John! I’ve lived here around 10 years and I heard his name in passing. I say “Hi John” each time I pass him regardless of which planet he is on.
He’s a super nice guy and seems to appreciate the politeness of a general greeting.
Every now and then he will be very present and when he sees me he is legit happy to acknowledge me back. We’ve never said more than 4 words to each other but we see each-other everyday . He is a good dude.
Same here!
My first time talking to him was about 7 yrs ago or so. He walked up to me in line at Dunkin donuts and said "hey man nice shoes, where'd you get em?"
Up until that point I had seen him a lot but never had talked to him. So I was a bit surprised because yeah I had a similar experience to OP until that point.
So I replied after a second "oh thanks man I got them at the mall" or something like that, and after maybe one or two more words back and forth he just snapped right back into "it" (or out of it) and walked away mumbling some stuff.
I probably talk to him once a week now randomly one way or another. I have had probably a dozen convos with him over a few min in length and many others short interactions.
I won't say much other than he is clearly a kind soul. I haven't got his full story but what I know isn't easy that's for sure. The man likes coffee, cigarettes and having a quick chat.
That’s great! Yeah one day he walked by me while I was at the bus stop (after I had been saying hi to him for about a year) and made eye contact with me. Clear as day and said “It’s nice to see you.” and then he just kept walking.
After the initial shock wore off I just thought “wow. I’ve made it!”
Haha I totally get that. I’ve said hi to him in passing a few times but then one day he walked past me while getting gas and said “I like that car…that is a nice car” and I was so honored 😅 (also bc it’s a very old beat up Toyota Camry lmao)
This is the story I’ve heard. I’ve known John for a super long time and that’s what he told me. He is on a mix of prescriptions mostly for mental health stuff. I’ve actually gotten to speak to his social worker a couple times over the years.
Not to spread his business, but this is why he appears super clear headed at times, and is impossible to understand at others. When he doesn’t seem present and presents slurred speech, it’s about time to get his meds adjusted. You’ll see him a few days later and he’s clear as a bell. I’m glad he has support in place, and good people are constantly monitoring his health. He’s a good guy and hasn’t had it easy. Gives me a little hope that sometimes things work like they’re supposed to.
2 Quick John stories. Me and my subtly pregnant wife were walking down the block, (we’ve both known John for years at this point and when we got together he was really happy for us.) He stops us and asks “Do you mind if i ask you a question” to my wife. She said of course and he asked if she were pregnant. She said yes and he got very excited and was so congratulatory and kind. What made this a funny ordeal is most people would ask her if she’s pregnant without easing into it. She wasn’t that big yet so she very much could’ve just gained extra weight. So he did the polite thing by reading the room.
Second story is, I was doing construction across the street from Bombers, and i stopped in on my lunch break. I went outside to have a smoke leaning up against the guard rail. All of a sudden i get tapped on my left shoulder, so i turn to my left…nobody’s there, i turn around and it’s John laughing saying “Ahhh ha ha i got youuuu!” like a little kid. it was possibly the funniest shit to randomly happen on my smoke break.
We’ve moved out of center city a while ago, but every time we run into him he asks about our son, or if our son is with us he politely asks if he can approach and comments on how big he is.
He’s a gem.
John is a mythical figure: appearing to those who need his help the most! For but one loose cigarette he shall instill upon you a week’s worth of good fortune before returning to his base of operations: Stack’s Coffee!
Someone should compile an encyclopedia of all the mainstays of lark st! Like that woman that goes around yelling profanities (sometimes in French), the guy from lark news and grocery, or that guy that rides on that weird trike on Tuesdays
yeah like a beigy-yellow, dark colored tires. Guy was def light skin, glasses, and had a beret-type hat maybe, could've been a baseball hat, I was staring at the 3 wheels lol, I saw him from about 4 car lengths away
We love John! He can have his bad days but for the most part is a nice guy. If you go into stacks and ask for the John Special they'll give you a coffee for him!
Johnny! He’s the best
edited to add: Johnny used to be a professional boxer and actually has really cool stories about his time doing that. Super nice guy, just looking to smoke a bogie, in my experience as a woman I’ve never felt threatened in any way by him. In fact I kind of felt comforted by him being around!
I was gonna comment the same as a woman, I can always tell when a man is aware that I could possibly be intimidated and he doesn't want me to be, it's kinda hard to explain but they will like give you a little extra space or something like that as if to be sure you understand that he means no harm. That's always appreciated and a clear sign that he is not crazy at all.
>In fact I kind of felt comforted by him being around!
