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 | 	- I think all of the reviews here are spot on.  I spend a lot of time there studying,  and I find the baristas (do they call people who work at coffee shops that aren't Starbucks that??) there to be just about the unhappiest lot I've ever encountered.  I try not to fault them TOO much for this, as I've worked retail before (though never food service, and I am completely aware that food service may very well be worse), and they probably deal with a lot of grade A d-bags (am I allowed to say that here?) in Shadyside.  But still.  I always go out of my way to be polite to them, and I come in nearly everyday, despite the coffee (which I agree is very 'meh'... watery and just basically pretty average, if not slightly below) and HORRIBLE pastries/desserts.  (Seriously, they taste like they've been around since the place opened.)  But never a flash of recognition, of any sort of 'hey this girl's usually pretty nice and polite so maybe when she quite benignly asks for a cup of ice in addition to her $4 iced soy-vanilla latte+tip, I shouldn't practically roll my eyes at her.'  Nothing like that.
So, why do I come here everyday?  For the same reason other people must come here, too... the people-watching and melding of inside/outsideness in the place.  It IS pretty lame that the internet isn't free, and especially with how Crazy Mocha has apparently hopped onboard with UPMC to takeover the city, you'd think CTR would at least want to keep up with the competition.  But, with a purchase, you still get 2 hours access, so that does go a bit of a ways in making up for it.
In terms of the wait for tables, I've never found it to be quite as bad as a few on here have said.  I've never had to wait longer than 3 or 4 minutes for a table, and especially if you're by yourself and only have a book or something, people are generally pretty nice about letting you share their table until one opens up.  
So, in summary, if you are a coffee snob, this probably isn't your place... if you're any other kind of snob, though, make sure you walk by the place a few times with your oversized sunglasses, gladiator sandals, & Sephora bag, carrying your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy in your purse, so us scrubby kids taking up tables in the Coffee Tree have a chance to gawk at you for awhile.
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