According to Seattle Visitor Services, the Intel Corporation calls Seattle the nation's "Most Unwired City". This is good news for business travelers seeking free WIFI connections for their laptops, iPhones and notebooks. While, of course, grabbing a latte. Surfing the net and sipping coffee - that's what people do in Seattle, eh?
Free WIFI Spots in Seattle
- Seattle Public Library
- Regional Libraries - Kitsap, Pierce, Sno-Isle, Timberland
- Sound Transit - Sounder Commuter Rail to Everett, Bus route 545 from Redmond (home of Microsoft, so this makes some sense)
- Metro Buses - routes 197 and 48
- University District Neighborhood. Join the students in their studies and surf the internet for free in the whole area
- Freeway Park - Downtown at 700 Seneca St
- Occidental Park in the International District, via Pioneer Square, Occidental Ave South and S Main Street
- Victor Steinbrueck Park at Pike Place Market
- Westlake Park, Downtown Seattle, at 401 Pine Street
- Washington State Ferries - these are the free WIFI runs: MV Klickitat, MV Puyallup, MV Spokane, MV Tacoma and MV Wenatchee
- Center House at Seattle Center (by the Space Needle...always a good landmark for lost travelers)
- City Hall Plaza - Downtown at 600 Fourth Avenue
- Elliot Bay Bookstore Cafe in Pioneer Square - this shop is a landmark in Seattle, as the area's largest, most thriving and long-established privately-owned bookstore
Free WIFI Spots on the Eastside (Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, etc)
- King County Public Library in downtown Bellevue, also in all other King County library locations There are locations all over the Eastside, so finding a library to hook into is always a reliable option
- Marymoor Park - crack the laptop on picnic tables under the trees in this vast Redmond natural park
- Bellevue Art Museum Cafe in Bellevue Square
- Bellevue Crossroads Mall at 156th Ave. NE and NE 8th St. The mall's local library allows the signal to spill out into a large area of the mall interior and public seating is plentiful
- All Panera Bread locations - 24-hour access available in the parking lots, even if the shops are closed for the night. Try the Issaqua, Lynnwood and Redmond locations
Easiest Free WIFI Bets for Seattle Area Travelers
What's the best bet for business travelers new to the Puget Sound region? Try WIFI at landmarks first - the Center House under the Space Needle and the City Hall Plaza are good starting points, as are the wireless waves broadcasting from parks (Marymoor, Freeway, Westlake, Occidental and Victor Steinbrueck). Libraries, as mentioned above, are usually easy to find.
Free WFI can also be accessed from area Office Depots using the proper code.
Other Free Wireless Spots in Seattle
Okay - the obvious, coffee shops. Starbucks may be ubiquitous but their wireless connections ain't free. Neither are the hot spots at Seattle's Best (also owned by Starbucks). Tully's Coffee, however, recently went free.
Plenty of smaller, local cafes offer free WIFI, but connections can be iffy, and changes from free to fee can occur sans warning. It's best to call ahead or check out the Seattle Wireless Coffee Wicki for updates. The site seems to be updated frequently by a core group of laptop cowboys.
Lots of chain hotels also sport free wireless service, although some Internet sleuthing may be required for login passcodes.
For Washington statewide free wireless listings, the WIFI Free Spot site is usually a reliable source.
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