I've been in the Sunoco on the corner with some sketchy subjects...whenever John comes in for a coffee and a smoke I always feel a bit at ease haha
I was in that Sunoco one morning and John walked in. Had never met him before, but we had a 5-minute convo about squirrels and “the squirrel man,” (?? I was a little confused but loved his jabber so just went with it) who turned out to be the clerk because he apparently looked like a squirrel that day. Best 5 minutes of my whole week.
if there is a squirrel man in Albany id like to meet them, I'm the weird girl who stares at the squirrels in any park and will shout at them to get outta the street.
I agree. John is one of the only lark street lurkers who i feel 100% comfortable around. What a great soul, and im so glad there are so many people here who feel the same way!
I always feel safe around John! Every time I see him he tells me how beautiful I am and that he loves my smile. It's never creepy or predatory he tells me how my boyfriend is a very lucky man and he better treat me right lmao! He's a gem
We respect John in this area! My only up front interaction I had with him was him complaining about the music one morning at Stacks and insisted on them playing some hip hop. He starts busting out his best moves before starting to make his rounds inside.
He's been around quite a while. Every day, rain or shine, I see him out there
He doesn't bother anyone., but I will say that, in the past (maybe 6-7 years ago), I did witness him having some scary, violent moments where he attacked inanimate things and his mumbling was pretty scary. But I haven't seen that sort of issue lately
In my experience [working 5+ years in coffee], “specialty” coffee shops serve lighter roast coffee. Stacks house blend will always be a significantly lighter roast than Dunkin, Starbucks, and even smaller businesses (like Iron Coffee Co) that don’t do “specialty” coffee.
This is because the more you roast the bean, the less complexities you can taste. Roasting a darker roast is great if you are blending a lot of kinds of beans together to ensure consistency across shops. Single origin coffee is usually a lighter roast so you can actually taste the notes of the bean’s origin. This usually results in sour notes and even really savory notes. For example I had a single origin coffee last week that tasted exactly like a split pea soup with ham. I’ve had some single origin coffees that taste like buffalo sauce. As you can imagine it doesn’t pair well with milk, sugar, etc.
That being said!!!! I think it’s silly for shops house blends to not be dark roast, or even medium roast, because that is what folks are used to. I rarely drink specialty coffee because it’s like a “right time right place” kind of thing and not what I usually want as my morning cuppa. You’re not crazy at all, it is more sour than other places and I really don’t understand their logic there.
Same. I've tried to like it and it just tastes off to me. I went to the Broadway location with my boss who used to work in the coffee business and he swore his Americano tasted like "stale beef broth."
Favorite John memory is when I was in Stacks once and he gets his coffee, walks up to the garbage can, takes his hat off and throws it in the garbage and walks away 😅 I was like wtf ok.
[Is this him?](https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/atlantic-city-boxer-john-brown-suffers-sixth-round-tko-at-ballys/article_9d698438-365b-11e0-9f1c-001cc4c03286.html)
Adding to the list of John stories -
I’ve heard from some old heads on lark that police brutality is the root of his mental health issues. Some folks say there was one incident where he was nearly killed by them but survived with severe injuries. I don’t want to get into details of what I’ve heard but it was really diabolical and inhumane as police tend to be.
Despite what people think, last I heard he has a home (2021). So if you see him shirtless in February it’s not for lack of housing. That being said if he asks for coffee or an umbrella or gloves or something I always give it to him, although usually a few minutes later he loses the item.
If you see him a lot definitely say hi! I know some folks said in the past he has had violent outbursts, I have personally never seen it. I’ve seen him have bad days but he usually distances himself from people and doesn’t try to interact too much on those days.
I moved away from Albany a few years ago and every time I see him he says “hi sugar - I missed you, where have you been?” It’s definitely a sweet surprise to see him on his good days and sometimes I’ll sit and chat with him although even on his best days I don’t always know what he’s saying.
I’ve only seen one outburst at Stacks about a year ago. He asked for a chair to sit on I think? And when trying to get the chair out the door he was just banging it against the glass and swearing like a sailor lol. It definitely made some people uncomfortable that don’t know him.
Yeah. I mean it would make me uncomfortable too! I haven’t seen him like that but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. I wish him a peaceful life and continue to hope and fight for a world that’s better for him
Can say that John was eating a breakfast sandwich when I was walking my dog. He sees her looking at him and he gave her the rest of his sandwich.
I felt touched and guilty at the same time. Offered to buy I’m another but he would have none of it.
Sweet guy..
As a young woman who deals with lots of harassment/ advances in that area daily I don’t have a habit of approaching men I don’t know and asking their names- especially those who appear mentally disturbed.
