top. Panera is a big franchise that is expanding in various areas; the Panera that I go to the most is the one located on 23-58 Bell Blvd, Bayside. Back in high school, the Panera in Bay Terrace was my study spot. 

A reason why Panera is a good study place is that it offers a section of the cafe just for quiet studying. Because Panera is a popular place, many people go to Panera to hang out, eat and study so Panera is prone to be a bit loud and crowded. But the specific section for quiet study is actually really quiet. Once the sliding door is closed, almost all the sounds from outside is blocked off leaving the person studying a quiet environment. There were only a handful of time where I could not find a seat in the study section but usually there will be plenty of seats. 

Initially, I did not enjoy the food that Panera offer. Because of my laziness, leaving the cafe, buying food, and coming back seemed like such a hassle that I kept on eating their food. Eventually, I came to enjoy their food; one time, I received a Panera gift card that really put a smile on my face. They offer variety of paninis, sandwiches, soups, salads, and of course, bread (hence the name of the cafe). I always get the combo of half a sandwich and half a bowl of soup. If you're too cheap to buy a drink, ask for a water cup and use the water cup to drink whatever you want. The water cups are obviously smaller than the regular cups but its free and also sitting down too long can be unhealthy, its good to get up and walk to the fountain. Gotta get that blood pumping.

One thing that I really like about Panera is the music they play. My standard of what type of music a cafe should play came from Panera. Their music consists of jazz music. Many of their songs are pop songs covered by jazz instruments which gives a different feel to the song. The music is played softly as well so that the music would not be a distraction. Panera has everything a cafe needs: good food, good snack, good music, good study area, and of course, the water cup. 

Rating: 8/10

Care for some Crepes on a Bench

                                     Photo by: Nizaaa Y. (via Yelp)

Anyone like crepes? Cafe Bench, located on 194-07 Northern Blvd, Flushing, is known for their crepes. They have all different kinds of crepes in both the desert and meal section. Cafe Bench is more like a restaurant than a cafe because the people rarely go to the cafe to do work but rather to eat crepes and socialize.

The only time I would go to Cafe Bench is when my friends want to go. I personally think that their crepes are overrated, meaning I don't think the crepes are as good as people say it is. This is just one man's opinion; I know plenty of people who loves their crepes.

Photo by: Catherine C. (via yelp)

Lady Na Na crepe

The specialty crepes each have unique names such as the one shown above, the Lady Na Na, which consists of a crepe with bananas, nutella, ice-cream, and the white powder things (I'm not too sure of the name).

Cafe Bench, I believe, is not a place to study but a place to socialize and enjoy crepes. The place gives off a friendly vibe; it may have to be the bright colors and environment. If you're looking for a nice place for deserts after a meal, Cafe Bench is the place to go.

Rating: 6/10

Back at Dac

                                                                        Photo by: Yong Min Cho

The newest building in St. John's University is the D'Angelo Center, aka DAC. This building was made especially for commuters to have a place to go to study. But the thing is, there isn't much studying going on. There was a joke saying how the person who purposed the building to be a center of studying created the best place to procrastinate.

One reason why people do not study in DAC is because the noise. Especially during common hour, 2 p.m - 3 p.m, the population of DAC is too much. It takes great concentration and will power to actually study in an environment of non-stop talking, laughing, and did I mention piano playing?

                                                                         Photo by: Yong Min Cho

Dac third floor study cafe

Dac third floor is mostly where the study happens. St. John's University just recently installed a study cafe. They have thick brown curtains at each entrance. Surprisingly, the curtains sometimes actually limit the sound coming through from the rest of DAC. It did give a peaceful environment to study but ironically, there are still a handful of people who go in the quiet area and talk because the rest of DAC is too loud for them to converse. 

A friend of mine actually revised the meaning of the acronym DAC from the D'Angelo Center to Da Asian Center. It is a common knowledge that Asians are the majority who inhibits DAC. Asians going to the third floor, whether to study or meet other Asians became part of the DAC culture. 

