Tulsa: November 2004 Archives

The continuing search for Internet access in public places:

Panera Bread at 15th & Troost has free WiFi for customers -- and they now close at 9 pm instead of 8 pm. 71st & Lewis and 41st east of Yale both have WiFi -- the other Tulsa locations will get it eventually. Here's a list of all WiFi-enabled Panera locations.

I haven't been there myself yet, but there's a new cafe called Saffron at 12th and Harvard that has free WiFi. A reader reports that it has a "relatively simple (unpretentious) and inexpensive menu. I had lunch there this afternoon, which consisted of half a sandwich ('build your own' from several choices of meats, cheeses, and vegetables), chips, homemade salsa, and a pickle for just $3. Coffee was $1.50 (more elaborate concoctions are a little more, but not much)." Saffron is at the eastern edge of Renaissance Neighborhood -- an easy walk from the TU campus and nearby neighborhoods -- and as it's in an older building in an older commercial area, it sits right on the street. You actually can walk to it without worrying about dodging cars as you cross a vast sea of asphalt.

Can people sitting at computers in public result in a richer, more neighborly social atmosphere? It seems counterintuitive, but I think so. People who want to catch up with emails, need to work on a report, or just feel like surfing the web can do so in a public place, where it's possible for them to bump into friends and neighbors, something that isn't possible if everyone is stuck at home at the computer. Anything that gets folks to spend time outside the cocoons of home and work will help make Tulsa a more neighborly place.

Just open this week: Another cafe offering free WiFi to customers. Cosmo at 68th and Memorial, next to Red Lobster on the west side of the street, offers "sophisticated sandwiches," a wide variety of coffees and teas, and a full bar, including Guinness on tap. It's an attractive, comfortable, and roomy place, and it's open from 9 am until midnight. In addition to WiFi access (and lots of convenient outlets), they have a few desktops available for those customers without a laptop. Give them a try.

And don't forget about Caffe Bona (81st & Memorial and 91st & Yale; no website!) and DoubleShot (18th and Boston) -- good coffee and free WiFi.