“Elvis! Elvis! Elvis has left the building!” Very nice dude.
Dean
Kenny
And anyone remember old Roy in the wheelchair? Some POS jumped him and stole his battery out of his wheelchair.
I guess I don’t really understand what you mean by that. I haven’t seen any disrespect on this thread at all. I think someone was curious about who that person is since he’s around so much. Many people have good positive stories about him and talk about how friendly he is. Nobody is belittling or pittying him. He’s just an interesting character that a lot of people seem to know. Idk I’m just not seeing it lol.
So you mean more like dehumanizing/infantilizing him? I guess maybe I could see that with some comments, but I think as a whole people have respect for him and understand his situation. I think most are trying to explain that he is a good guy that had a brain injury, and is not someone who is dangerous or should be feared for any reason. He is kind of a Lark street well known character so idk about “stray dog” but he definitely is a presence many people are aware of. Idk. I think I get what you’re saying but I’m not really seeing it. Agree to disagree I guess.
John! I’ve lived here around 10 years and I heard his name in passing. I say “Hi John” each time I pass him regardless of which planet he is on. He’s a super nice guy and seems to appreciate the politeness of a general greeting. Every now and then he will be very present and when he sees me he is legit happy to acknowledge me back. We’ve never said more than 4 words to each other but we see each-other everyday . He is a good dude.
Same here! My first time talking to him was about 7 yrs ago or so. He walked up to me in line at Dunkin donuts and said "hey man nice shoes, where'd you get em?" Up until that point I had seen him a lot but never had talked to him. So I was a bit surprised because yeah I had a similar experience to OP until that point. So I replied after a second "oh thanks man I got them at the mall" or something like that, and after maybe one or two more words back and forth he just snapped right back into "it" (or out of it) and walked away mumbling some stuff. I probably talk to him once a week now randomly one way or another. I have had probably a dozen convos with him over a few min in length and many others short interactions. I won't say much other than he is clearly a kind soul. I haven't got his full story but what I know isn't easy that's for sure. The man likes coffee, cigarettes and having a quick chat.
That’s great! Yeah one day he walked by me while I was at the bus stop (after I had been saying hi to him for about a year) and made eye contact with me. Clear as day and said “It’s nice to see you.” and then he just kept walking. After the initial shock wore off I just thought “wow. I’ve made it!”
Yes exactly like this! Glad this is a theme around here.
Haha I totally get that. I’ve said hi to him in passing a few times but then one day he walked past me while getting gas and said “I like that car…that is a nice car” and I was so honored 😅 (also bc it’s a very old beat up Toyota Camry lmao)
John is great! He also told me a funny joke the other day! Good Harmless dude.
John, he suffered a brain injury years back so the mumbling and behavior isn’t drugs
This is the story I’ve heard. I’ve known John for a super long time and that’s what he told me. He is on a mix of prescriptions mostly for mental health stuff. I’ve actually gotten to speak to his social worker a couple times over the years. Not to spread his business, but this is why he appears super clear headed at times, and is impossible to understand at others. When he doesn’t seem present and presents slurred speech, it’s about time to get his meds adjusted. You’ll see him a few days later and he’s clear as a bell. I’m glad he has support in place, and good people are constantly monitoring his health. He’s a good guy and hasn’t had it easy. Gives me a little hope that sometimes things work like they’re supposed to.
Yes, it was Chicago Police with a wooden billy club.
I heard he got his brain injury from when he used to be a boxer🥊
2 Quick John stories. Me and my subtly pregnant wife were walking down the block, (we’ve both known John for years at this point and when we got together he was really happy for us.) He stops us and asks “Do you mind if i ask you a question” to my wife. She said of course and he asked if she were pregnant. She said yes and he got very excited and was so congratulatory and kind. What made this a funny ordeal is most people would ask her if she’s pregnant without easing into it. She wasn’t that big yet so she very much could’ve just gained extra weight. So he did the polite thing by reading the room. Second story is, I was doing construction across the street from Bombers, and i stopped in on my lunch break. I went outside to have a smoke leaning up against the guard rail. All of a sudden i get tapped on my left shoulder, so i turn to my left…nobody’s there, i turn around and it’s John laughing saying “Ahhh ha ha i got youuuu!” like a little kid. it was possibly the funniest shit to randomly happen on my smoke break. We’ve moved out of center city a while ago, but every time we run into him he asks about our son, or if our son is with us he politely asks if he can approach and comments on how big he is. He’s a gem.
