EARTH MATTERS
177 Ludlow St. (@ E Houston), Lower East Side, Manhattan
MTA: F,V to Lower East Side / 2nd Avenue
I knew this
health food store & cafe had some comfortable seating and organic coffee for a buck,
but what
I didn't know is that it was within reach of a couple of private Wi-Fi LANs.
A guy behind the counter told me that if I sit a particular table in the front
of the store, I could get access. I did, and it was spotty, but my laptop's
range isn't all that great. With or without the reception, this place is
a *great* place to get some computing done. Sit up front by the window, upstairs
in the loft or on the roof on their terrace.
- Power: Yes, very limited.
- CAT-5: No.
- Wi-Fi: Sit up front and you might just get it.
- Terminals: Yes.
- Couches: Yes.
- Tables: Yes.
- Music: Classical and other adult ambient.
Added: November 11, 2003
What a find. Wi-Fi, CAT-5 and soy. I'm in heaven. This is a specialty drink
kind of place with a full menu and plenty of soy this and that. (Their menu
is posted on their web site and is very veggie/vegan friendly.) The staff is very nice and the window seating is
highly recommended.
Located in the East Village, right on Thompkins Square, Alt.Coffee
serves a dual purpose: computing and people watching. The couches
are well worn, the wooden floor damaged and the bubbles brown. This
is a no-nonsense internet coffee house. Punks and nonconformists
flock here for 'net, sketching, writing and conversations about
society and art.
Here I am in the picture to the right, computing on a mild summer evening in
Bryant Park. That's The Empire State Building all lit up.
It's a nice place to be in the evening due to
the lack of solar glare.
The skyscraper mounted overhead lighting casts the feeling of
full moon light over the park.
Alright, so this place is somewhat typically uptown... but its saving grace is
that it has plenty of broken down couches. I have run into a handful of good,
established folks here who have their heads on and who happen to have a few
dollars. But, you're here to work -- but the aura is important, and it
gets the job done. Be sure to bring headphones. Some of the conversations
you'll eavesdrop on you wish you hadn't and they have a knack of playing
very, well, "adult contemporary."
Brand new cafe with a nice ambience. It actually pulls off the bar/cafe dual
effort quite well. They guys that run it are cool and there's a mean cup
of brew there. There are plenty of horseshoe, diner
style tables with AC plugs just over the shoulder. Wi-Fi is fast as hell.
Excellent.
Everything is for sale here. Yes, even the couch you're sitting on. This
certainly is the hipest cafe I've been in that doesn't have that
uncomfortable pretense. There's a record store in the back, a DJ booth,
coffee with grounds and the most amazing sound system I have ever heard in
a place that small! While the sound quality is good, most times the selection
isn't. (I don't care how clean it sounds, Moby doesn't do it for me.) They
have all sorts of chic, urban kitsch on sale here by local designers and
artists. Oh, yes, I almost forgot. There's no 'net here. But sometimes
that's a good thing, you know?
A goldmine of public and private funding! First, it's hard
not to recognize the incredible architecture of this landmark. The Rose
reading room is where to go. It's about the size of two gymnasiums with
long tables and lamps. Also a part of the desktop equipment are AC plugs
and CAT-5. Flush; nice. This place is dead quiet with only the sound of
turning pages, high heels and the occasional mobile phone ringer (of course).
Laptops abound in this place as do terminals. In fact, they have a
Another good spot if you don't need/want 'net access. There is a pretty
exquisite used book selection here, especially on the social sciences.
The people watching is good here, always good antics and goings on.