It's funny how much more you can appreciate a place once you don't have to work there anymore. Such is how I feel about The Coffee Bean.
I worked at this location for almost two years, and while I was miserable pretty much the entire time I still enjoy coming here for coffee. One of the reasons being, I love the location. Being a bit more off the beaten path, it caters to a more neighborhood-y crowd for being a chain. A lot more regulars and not as many tourists(except during Spring Training time which always made me especially suicidal when I was an employee).
And the coffee is pretty decent. There aren't as many selections of flavors as Starbucks but I always thought the quality was better. I highly suggest trying the new Pecan Praline latte which is delicious, plus the blendeds are far superior due to them actually being BLENDED and not chunks of ice.
The place closes at 7pm all week so it's not exactly a nighttime hangout. Of course when I worked there closing time was an annoying and unnecessary 9pm....it's nice the bastards finally get their act together AFTER I leave.
Oh and for all you guys out there, the place is next to Ford Modeling Agency so you can see models, yes real models, probably on their go-sees milling around carrying their little portfolios. It's very ANTM.