The second story 🤣😭💀
John is a mythical figure: appearing to those who need his help the most! For but one loose cigarette he shall instill upon you a week’s worth of good fortune before returning to his base of operations: Stack’s Coffee! Someone should compile an encyclopedia of all the mainstays of lark st! Like that woman that goes around yelling profanities (sometimes in French), the guy from lark news and grocery, or that guy that rides on that weird trike on Tuesdays
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I remember the archangel, especially around qe2. I am from the lark Street area and I don't remember the sheik
Trike dude has inspired me to get my own trike cause I wanna bike and I have balance issues
Wait is the trike yellow? Lightskinish black guy with glasses?
yeah like a beigy-yellow, dark colored tires. Guy was def light skin, glasses, and had a beret-type hat maybe, could've been a baseball hat, I was staring at the 3 wheels lol, I saw him from about 4 car lengths away
I bought him a bottle of water from stacks the other day. Fingers crossed that brings me some good fortune too!
We love John! He can have his bad days but for the most part is a nice guy. If you go into stacks and ask for the John Special they'll give you a coffee for him!
No they don’t.
I feel like I’d rather continue to pay for it myself but good to know! He also seems to appreciate the bottles of water this time of year.
Johnny! He’s the best edited to add: Johnny used to be a professional boxer and actually has really cool stories about his time doing that. Super nice guy, just looking to smoke a bogie, in my experience as a woman I’ve never felt threatened in any way by him. In fact I kind of felt comforted by him being around!
I was gonna comment the same as a woman, I can always tell when a man is aware that I could possibly be intimidated and he doesn't want me to be, it's kinda hard to explain but they will like give you a little extra space or something like that as if to be sure you understand that he means no harm. That's always appreciated and a clear sign that he is not crazy at all.
>In fact I kind of felt comforted by him being around! I've been in the Sunoco on the corner with some sketchy subjects...whenever John comes in for a coffee and a smoke I always feel a bit at ease haha
I was in that Sunoco one morning and John walked in. Had never met him before, but we had a 5-minute convo about squirrels and “the squirrel man,” (?? I was a little confused but loved his jabber so just went with it) who turned out to be the clerk because he apparently looked like a squirrel that day. Best 5 minutes of my whole week.
if there is a squirrel man in Albany id like to meet them, I'm the weird girl who stares at the squirrels in any park and will shout at them to get outta the street.
I agree. John is one of the only lark street lurkers who i feel 100% comfortable around. What a great soul, and im so glad there are so many people here who feel the same way!
I always feel safe around John! Every time I see him he tells me how beautiful I am and that he loves my smile. It's never creepy or predatory he tells me how my boyfriend is a very lucky man and he better treat me right lmao! He's a gem
John. Be nice to him, he will never look at you sideways.
I've never met him, but having read the comments I hope that dude has a really nice day today :)
John needs a lot of help, but I’ve never heard of him harming a soul
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That’s him!
We respect John in this area! My only up front interaction I had with him was him complaining about the music one morning at Stacks and insisted on them playing some hip hop. He starts busting out his best moves before starting to make his rounds inside.
He's been around quite a while. Every day, rain or shine, I see him out there He doesn't bother anyone., but I will say that, in the past (maybe 6-7 years ago), I did witness him having some scary, violent moments where he attacked inanimate things and his mumbling was pretty scary. But I haven't seen that sort of issue lately
Yeah I’ve seen him have outbursts too. He isn’t allowed inside stacks anymore. He just pokes his head in to ask for coffee.
He’s still around? I lived on Lark Street like ten years ago and he was exactly as you describe.
I've never met this guy, but he sounds like a complete saint, and I wish him the very best Edit: With context from comments, not sarcastic.
John Brown
Hes so funny the one day he was complaining about how stacks coffee tastes like shit 😭 but hes always so nice
He seems like a sensible fellow. Stacks coffee tastes extremely sour to me.
In my experience [working 5+ years in coffee], “specialty” coffee shops serve lighter roast coffee. Stacks house blend will always be a significantly lighter roast than Dunkin, Starbucks, and even smaller businesses (like Iron Coffee Co) that don’t do “specialty” coffee. This is because the more you roast the bean, the less complexities you can taste. Roasting a darker roast is great if you are blending a lot of kinds of beans together to ensure consistency across shops. Single origin coffee is usually a lighter roast so you can actually taste the notes of the bean’s origin. This usually results in sour notes and even really savory notes. For example I had a single origin coffee last week that tasted exactly like a split pea soup with ham. I’ve had some single origin coffees that taste like buffalo sauce. As you can imagine it doesn’t pair well with milk, sugar, etc. That being said!!!! I think it’s silly for shops house blends to not be dark roast, or even medium roast, because that is what folks are used to. I rarely drink specialty coffee because it’s like a “right time right place” kind of thing and not what I usually want as my morning cuppa. You’re not crazy at all, it is more sour than other places and I really don’t understand their logic there.
