Coffee and Cookies at Costa Coffee in Waterstones in Leeds

If you're working or studying in Leeds, West Yorkshire in the UK, then at some point you're probably going to be shopping in town and want to grab a coffee somewhere. Judging by how infernally busy the place is on an almost continuous basis, and especially at the weekends, then a pretty damn popular destination for such a purpose is Waterstones, the branch of the national book chain located at 93 to 97 on Albion Street, in central Leeds.

On a week-day, although still usually pretty busy, you may be able to get a seat without too much of a headache, as long as you're pretty nippy about it. And it's a lovely environment, honestly: light and spacious and comfortable, with lots of easy-chair and sofa seating for comfortable reading of interesting books and magazines, and sipping your coffee while you peruse them.

Oh, yeah, the coffee? (Well, actually, I usually have tea, myself. Twinings brand, not my favourite, but acceptable, and it does tend to bring Stephen Fry to mind, due to the adverts, which isn't a bad thing.) But the beverages that are on offer, generally: pricey! Yeah, it's Costa, what am I expecting, it's not going to be much less than Starbucks, am I right? But if you're a cheapskate like me (in which case you should really be drinking at McDonalds, probably, or Witherspoons at Leeds train station which does a perfectly acceptable cuppa joe for a quid) then you're still going to get some element of sticker-shock at proper coffee-chain prices.

Still, when you factor in a sit down, a nice environment, staff wages and infrastructure and equipment and yadadadada, then it's... a nice cup of coffee. (I do sometimes have a regular latte instead, or a mochachino.) And you're surrounded by books, which, all I can say: makes it the best cup of coffee in the world.

Photo credit: McKay Savage under a Creative Commons licence.