A guide for the technodrifer and mobile freelancer in New York City and Brooklyn. Features a list of cafes, libraries and parks with free Wi-Fi, CAT-5 (ethernet) or no internet access at all.. but they have to be conducive to laptop computing in order to qualify. Note: No corporate, contrived culture cafes listed herein.
NEW YORK LIBRARIES, OVERVIEW Many of the New York City Public Libraries have Wi-Fi enabled. I have specific descriptions of three libraries in this list because I have been there. Check out this list of Wi-Fi enabled libraries. Oh, and please, please turn your mobile phones off -- it's a library, not your private office. Added: September 1, 2004 |
EARTH MATTERS 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.
Added: November 11, 2003 |
ATLAS CAFE With the Northside gentrification moving to the Southside, Havemeyer now boasts a Wi-Fi cafe in a former Polish travel agency. Occupying street corner real estate, the huge windows bring in plenty of warm light and subjects for daydreaming. On the 3rd wall is a huge map of the world, bringing it all into perspective. Bagels, soup, coffee, tea, soda, etc. A nice find and good, stout brew.
Added: November 10, 2003 |
OZZIE's COFFEE & TEA
Added: November 20, 2003 |
SOY LUCK CLUB 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.
Updated: November 11, 2003 |
??? I can't recall the name of this cafe, but it's a good one, a true student hole. Having said that, there's a bit of a weird vibe there and I do get the feeling that after sitting there with a cup of coffee for 90 minutes that they want me to turn it over. (It may just be overly attentive staff.) Somebody has a Wi-Fi booster antannae hanging out their window at the corder of Bleeker Street and MacDougal Street and on a clear day (and at the front of the cafe) the signal will reach.
Added: June 23, 2003 |
ALT.COFFEE 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.
Added: June 23, 2003 |
BRYANT PARK 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. And the place is sorted for wi-fi!
Added: June 23, 2003 |
DOWNTOWN UPTOWN (DTUT) 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."
Added: June 23, 2003 |
FIX 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.
Updated: October 30, 2003 |
THE HALCYON 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?
Added: June 23, 2003 |
THE HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES LIBRARIES 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 web page especially for laptop docking.
Added: June 23, 2003 |
MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS LIBRARY A nice quiet place on the upper west side but not much in the way of power nor 'net access. But on the second floor, in the adult collection, there's a window side table overlooding 113th St. that has both power and CAT-5 plugs. There are only two and as of this writing, they are both occupied. When inquering about "Wi-Fi", the librarian said, "not yet." Rumor has it that the library system is sitting on a huge fiber ring. We'll see.
Added: June 23, 2003 |
THE READ 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.
Added: June 23, 2003 |
SCIENCE, INDUSTRY, AND BUSINESS LIBRARY I haven't check this one out yet, but got this one from somebody computing at Morningside Heights Library. They are said to have at least 20 CAT-5 plugs.
Added: June 23, 2003 |