Starbucks at the IFC has to be the best hangout in town-with that view it wouldn't matter if they sold dishwater.
from the SCMP by Simon Perry
FIVE REASONS TO DRINK MORE COFFEE:
It's good for your sex life: Men and women who have at least one cup of coffee a day are twice as likely to describe themselves as sexually active, according to a survey by Men's Health magazine. A cup of coffee in bed in the morning is particularly effective, the magazine says.
It's better than chocolate and the internet: According to a survey by a coffee- and espresso-machine maker, coffee is second only to sex in terms of the most important things in life for people. Men and women ranked it above home internet access and chocolate as the thing they could least do without.
It stops you from being suicidal: A 10-year study of more than 86,000 women in the US, by a team from the Harvard Medical School, found women who drink coffee regularly are less likely to commit suicide. The 1996 study didn't go as far as to say coffee could prevent depression, however, and said further clinical tests were needed.
It helps your brain: A study at the University of Bristol in Britain in 1999 found that people who have coffee for breakfast are better at digesting information at work and less likely to get tired at their desks, compared with people who start the day without coffee.
It helps prevent Parkinson's disease: Nine studies over the past 30 years in the US say regular coffee consumption may help reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease, an incurable and debilitating condition that causes tremors and difficulty in moving the arms and legs. Six studies found that people who drink regularly are between 50 and 80 per cent less likely to contract the disease, according to America's National Coffee Association.
FIVE REASONS TO DRINK LESS COFFEE:
It can save you money: If you drink five cups a day, you could be spending $500 on coffee over a working week, based on the average price of about $20 a cup in Starbucks or Pacific Coffee. That's $24,000 a year, excluding the cups you buy on your annual holidays.
It can make you less reckless: In 1902, T.D. Crothers, a professor of nervous and mental diseases and editor of the Journal of Inebriety, wrote that excessive coffee drinking was as dangerous as alcoholism and drug addiction. He recalled a case in the American civil war when a "prominent general" after drinking several cups of coffee, "appeared on the front of the line, exposing himself with great recklessness, shouting and waving his hat as if in a delirium, giving orders and swearing in the most extraordinary manner. He was believed to be intoxicated. Afterwards it was found that he had used nothing but coffee."
It can unsettle your stomach: People with stomach problems should avoid all caffeinated beverages, according to Hong Kong nutritionist Sandra Osbourne, who says caffeine stimulates the flow of acids that can irritate the stomach lining. Switch to decaffeinated drinks and you'll feel better quickly.
It can cause religious unrest: When coffee was first introduced in the Middle East, Muslims used it to help them stay awake during religious vigils. Clerics were infuriated by its use as a "devotional anti-soporific" and banned its use, threatening severe penalties to anyone found addicted to it.
It can cause costly lawsuits: McDonald's discovered this when a 79-year-old bought a cup of coffee for 49 US cents in a drive-through restaurant in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1992. As she placed the cup between her legs and removed the lid, hot coffee spilled on her lap, causing third-degree burns. A jury ordered McDonald's to pay the woman US$2.7 million in punitive damages.
and finally a list of esoteric cafes in HK
http://babyurl.com/tGxapH