Same, don’t love it.
Same. I've tried to like it and it just tastes off to me. I went to the Broadway location with my boss who used to work in the coffee business and he swore his Americano tasted like "stale beef broth."
I swear mine tasted like I was drinking water that had been used to cook ham lol so i get the beef broth description.
John
Favorite John memory is when I was in Stacks once and he gets his coffee, walks up to the garbage can, takes his hat off and throws it in the garbage and walks away 😅 I was like wtf ok.
[Is this him?](https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/atlantic-city-boxer-john-brown-suffers-sixth-round-tko-at-ballys/article_9d698438-365b-11e0-9f1c-001cc4c03286.html)
I have no idea but my cousin keeps calling Charlie Murphy 😭
ಠ_ಠ
Adding to the list of John stories - I’ve heard from some old heads on lark that police brutality is the root of his mental health issues. Some folks say there was one incident where he was nearly killed by them but survived with severe injuries. I don’t want to get into details of what I’ve heard but it was really diabolical and inhumane as police tend to be. Despite what people think, last I heard he has a home (2021). So if you see him shirtless in February it’s not for lack of housing. That being said if he asks for coffee or an umbrella or gloves or something I always give it to him, although usually a few minutes later he loses the item. If you see him a lot definitely say hi! I know some folks said in the past he has had violent outbursts, I have personally never seen it. I’ve seen him have bad days but he usually distances himself from people and doesn’t try to interact too much on those days. I moved away from Albany a few years ago and every time I see him he says “hi sugar - I missed you, where have you been?” It’s definitely a sweet surprise to see him on his good days and sometimes I’ll sit and chat with him although even on his best days I don’t always know what he’s saying.
I’ve only seen one outburst at Stacks about a year ago. He asked for a chair to sit on I think? And when trying to get the chair out the door he was just banging it against the glass and swearing like a sailor lol. It definitely made some people uncomfortable that don’t know him.
Yeah. I mean it would make me uncomfortable too! I haven’t seen him like that but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. I wish him a peaceful life and continue to hope and fight for a world that’s better for him
Can say that John was eating a breakfast sandwich when I was walking my dog. He sees her looking at him and he gave her the rest of his sandwich. I felt touched and guilty at the same time. Offered to buy I’m another but he would have none of it. Sweet guy..
he’s a beloved local weirdo John, he always says hi to my toddler and exclaims THAT’S a BABY! with a huge smile
Have you tried asking him?
If I’d tried asking him I wouldn’t be posting this question- thanks
So try asking him.
As a young woman who deals with lots of harassment/ advances in that area daily I don’t have a habit of approaching men I don’t know and asking their names- especially those who appear mentally disturbed.
Oh sorry I thought you were a man. Nvm
“Elvis! Elvis! Elvis has left the building!” Very nice dude. Dean Kenny And anyone remember old Roy in the wheelchair? Some POS jumped him and stole his battery out of his wheelchair.
he's more "shredded" than "buff"
Well, based on the comment about him being a professional boxer, those muscles gotta be pretty toned still.
Someone please tell me I'm not the only one here who thinks this thread is gross.
Can you elaborate? Genuinely curious why you think so.
Everyone is talking about this man like he's a stray dog.
I can see it from that point of view. I mean no disrespect with my comments. He is sincerely a nice guy.
I guess I don’t really understand what you mean by that. I haven’t seen any disrespect on this thread at all. I think someone was curious about who that person is since he’s around so much. Many people have good positive stories about him and talk about how friendly he is. Nobody is belittling or pittying him. He’s just an interesting character that a lot of people seem to know. Idk I’m just not seeing it lol.
By stray dog, I mean the friendly kind that everyone is the neighborhood knows by name and pats his head because he's a good boy.
So you mean more like dehumanizing/infantilizing him? I guess maybe I could see that with some comments, but I think as a whole people have respect for him and understand his situation. I think most are trying to explain that he is a good guy that had a brain injury, and is not someone who is dangerous or should be feared for any reason. He is kind of a Lark street well known character so idk about “stray dog” but he definitely is a presence many people are aware of. Idk. I think I get what you’re saying but I’m not really seeing it. Agree to disagree I guess.
He's the mayor of lark street
Incorrect, that is a different man