Wi-Fi Watering Holes: Coffee Tomo

Coffee Tomo, located on the corner of Sawtelle Boulevard and Mississippi Avenue in the Little Osaka neighborhood of West Los Angeles, opened recently as a nice counterpart to Cafe Balconi, located a block south. Although both are devoted to gourmet coffee in an upscale setting, Balconi emphasizes siphon coffee and pastries, while Tomo focuses on drip coffee and handmade pretzels. Futher, while Balconi is an "unplug" zone that has eschewed wi-fi, Tomo has a nice strong wi-fi signal.

The decor is exactly what I think a coffee house's decor should be --dark wood shelves, counter, and ceiling, and a huge coffee roaster in one corner where fresh coffee is roasted every hour. The music is jazz and classical, and the tables and chairs are all wood. Service is friendly and the drinks are pretty darn good. Recommended.

Wi-Fi Watering Holes: Priscilla's Gourmet Coffee & Teas

We visited this charming WFWH (http://www.priscillascoffee.com/)this morning on our way to the Vintage Textile & Clothing Show in Burbank. A testament to how popular this place is: With a Starbucks catty-corner from it, and the historic Burbank Bob's Big Boy a couple blocks away, Priscilla's was still filled with customers on a Sunday morning.

Besides a menu filled with specialty espresso drinks, coffee and tea, Priscilla's looks great, albeit femine, inside. A mural of a provincial country scene winds its way between wall-filling shelves stocked with colorful gift tumblers. An alcove is stuffed with bins of coffee beans, a wall of teas, and a greaseboard with a dizzying list of coffees for sale by the pound. I imagine Priscilla's is popular with industry types, since Warner Brother's Studio is down the street and Disney a few miles west of that.

Whither Wi-Fi Watering Holes?

Folks who have read this blog for any length of time may recall my fondness for coffee houses that have free wi-fi. They furnish a nice oasis for work if I have to toil over the weekend -- I can take a trip out and still get work done. I haven't blogged about them for a while, because I haven't discovered any new ones of note recently.

If this article (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cafe-wifi-20100808,0,2492467.story) is to be believed, coffee houses have been unplugging free wi-fi en masse, because (a) folks abusing the privilege hog long tables all day long, depriving other potential customers of places to sit, sip, and sup; and (b) now that Starbucks offers unlimited free wi-fi (as of last month), offering the same service is less of a customer draw.

Of course, there's some reason to doubt that the trend is as widespread as the article suggests. Although this is a Los Angeles Times article, the article does not list many L.A. coffee houses that are turning off the wi-fi and turning out the users. The reporter goes as far afield as San Francisco and Seattle to find examples. That suggests the reporter is inflating the significance of what he's reporting a bit.

And any article that features a college professor expounding, "The coffeehouse is a manifestation of our desire for that connection to community and more vibrant life than in our homes," is probably just an attempt to fill column inches on a Sunday.

Wi-Fi Watering Hole Update: Velocity Cafe Becomes Novel Cafe

A couple of years back, I blogged about the eclectically-decorated Velocity Cafe at 2127 Lincoln Boulevard (corner of Lincoln and Pacific) in Santa Monica. Apparently, according to this report (http://la.eater.com/archives/2009/08/17/the_temporary_shutter_the_novel_cafe.php), in August of 2009 the original Novel Cafe on Pier Street in Santa Monica closed, due to a landlord-tenant dispute; and was reopened in place of the Velocity Cafe. I'm sitting there now typing these words. The new Novel Cafe (http://novelcafe.cisco-source.com/?page_id=81) features the same decor as the Velocity cafe (and, alas, the same slow service), but has added several Novel Cafe items to its menu. And, as before, the wall outlets are plentiful, and the Wi-Fi fast and free.

Wi-Fi Watering Holes: Portfolio, Long Beach

This is the sort of coffee house people think of when they think of "coffee house" (at least, those that don't have pictures of mermaids all over the place). It's got two rooms filled with eclectic mismatched furniture. It's got an array of espresso, coffee, loose-leaf tea, and other beverages, as well as a menu filled with sandwiches and wraps. The back room has a stage, and Portfolio holds storytelling sessions (a storyteller was reading and singing to kids when we were there for breakfast today), poetry readings, open-mike nights, and musical performances. Whatever they're doing seems to be working; this morning, there was a long line at the counter and the place was packed. Plus, there's a bike rack out front shaped like a steaming mug of coffee.

Not only do they have free wi-fi, but they also have a cadre of computers in the front room for rent.

