Free WiFi? Bueller?

[dani-namaste.livejournal.com]

Hi all,

I have a question. I'm moving from Union to Davis in September, which means I'll no longer be walking distance from my beloved Sherman Cafe, where I used to spend time working on my laptop when I wanted to get out of the house and write. The only problem is that all of the cafes I've been to in Davis tend to be overcrowded for laptopping, and all of them charge somewhat insane prices for WiFi access. Are there any places within walking distance that might have free WiFi? Caffe Rossini maybe?

I'll be living on Albion off Central, if that helps give a sense of distance.

Comments

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

O'Naturals has free wifi except during the lunch rush. They are open until 8pm.

True Grounds, in Ball Square, has free wifi and is open until about 7pm.

Grand Prix Cafe, on Mass Ave near the end of Day Street (take a right onto Mass Ave if you're walking from Davis) has free wifi and is open until 10pm.

I think Simon's on Mass Ave at Porter has free wifi, and they are open until about 9pm.

And Cafe Zing inside Porter Square Books has free wifi from 6-9pm, when they close. It's really tiny in there though so I haven't found it the best place to camp out with a laptop.

[srl.livejournal.com]

The owner at Grand Prix is cool also, and there's sports TV there. Great for when you want to watch the Tour De France and also get work done ;)

[chaiya.livejournal.com]

O'Naturals is also awesome, on top of the free wifi. :)

[dani-namaste.livejournal.com]

I've been there before, and I love it.

[dani-namaste.livejournal.com]

you are my new love god. Thank you for the information!

[allli.livejournal.com]

nope, you have to pay for WiFi at Simon's. i think it's $6 for an hour or something like that.

[ron_newman]

Maybe O'Naturals on Elm Street, or Grand Prix Cafe at Mass. Ave. and Day Street?

They both have Wi-Fi, but I don't know if it's free. O'Naturals turns theirs off at lunchtime, at least on weekdays.

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

i think but am not sure that the place that used to be carberry's (of course i don't remember what it's called now... o'natural's, i think) has free wifi. it's on elm, past the domino's pizza and across the street from a cane/chair store (as in cane chair seats, not walking canes :> ). i've never been there, tho, so i can't vouch for the wifi. it's about a twenty minute walk or so.

also i too live on albion near central - we'll probably be neighbors. howdy. :>

[ron_newman]

O'Naturals is the former Carberry's. (Those of us who have been here a long time remember when Steve's Ice Cream was demolished to build Carberry's.)

I love Caffe Rossini, and it's closer to you than any of the above suggestions. But I don't know if they have Wi-Fi. (Call them and ask.)

[eclecticavatar.livejournal.com]

I don't believe that they do, though with the number of residences nearby, you could probably get a signal if you're wont to do that sort of thing...

[warlord-mit.livejournal.com]

Yes, it was a sad sad day when they tore down Steve's....

[dani-namaste.livejournal.com]

hi there!

[ron_newman]

Actually, why not keep going to Sherman? Albion and Central is a shorter walk to Union Square than it is to Davis. (Ask Google Maps if you don't believe me.)

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Hey, do you know what named neighborhood Albion and Central is? (It's obviously not Davis.) Actually, have you ever seen a "neighborhood map" of Somerville? I'd love to have one, even if it was only vague.

[ron_newman]

No, I don't. I'd say "Spring Hill", but that really starts on the other side of Highland Avenue.

Besides the Squares (Davis, Teele, Powderhouse, Ball, Magoun, and Uhion), the neighborhood names I hear are:

West Somerville -- really covers all of 02144
East Somerville - everything east of McGrath Highway and north of Washington Street
Spring Hill - around Summer and Central Streets
Prospect Hill -- around the tower, above Union Square
Winter Hill -- around Central Street and Broadway

Sometimes people say they live in ward numbers -- for instance Ward 2 is the flat part of the city around Lincoln Park and Beacon Street.

[kglue.livejournal.com]

Probably falls under the description of East Somerville, but Sullivan Square would technically be another square ... though it doesn't quite have the same type of stores or layout as the other squares.

[ron_newman]

But Sullivan Square is not in Somerville, It's in Charlestown. (If it were in Somerville, maybe it would get a bit more attention and design.)

[kglue.livejournal.com]

Oh no kidding. I had no idea. Er, um, I must have meant Assembly Sq. Right, Assembly Sq.

[theodosia.livejournal.com]

I'm on the other side of Central, on Sycamore Street. Topographically, I'd say I'm on the downhill of Prospect Hill, which bottoms out at the RR bridges or else over on Medford Street....

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

Oh - and Diesel clears up some (at least once the students are back) around 10:30pm, and during more crowded hours, if you ask a lone person in a booth to share, they often will. Because one giant table is just too much for one little laptop.

[amethystmoon.livejournal.com]

True Grounds not only has free WiFi, but is sper awesome and not usually as crowded as others I've been to. Additionally, they have tasty sandiches and they do interesting things with bagels for breakfast (try PB and bananas on a cinnamon raisin bagel). The only downside is that they close at 7pm.

[dani-namaste.livejournal.com]

PB and bananas are my favorite thing! I don't know that I'd do the bagel, though—maybe some whole-grain toast. So now I have to find this place. Thank you for the recommendation!

[ron_newman]

True Grounds is on the north side of Broadway, right in the middle of Ball Square. Here is their web site. But it's still a longer walk from your new place than Sherman is.

[dani-namaste.livejournal.com]

it looks like it is. but it's still worth checking out.