Laptop tour hits the hottest (and coolest) spots

We took a Mac laptop and logged on at several free public wireless Internet zones, with one question in mind: Hotspot, or not?

Bellevue

At lunchtime, sun seekers sprawled on the warm red brick of the Bellevue Galleria, but in the ample shade cast by a large metal sculpture called Bellgate, the laptop screen was easy to read, and the Wi-Fi signal was as clear as the cloudless sky.

It wasn't your typical cubicle. A man picked through a nearby garbage can, passers-by dodged a woman trying to hand out fliers from a gym, the crosswalk signal chirped loudly.

Bellevue's offering overlaps with pay Wi-Fi networks, like the one available at Starbucks at Barnes & Noble. There, Jane Kossuth had logged on for $4 an hour, unaware that Bellevue offered free Wi-Fi -- there are no signs advertising it.

She and her 19-year-old son, Ryan, agreed they'd use it again. "Of course," he said. "It's free."

Kirkland

At Marina Park, where signs tout free Wi-Fi, there was so much glare off Lake Washington that it was difficult to read the screen even in the shade. Computer users were indoors, in cafes along Lake Street.

On a metal bench outside Anthony's Home Port restaurant, the signal was strong, but the traffic was noisy, and a sign above the bench read "No Trespassing or Loitering."

Parents often use the Wi-Fi in the summer while their kids play in the public pool, but a weak signal sometimes stymies the network's users, and glare presents another problem. It got so bad last summer that workers had trouble just testing the system, said Brenda Cooper, Kirkland's chief information officer.

"If we're going to keep this going or if we're going to expand to more parks," she said, "we need to think about building more shade."

Kent Station

There is one thing you need to know about using the Wi-Fi at Kent Station: smooth jazz.

It's piped via small speakers positioned around the outdoor mall. A group of teens idling on a bench in front of the movie theater confirmed that the music was omnipresent and "very annoying."

But it didn't interfere with the Wi-Fi, which did not extend to the nearby Sounder train platform. (Sound Transit offers free Wi-Fi on its Everett-Seattle trains and ST route 545, and plans to expand to the Tacoma-Seattle trains and more buses and bus routes, said spokesman Bruce Gray.)

No signs noting the free Wi-Fi were posted, and shoppers interviewed were oblivious to it. The few benches were far from any available shade. A Jamba Juice employee said people can sit at the umbrella tables there, even if they don't buy anything.

The padded wooden chairs outside a fireplace near Dilettante Mocha Café were more inviting. A large chimney blocked the sun while the gas-generated flame radiated just enough heat to compensate, making this low-profile wireless zone the coolest of hotspots.

Columbia City

Thanks to a pilot project launched two years ago by the city of Seattle, Columbia City has a free wireless zone that encompasses both sides of Rainier Avenue South, from Alaska Street past Hudson Street. It's also available in the University District and at four downtown parks: Occidental, Westlake, Victor Steinbreuck and Freeway Park.

Yet at 6 p.m. on a balmy weekday, Ryan Whisnant was indoors and online at the Columbia City branch of the Seattle Public Library.

A Redmond resident, Whisnant didn't know about the free Wi-Fi just outside in the park. He prefers to work in coffee shops, he said. Though he has "poached" free Internet service by parking his car near the Issaquah library, he doesn't see himself working in a park.

"Too distracting, I think," he said.

Amy Roe: 206-464-3347 or aroe@seattletimes.com