Touring Downtown WIFI: Starbucks
Eric Richardson
[Flickr]
The Starbucks at 11th and Grand -- despite its missing outdoor furniture -- is one of Downtown's best WIFI hangouts.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — This is the first in a series of stories taking a tour of Downtown's WIFI spots. Whether at coffee shops or Pershing Square, there are plenty of options -- some better than others. Learn a new spot or help out your neighbors by sharing your favorites.
Given the number of Starbucks locations around Downtown, it seems only appropriate to start out a series on WIFI spots by taking a look at the 800-pound gorilla of the coffee industry.
OVERALL PROS: You know what you're getting. It's Starbucks.
OVERALL CONS: WIFI access is paid, but there are ways to get free access. Many AT&T DSL customers can get onto WIFI points for free, and a registered Starbucks card entitles one to two hours of daily free access.
While Starbucks has locations across Downtown, some make for better hangouts than others. Here's a rundown of some of the ones better suited for the officeless laptop-user.
11th & Grand: The Starbucks at Elleven is the neighborhood's coffee shop. Laptops abound, as do regulars. Four outlets located around the space mean that your odds of finding an outlet are pretty good.
5th & Figueroa: This little Starbucks juts out of the Union Bank Plaza on the west side of Figueroa. It's tiny -- perhaps a dozen seats total, but there's one pair of outlets and it's kind of cool looking out over traffic on Fig.
7th & Figueroa: The Starbucks at 7+Fig is small and crowded, but has a couple outlets and makes for a good power spot in a pinch. The complex itself has free WIFI (which we'll cover later), so you may have better options nearby.
2nd & Central: Over in Little Tokyo, this spot next to Office Depot is large and open late.
gkam on November 24, 2008, at 11:05AM – #1
I think there's another Starbucks at the corner of 1st and Los Angeles. I'm not sure about number of outlets but it's usually quiet inside.
Heather on November 24, 2008, at 02:27PM – #2
There is a Starbucks at 1st/Los Angeles, but it can get pretty crowded at certain times throughout the day because it is the closest Starbucks to all the City employees.
Don Garza on November 24, 2008, at 03:22PM – #3
Timely article. I am meeting a client tomorrow at 7th and fig. SO it is great to know we have access to wifi at starbucks , but I need to know where else around there are some good options. We are putting together a website. Need to know the options send pm if possible.
By the way going bowling tomorrow.
Ankur on November 24, 2008, at 05:07PM – #4
All coffee beans have free wifi now.
opulentsss on November 25, 2008, at 12:38PM – #5
as part of downtown la's thriving community, i'm really disappointed that we don't have more privately-owned coffee shops. who wants to hang out at starbucks with their $5 generic latte?? we need to to start supporting small business owners that have original and unique ideas amidst this economic crisis. wifi??? i can get that on my rooftop pool....
Don Garza on November 25, 2008, at 05:32PM – #6
Gotta say that the wifi is great at 7th and FIg. I and a client went to the bottom most courtyard and sat there conducting our business today. As we were leaving we noticed that on the upper decks there were wifi users plugged in to the columns. Gonna work out of there from now on instead of being stuck at home.
Kathy Hassan on November 26, 2008, at 08:48AM – #7
I agree with OPULENTSSS. I'd rather find alternative coffee shops that offer free wifi rather than go through Starbucks red tape to get access. It's a hassle if you're in a hurry to prepare notes before a meeting downtown, and you don't have time to fiddle with registration, etc.
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on November 26, 2008, at 09:11AM – #8
Equally a hassle if you're in a hurry is finding your way several blocks to one of Downtown's independent shops if there happens to be a Starbucks right there. In my mind there's no one-size-fits-all answer here. They're all nice options.
Vanzant on November 28, 2008, at 04:09PM – #9
What about Wilshire and Bixel? they are usually less crowded being a block west of Fig
Joseph Arellano on December 02, 2008, at 07:05PM – #10
I really appreciate these reviews. Santa has just ordered me an Acer Aspire One netbook (kitten laptop) and I look forward to using it around downtown on my next business trip to the Southland. These reviews are quite helpful to a no. Cal'er such as I.