                                                                        Photo by: Yong Min Cho

Starbucks on DAC third floor 

Though having a Starbucks inside DAC may seem like a good thing but it actually adds on to the noise. Don't get me wrong, I love having a Starbucks as close as a 10-second walk but during the busy parts of the day, it can get too hectic.

DAC becomes a completely different place during midterm and finals week. Only during times when big exams are coming up, are the times where DAC actually fulfills its purpose. Many students gather DAC to study because the Library may be jam-packed. 

                                                                       Photo by: Yong Min Cho

DAC honestly isn't the best place to go to study. The library provides a much better study environment than the cafe. But having a place like DAC is a good thing. It gives students a place to go and meet their community of friends. Whenever I am done with a class, I would go to DAC knowing that I would have friends already there.

Rating: 7.5/10 

Caffe Bene

                                                                         Photo By: Yong Min Cho

Caffe Bene is a cafe bakery that branched out from Korea to America. The Caffe Bene located in the city is on 1611 Broadway, between 48th and 49th street. Like Paris Baguette, Caffe Bene is a popular cafe and its location, which is fairly close to the tourist central of 42nd street, helps the fame. 

Because of its popularity, Caffe Bene, especially on weekends, is jam-packed. The cafe has a section in the back which sets the atmosphere of a calm, quiet library. Though it seems as if the interior design of the cafe was purposed for studying, I cannot imagine people actually studying or reading with the loud environment of chatty people. But it is a great place to hang out. 

They are known for their waffles, misugaru beverages, and their year-round pap ing soo, which is shaved ice with milk, sweet red beans paste, little rice cakes, fruit and ice cream. Their waffles are actually good but they are definitely not worth their price. One waffle which is probably smaller than your palms is worth more than $4. Misugaru is the cafe's featured beverage; misugaru is consists of black sesame seeds, black bean, black and brown rice and barley. Doesn't sound very tasty but one must try it first to make a judgement. The papingsoo the cafe offers is a good deal. The bowl that they serve it in is probably close to the size of your head. Make sure you bring others along to eat it because if you eat it by yourself, your stomach won't be able to handle the 'goodness.' 

Honestly, I think people go here for the name brand just like when people wear different clothes brand when they can get the same clothes for cheaper at Target (which is what I do). But the interior is really something. I do not think the place is good for studying but rather spending time with friends and family. 

Rating: 6/10

Rivalry of Vine and DeCup (part 2)

                                                                       Photo By: Yong Min Cho

Cafe De Cupping is my personal favorite cafe. This is probably the cafe where I am most present. Cafe De Cupping is located on 150-17 Northern Blvd, Flushing. This cafe is popular but I was always able to find plenty of seats available. 

I've wondered why the cafe name was 'De Cupping,' but that is not important because this cafe is pretty awesome. 

One down side is that WiFi is not free. You have to buy something from the store and on the receipt will be an access code; you connect to the De Cupping WiFi and enter the code where it says to enter the code. Another bad part is that you only get 2 hour WiFi access which is probably enough for many people but there are also a lot of people who stay over 2 hours. 

                                                            Photo By: Yong Min Cho

Honey bread and a heart-shape creme coffee

On the positive side, I very much enjoy the snacks and drinks they offer; I am a sucker who would pay $5.45 for one green-tea frap. In my opinion, they make the best drinks out of every cafe I've been too, yes even Starbucks. They have 2 specialty bread that they make, honey bread and cinnamon honey bread. Which is both 'awesome,' and I hate cinnamon too. It is big enough for three people but there were times where I finished the bread myself and I was not ashamed, though my friends thought it was a bad idea because it is very sweet.

                                                                    Photo By: Yong Min Cho

 Lovely green-tea frap and books

Just like Cafe Vine, Cafe De Cupping has a study friendly environment but during the night times and especially weekends, it may be crowded. But the cafe maintains the quiet environment most of the time. There are plenty of big tables where a party of more than six people can sit together. 

