The Coffee Bean (3rd and La Cienega)

ATMOSPHERE:  Good

CLEANLINESS:  Good

CUSTOMER SERVICE:  Good

CLIENTELE:  Out of work actors/students/housewives

COFFEE QUALITY:  Good

POWER OUTLET AVAILABILITY:  Good

FREE WI-FI:  Yes

FREE PARKING:  Yes, but parking lot is small.

FENG SHUI:  Fair

AMPLE SEATING/TABLES? Fair.  Outdoor patio with fire pit as well.

OVERALL VIBE:  Busy

MAP:   http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=300+S+La+Cienega+Blvd+at+3rd.+Los+Angeles,+CA+90048&fb=1&gl=us&hnear=San+Francisco,+CA&cid=0,0,6015036993990122729&ei=yoPETZLtJZH4sAOEmvCXAQ&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQnwIwAA

REVIEW:

Located on the southeast corner of the insanely busy intersection of 3rd Street and La Cienega, this Coffee Bean is not usually crowded...but it feels crowded due to the action all around.  In the shadow of the eyesore of LA (The Beverly Center), I have worked out of this store before but am never truly comfortable here.  There is a patio with a fire pit but the constant, loud stream of car traffic tends to minimize the "warm and cozy" feeling they're trying to go for.  The coffee and tea at all Coffee Beans is far superior to Starbucks and close to the level of Peet's.  They now have a frozen yogurt stand to compete with the smashing success of Pinkberry and Yogurtland.  A smart move given that frozen yogurt is an easy impulse buy.  Coffee Bean requires that you enter a daily code to access their free wi-fi.  An annoying feature of "free wi-fi" at Coffee Bean is that they automatically drop you off every two hours and force you to take a 10 minute "break".  This, I suspect is to 1) get freeloaders like myself to leave or 2) make us walk around and maybe get lured over to their frozen yogurt bar.  The staff here is quite friendly and bouncy.  Cleanliness is just fair...Coffee Beans all tend to feel a little "worn"...but that is partly due to the interior design of the stores.  Overall, not a bad store to stop in for a cup of joe, but not recommended for a marathon laptop session.