Downtown LB seems to have a lot of wi-fi watering holes, but this one is the most impressive one I've seen.

Wi-Fi Watering Holes: Dream Center & Coffee House, Bakersfield

On Tuesday, I was in Bakersfield for an appearance at the courthouse. After my appearance, I spotted this wi-fi watering hole on 18th street, a short walk from the courthouse.




The Dream Center & Coffee House is unusual in a couple of ways. First, the building is apparently designed so that the entire front wall of the lounge area can be opened up to the parking lot when the weather is nice (as it was when I visited), creating an open-air lounge. Second, according to the WFWH's Website, the Dream Center assists current and former foster youth in Kern County transition to independence and self-sufficiency; and the Coffee House is designed to give the foster youth work training and job skills.

I didn't try their coffee, but the iced chai I had there was a perfect refreshment on a hot day.

Business Travelers Choose Wi-Fi over Food

According to a story in today's L.A. Times about airlines racing to provide wi-fi for passengers, a survey conducted by the Wi-Fi Alliance indicated that "[m]ore than 70% of those surveyed would choose an airline with Wi-Fi over one that provided meal service . . . ."

Food for thought.

Wi-Fi Watering Holes: The Coffee Connection in Mar Vista

This WFWH is on Centinela just south of Venice Boulevard, around the corner from the far busier Venice Grind. It is operated by -- and physically attached to -- the Vineyard Christian Fellowship, a church. (The only aspect of the church operation apparent is the stained glass windows in the front.) Coffee Connection is marked by its quiet atmosphere (everybody in it on a Saturday afternoon seems to be studying or banging away on a computer), the nice dark-wood interior, the strong wi-fi signal, and a garden-like courtyard/patio. The drinks are ok, but not spectacular. There's also free parking (although, since I rode my bike there today, I didn't use it.)

Wi-Fi Watering Holes: Frogo Gourmet Frozen Yogurt & Organic Coffee

This window-filled corner shop at the intersection of Wilshire and Euclid in downtown Santa Monica features modern (generic) decor, a 99-cent cup of organic coffee, and fairly tasty frozen yogurt. (I had the swirl of Death by Chocolate and Peanut Butter). There are plenty of outlets around the store within easy reach of the tables, and the wi-fi is fairly strong. (I'm there now.) It also has the benefit of long hours: It opens at 6 am on weekdays; and the closing times range from 10 pm on Sunday to Midnight on Friday and Saturday. The service is quite friendly. If you don't mind spartan decor, this is a pretty good Santa Monica WFWH.

Cafe Balcony Interrupted

Alas, one of my favorite wi-fi watering holes, Cafe Balcony at Arizona and Centinela, will be closing for a couple of months at the end of February. The building in which it's located was sold, and the cafe lost its lease. It is looking to relocate to Santa Monica.

I'm sitting there now, doing (or not doing) some weekend work, enjoying a cup of siphon coffee, and savoring the last days of a wonderful place to sit and blog.

Wi-Fi Watering Holes: First Cup Caffee

This cafe is conveniently located across the street from the Ronald Reagan State Office Building on Spring Street in Downtown LA, where the Second District Court of Appeal is located. It features an impressive selection of breakfast and lunch type foods (all with a French theme), along with pastries, cakes, and cookies. The eating space is large for a downtown coffeehouse, and includes an area with leather couches and overstuffed chairs in the back. There's also a banquet room.

The wi-fi situation was odd when I visited there today. The cafe had a password protected wireless network. When I asked the lady behind the counter for the password, she checked with several employees before one (the manager?) came over and advised me to use the non-password-protected network for the restaurant next door.

I sat at the cafe working from about 1:30 to 4:00. After the lunch crowd faded I was the only customer there. The staff had no problem with me sitting there for a couple of hours hunched over a laptop and taking calls.

This place is a boon to attorneys and other folks who have business at the RRSOB.

Wi-Fi Watering Holes: REDCAT Lounge

The REDCAT Lounge is ensconced at Level P3 of downtown LA's Disney Hall, catty-corner from the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. Besides the parking-structure entrance, it has its own street-level entrance on Grand. Its location makes it the closest wi-fi watering hole (with free wi-fi) to the courthouse (indeed, jurors are routed to the parking lot there when the Music Center parking is unavailable). Unfortunately for non-business users, it also means the parking on weekdays is a maximum of $17, paid in advance -- the same rate as the Music Center across the street.