The music they play is similar to Cafe Vine, in which they play all different genres of music but unlike Vine, De Cupping plays more pop than jazz. The workers are nice as well and very friendly. They have a system where they would give you a card that says 'Cafe De Cupping' and every time you buy a drink, they would punch a letter for you and when you punched every letter, you get a free drink. The bad part it is that it would honestly take forever to order 13 drinks costing over 5 dollars each. But my card is 1/4 finished, still got a long way to go. 

This is my favorite cafe. Though Cafe Vine has a better study environment, the food that they offer, especially the green-tea frap, captured my stomach to come to De Cupping rather than Vine. 

Rating: 9.5/10

Rivalry of Vine and DeCup (part 1)

                                                                 Photo By: Yong Min Cho

Cafe Vine is pretty up there in my list of top cafes. It is located on 150-13 Northern Blvd, Flushing; you can take the Q13 or Q28 and get off at 149th street and you will see Cafe Vine.

Cafe Vine is slowly to get popular. At one point, there were very few who came to the cafe. I found out about this cafe through a friend who would always come here and share how great it was. 

One can say it is a typical Korean coffee shop but there are many upsides to this cafe. One major point is the free WiFi; you do not have to buy anything the shop offers to use WiFi but simply ask the workers to give you the access. Cafe Vine is also a study friendly cafe. During the weekdays, the cafe's population is low, which allows one to study in peace AND get free WiFi. It is relatively a quiet place which is nice because there aren't a lot of cafes now a days that aren't filled with crowds of people talking at the same time. But one thing to take notice is that during the night time, it may start crowding because that is the time when people gets off work and decide to spend time with their friends. But the noise is bearable.

The music they play depends on what time of the day. In the mornings and afternoons, they play calm and jazzy music, which in my opinion, is a great choice for a cafe. When night time hits, they would play whatever the heck they want; somethings they would play k-pop, radio hits, techno, club music, etc. But they tend to play calm, soft music for the most part.

One of the bad parts about the cafe is that other than their coffee, their drinks are not worth its price. Their coffee is great, whether it be hot or iced, both has a good taste. But sadly the other drinks they have are not great. I ordered a green-tea frap once and it came out like a smoothie. Of course, I did not try every drink on the menu so I am sure that not everything is bad. Plus their service is great. Every worker is polite and nice; they always bring what you ordered to your table and are always smiling. 

You're probably wondering why the title of the post has rivalry on it. Well that is because Cafe Vine does have a rival. Right next to this cafe, another cafe is present, Cafe DeCupping. I have no idea why anyone would build a cafe next to another cafe but it happened. The two cafes are great and my personal favorites.

Rating: 7/10

Straight from Paris

                                                   Photo by: Yong Min Cho

Paris Baguette located between 136th and Flushing

One way to stand out is to be different, unique. Paris Baguette is cafe bakery that was started in Korea and then came globally to America and is a fast growing franchise. The store located between 138th and Flushing was the first Paris Baguette to hit New York City.   

My guess is that because almost everyone likes Paris and thinks that it is a romantic place, the founder decided to create a cafe with a Paris theme. But trust me on this, there is nothing that 'feels' Paris except the Eiffel Tower on their logo. Honestly, I do not like Paris Baguette. It is definitely not a good place to study due to the fact the cafe is never empty. There are times when the music cannot be heard because everybody is talking really loud; and the music playing is usually k-pop, which is not the best choice of genre honest for a cafe in my opinion. But the cafe is a great place to socialize. It is a popular meet-up spot. 

                                  Photo by: Yong Min Cho

The cafe offers a large selection of bread, sandwiches and beverages. I actually do not remember the last time I bought bread here but there were many instances where my friends who work here hook me up with free beverages; therefore make friends with people who work here. When summer comes, Paris Baguette sells the famous Korean desert called 'pap ing soo,' which is shaved ice with milk, sweet red beans paste, little rice cakes, fruit and ice cream. It comes in a size big enough for 2-3 people to share but if you really like it, you can indulge the whole thing for yourself...which I do often. 

Though I myself do not really appreciate Paris Baguette, I know many who loves it. One thing for sure is, do not walk into the cafe with plans of studying unless you can get work done in a loud, busy environment. 

Rating: 5/10