Think you’re addicted to Starbucks?

Washington, D.C.

Last year, while doing research for a People story on “obsessed fans,” I heard about a man named Winter. In 1997, he quit his job as a computer programmer and decided to try and visit every Starbucks in the world.

With ten years of crisscrossing the country and 6,959 domestic stores under his belt now, he’s 96.8% of the way there. (Winter has also visited 457 stores worldwide.) The problem is, Starbucks is opening stores faster than Winter can hit them up – so he stays on the road, sleeping in his car, fighting tirelessly to meet his goal of having a cup of Joe at every licensed, corporate-owned store.

Winter has come through DC a couple of times. After the jump, his candid thoughts on a few of the Bucks we’ve got here in the District.

21st and P (Dupont): “Besides the absolutely lovely architecture of the building Starbucks selected for this location, this store is truly charming. Downstairs the seating in that circular thing at the front of the store (WHAT is it called) looks mighty cozy. And the store has an upstairs, where the serious students hide with their textbooks.”

7th and H (Chinatown): “This is the only store in the country with an exterior sign in another language–according to a barista, it reads “Gourmet Coffee”, but I’m also told it translates into “Starbucks Coffee” (xing-ba-ke ka-fei, a transliteration of the two words).”

Union Station: “Don’t try anything funny here, as Amtrak police has a booth right across from the Starbucks here. I don’t know if they are as bad as the DC Metro Police, but I tried to be on my best behaviour nonetheless.”

Capital Gallery: “I’m told Capital Gallery is a government building, which would make this the first such Starbucks in DC. Regardless, the metal sign is pretty cool.”