The bar is an honest-to-goodness booze bar which also serves espresso and tea drinks. When I was there (about 9:45 to 11:00 a.m.), there was no menu posted. The nonfat cappuccino I had was pretty good.

Besides the bar, the rectangular lounge features plush benches and coffee tables around the south and east walls, with some convenient wall plugs. There's also an Imac on a minimalist computer desk, for those who lack laptops.

The lounge is open Tuesday through Friday at 9 am (it opens at noon on weekends), which makes it unavailable to those who want to do work while waiting for an 8:30 a.m. court appearance; but it still provides a haven for those who come downtown for court and have a meeting or other appointment there later in the day. (I hung out there before a noon seminar I gave a half-mile away.)

Wi-Fi Watering Holes: Venice Grind

This WFWH is easy to find if you're driving or riding down Venice Boulevard in Culver City near Bundy -- it's between Bundy and Grand View, and sports an enormous red "COFFEE" marquee reminiscent of the '30's or '40's. Inside, you'll find an enormous fiberglass-and-aluminum sculpture behind the counter of a phoenix, with a coffee cup instead of a head. Not only is there the typical local-artist art on the walls, but there are galleries on either side. The location is particularly bicycle-friendly, with Venice's generous bike lanes on either side of the street and a bikerack nearby on the sidewalk. The espresso drinks are pretty good, as is the chai; and it has a nice selection of teas. There's a sectional sofa and a bunch of hassocks in front, under the front window -- a substitute for the mis-matched living room furniture one often finds in coffee- houses. There's also a back porch with tables -- a nice feature for SoCal when the weather's nice. They also have thoughtfully placed electrical outlets liberally next to the tables.

One minus is that the wi-fi signal could be faster and stronger -- Blogger is occasionally choking as I type this. The hours are both a blessing and a curse: It opens earlier than most WFWHs (7 am on Sunday, 6 am every other day) but closes earlier than many (10 pm each day).

Catch-22 RIP

It was with moderate sadness that I observed the demise of Catch-22, a wi-fi watering hole in the Japanese neighborhood on Sawtelle in West LA. Catch-22's predecessor, Cafe Paradaiso, in the same space is where I first had a jasmine boba milk tea -- and the rest is history. I also recall fond Saturday and Sunday afternoons spent plugging away at my laptop there. The replacement: "Baby Waffles." I guess with the Pinkberry outlet around the corner in the Olympic collection, dessert places are absorbing boba palaces.

Wi-Fi Watering Holes Can Be Treacherous Waters

The LA Times today ran an article about the hidden dangers of using public wi-fi spots without adequate security. It isn't all that scary -- basically, if someone hacks into the spot's router, they can see a list of sites that you visit. Still, anyone using a computer that isn't hard-wired into a wall should be aware of the potential of having your little packets of info snatched from the air.

Wi-fi Watering Holes: The Novel Cafe

This is one of the larger wi-fi watering holes I've seen -- it not only has two downstairs rooms, but an upper floor too. And it needed the space; on the Saturday I was there, it was bustling with people pounding on their laptops and on the various desktops provided. There are work-desk-sized tables, but they're in short supply; most of the tables are little ones that can scarcely fit a laptop, a drink, and some food. Electrical outlets are plentiful. The place is also a used-book store, although I didn't see anyone buy any literature while I was there.

The food is the usual sandwich/salad fare so prevalent at WFWH's. The coffee drinks and chai are pretty good.

The cafe also has a pretty good parking situation. It has metered bumper-to-curb parking in front; and it's within walking distance of various public metered parking lots on trendy Main Street in Santa Monica.

One big deficit: The cafe charges for wi-fi -- up to $6.99 for a day pass, which is just a little less than you'd pay at a Starbucks. One wonders how many of the patrons were paying for the wi-fi, and how many were merely taking advantage of the multiple unsecured wi-fi networks blazing away in the neighborhood. Since so many excellent WFWHs offer free wi-fi -- including several in Santa Monica -- you have to either really like the place, be real desperate, or be on a company credit card to want to pay for it.

Too Much Air in the Cappucino?

According to this article in Fortune Magazine, Starbucks' stock may be trading at a Venti price despite a Doppo value. Apparently, following General Accounting Principles, 'Bucks exempts the cost of its stores' leases from the debt portion of the balance sheet. Those add up to $2.7 billion, or 10% of the company's net worth. They're probably not in actual trouble (at least as long as they avoid Krispy Kreme type expansion mistakes), but this news might make investors wake up and, well, you know . . . .