Former barista here too. People will spout their hipster bullshit at you if you drink Starbucks, fuck em. It's just another case of someone attempting to out-cool you and stroke their sense of superiority.
I will admit if your drink is a bar drink, it can get way too expensive. It's not so bad if you just drink regular coffee, and it's even cheaper if you're making it at home, which I do the majority of the time. I've been drinking black coffee for like 15 years. You can get fancy with a french presses, Aeropress, or pour-over style single cups. They're nice, but day to day, my standard drip pot is fine.
I've had 2 of these over the last few years and use it currently, it's old reliable:
http://amzn.com/B0000YTYGM
If you're looking to get a bit nicer, I've had this one too. Makes a better cup of coffee, but it's a little more annoying to use:
http://amzn.com/B00O9FO1HK
Finally, I suggest you get a decent Burr grinder and buy your beans whole bean, grinding only what you need for your next pot. It makes a noticeably better cup of coffee, and you can get the correct and consistent grind easily (which is very important for a good cup of coffee).
I can recommend some good coffee shops, but they're all in Manhattan and not chains. If you're looking for a bespoke shop, just do some googling, try different spots, and you'll find your gotos. If you can, get made to order cups if they offer them (Starbucks included, someone else mentioned the Clover machine -- it's awesome).
EDIT:
> Make your own in the morning out of the cheapest pre-ground beans you can find.
This is terrible advice. Don't do this. It's not hard or expensive to make a decent cup of coffee every morning. It literally takes an extra 30 seconds to grind it yourself.
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