Oh, the hunt for free WiFi spots. You work remotely for a big engineering company. Or your company is based in Geneva, and they wanted a NYC-based consultant. Or maybe you’re writing an ebook that’s going to net you thousands of dollars per month. There are literally thousands of freelancers, remote employees, and off-site independent contractors living in NYC.

While they probably work out of their homes a good portion of the time, they’ll sometimes find themselves needing to find free WiFi space outside of the home. Maybe they like the idea of working in a space where a lot of other people are working, giving the impression that you’re working out of a real office. Maybe the WiFi went out in their home, and they need to quickly find a space to wire up. Whatever the reason, freelancers and other people are constantly on the lookout for a place that offers free WiFi. Free WiFi spots in NYC range from coffee shops to outdoor spaces. Looking for a great one? Here are a few.

New York Public Library, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building @42nd Street

Remember libraries? Remember this library in particular? In addition to having some of the best research archives and public art exhibits in the country, this world-famous architectural masterpiece offers free WiFi throughout the space. The awesome Rose Reading Room is currently closed for extensive renovations, but other rooms in the building offer great work spaces and outlets, including The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs room and the Dorot Jewish Division.

5th Avenue @ 42nd Street, NY
917-275-6975

Bryant Park

If your ideal workspace features the sky as your ceiling, NYC has tons of local parks for you to set up shop. If you’d like to nosh as you work, you can head outside and move to glorious Bryant Park located directly behind the library. Exit the library on the 42nd Street side between 5th and 6th and walk a few paces towards 6th before making a sharp left into Bryant Park. Grab a bench and type away for as long as your laptop charge holds. You’ll simply need to connect to the BryantPark.org server.

42nd Street between 5th and 6th, NY
212-768-4242

Ace Hotel

The Ace Hotel is, hands down, one of the best places in the city to set up your virtual office. At first glance you may think this hotel’s awesome lobby is filled with poseurs and hipsters-not-hipsters, but what you’ll notice within seconds of arriving is that these daytime guests are here to work. From film crews to actors to advertising creatives, people here are actually working, and working hard. Your chair is your chair until you leave, so there’s none of that rushed vibe you tend to find at other free WiFi spots around the city. The communal tables set up in the lobby foster a “we’re all hustling together in this city” vibe, making this the perfect place to get in the mindset to get some work done. Load up on a Stumptown double-shot iced latte before you head into a three-hour marathon writing session. When you look up later on in the day and realize that you’ve exceeded your output goals, treat yourself to a job well done at the Breslin, the hotel’s on-site Brit pub offering tasty English treats like fish and chips and skirt steak with fried eggs and tomato.

20 West 29th Street, NY
212-679-2222

Image Source: Flickr/mike

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