Hightower Lowdown

Starbucks, the mega-global giant of the caffeine-slinging world, set out years ago to become the McDonald's of coffee shops...and has it ever succeeded! Starbucks is now as widely perceived as McDonald's to be a worldwide symbol of ubiquitous, corporate uniformity.

But let's not be negative. Instead, let's celebrate the indomitable spirit of America's grassroots, independent coffee houses... and the people who support them. I'm one of those people—wherever I go, I seek out the unique, lively, sassy, colorful, funky, and fun joints that are locally owned and representative of an actual place.

If you are interested in being Starbucks-free and finding local shops in your town or in your travels, there's a handy web site for you called the Delocator. It is the creation of three artists who had a caffeineinduced epiphany a couple of years ago while visiting New York City. Emerging from the subway in search of a genuine Big Apple coffee experience, they found themselves in Starbucks hell. The chain's cookie-cutter outlets were everywhere ...but no local latte purveyors were left.

Rather than just wail or rail, the three launched the Delocator, a web site that helps folks find locations in cities all across America where good independent coffee houses are. It's a simple site—enter a zip code and up pops a list of local shops within a five-mile radius. There's also a list of any Starbucks in the area, so you can avoid them.

The Delocator has had more than a million hits and has an ever-growing database of several thousand independent places to get a corporate-free cuppa' jo. You're invited to add your own favorite and make comments. Clicking onto www. delocator. net is a direct way for anyone to strike a blow against the corporate machine.