Internet Access in NYC

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Photo: © Winston Davidian

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Whether you need to send a quick email or are visiting NYC and need to contact loved ones back home, you'll have no trouble keeping connected in the City. If you're staying at a hotel, chances are that it has a business center with computers and printers available for guests. Internet cafés are another option for getting online. Anywwwhere Internet Café Services, for example, can be found at more than 150 retail sites (some of which have printers) throughout the metropolitan area.

If you have a laptop with you, wireless Internet is available throughout NYC, including in many hotels, coffee shops, parks and libraries. At some locations, you have to pay for WiFi. At others—like Starbucks and the New York Public Library—you can surf the web for free. At the library, you can use either on-site computers or your own laptop. Explore the two maps below to learn about parks and coffee shops that offer free WiFi. NYC is always expanding public WiFi coverage. With AT&T, the City has added service at Joyce Kilmer Park (Bronx), Thomas Jefferson Park (East Harlem) and The Battery (Lower Manhattan). If you're planning on spending time downtown, visit the Downtown Alliance website for a list of spots with free wireless Internet in Lower Manhattan. And those visiting Brooklyn’s DUMBO are really in luck—all of the neighborhood’s parks, plazas and streets are now hotspots.

Remember to use caution at wireless hotspots. For a good starting point, visit microsoft.com for safety tips that can help safeguard your private data.

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open-air internet: parks with free wifi

Spending some time in the great outdoors doesn't have to mean going off-line—a number of lovely parks around New York City feature free WiFi, perfect for an afternoon with your laptop.