Ed. note: This is the latest in a when-I-feel-like-it series of meditations on “third places,” spots to spend time that aren’t home or work.

Starbucks takes a lot of flak, but I say cut it some slack. Of course, that attitude shows my bias toward coffee – if it’s hot and black, I’m down. Set aside for a second criticisms of the business model (e.g., they’re an evil globalhypermegacorp, they burn their coffee, they focus on marketing incidentals like CDs as much as coffee). Forget all that, and think about the atmosphere.

For today’s visit, I spent $2 on a grande “bold” coffee. If I had wanted to go sugar and fat hog-wild, I could’ve dropped $5 on a frilly drink. Either way, I’m still under the threshold of a 3rd dimension: about the cost of the ticket to a movie. And, as when I see a movie, I can tie myself up for a few hours in Starbucks. If I break down and get a second drink to fuel a particularly involved writing session, the out-of-pocket remains under the 3rd dimension bar.

Starbucks generally encourages patrons to come in, order an expensive drink and leave. That’s how they maximize the per-customer revenue. Yet, they don’t seem to mind people hanging out doing 3rd dimension activities. As I look around, I see people on their laptops (the wi-fi has it’s own, seperate price, unlike a lot of more “local” coffee joints), a couple playing cards, and others reading.

Unlike other locally-owned coffeehouses, I’ve never seen a Starbucks barista ask a patron to leave because that person spent more time than money. I don’t doubt it could happen, but I’ve never seen it. Starbucks makes too much money, I think, to worry about patrons lazing about. The important difference is that, as I laze about writing, I’ve seen perhaps two dozen other patrons walk through the door, and walk right back out with their Frappuccinos.

All in all, Starbucks makes a great 3rd dimension, provided you don’t mind the commercialism. You don’t have to buy a CD or the latest Tazo gift pack. Headphones easily drown out the self-promoting music, which is more than I can say for the locally-owned coffee spots here in St. Petersburg, The Globe and Cafe Bohemia (which has free wi-fi but, mysteriously, no Web site). Those places have their own charms, but I usually can’t hear myself think when I’m in them, particularly on weekends.

At times, I have attention-deficit troubles around the house. The TV needs babysitting (it’s not gonna watch itself), or the dishes need doing. My Starbucks is a short drive away, and it allows me to dodge distractions long enough to actually finish a blog post or an email to a friend, or whatever.