Pershing Square: Checking on the Free WIFI
Eric Richardson
[Flickr]
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — I got back to my apartment a little bit ago and felt like doing something to take advantage of the nice weather, so I decided to wander over to Pershing Square and see how the wifi I blogged back in April is doing after about two months of operation.
I guess the first and most important thing to say is: it's working, and I'm using it right now. After that the rest is just details, but I like details, so I'll put some in after the jump.
I had a little bit of an issue getting my browser to find the login page (it thought it was getting redirected in circles), but I got that working easily enough. Next I had to remember the username and password I set up a few months ago, but that was pretty easy as well. I got it first try -- sort of. It looks to me like the login still has a bug I remember hearing about back in April. The first time you hit submit it just sits there, but if you stop and resubmit it logs you on just fine.
I was a little worried about finding shade once I got here. The problem with life as a laptop user is that you want to get outside and enjoy the weather, but any sunlight so overpowers your screen as to make viewing impossible. Today there are circular tables out with umbrellas, but no chairs. The tables are almost completely unoccupied, or so it seems until you get close. Then you see the bodies lying on the grass in the shadows of the umbrellas.
I ended up taking a seat on the benches that line the northwest wall. There are lots of trees here, so good shade for laptop viewing. It looks like I might have to reassess my seat soon as the sun gets lower, but for now it's good.
Now to see if I can actually get some work done without getting distracted by just being outside.
jim winstead on June 26, 2005, at 05:39PM – #1
i was just in pershing square. i had to double-check your photo to make sure i wasn't in it.
my thought as i passed through is that you would have to work pretty hard to make the park any worse than it already is. there must be some point to the concrete wasteland that is the side with the fountain, but i'm not sure what it could be.
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on June 27, 2005, at 08:55AM – #2
I swear Jim, if we keep being in so many of the same places someday we are going to actually meet.
I agree on your assessment of Pershing Square, especially when it comes to the south end of the park. You have a lot of wasted space with the spill area for the waterfall (if you're going to devote all that area, at least fill it up). The odd thing, though, is that there are always people sitting on that bench that runs the south end. I've never understood that. If the new Police Headquarters ends up getting built, I'd love to see a reworking of Pershing Square as a mitigation measure. -e;
Jose on August 08, 2008, at 07:42AM – #3
Free WiFi in Los Angeles seems to be the Best in the Pershing Square area (Pershing Square, 6th St from Hope to Olive. I got at least 10 free WiFi sites in these areas. When I was in Little Tokyo the WiFi was horrible! I could not get WiFi in the Little Tokyo Starbucks or on the out side of the Starbucks where the restaurants are!
Some one in the Little Tokyo area should do something to fix that problem!
Jose