Life As A WiFi Vagabond In L.A.

In mid-August of this year I decided to cut living expenses by canceling my land-line phone service along with the ridiculously expensive and seemingly unknown long distance carrier I had. It occurred to me that I was spending upwards of $100 a month for the sake of reporting spam to my email providers only to find the same messages in my box the following day. Seeing how I had access to the Internet at work I figured I could live without the nightly and weekend habitual mindless logons to email and Myspace. How was I to know that in a short couple weeks I would be dismissed of my position at Tu Ciudad thus finding myself without access to the Internet. Anyone in their right mind would be freaking out over the fact that they've just been "laid off" but that's where I'm different. When I was sitting in the office with my supervisor and the general manager going over the formalities of being let go all I could think of was how I had just been blindsided off the Internet Super Highway. Ironically, I had just submitted a 300 word article on how Latinos are closing the gaps in the digital divide and are showing increased numbers as contributors to the blogosphere for the Dec/Jan issue.

Luckily I'm a resilient person. I've had a lifetime of experience in finding ways to make things work and how to get around a system set up to keep people like myself out. In the past couple months I've managed to sneak into my mother's house with my laptop and use her phone line to dial up to the Internet. I wasn't breaking in or anything like that -- I'd usually arrive with offerings of sweetness in the form of pan dulce or a video I checked out. I also took to reserving computers at Central Library in downtown until I figured it would be worth purchasing a PC laptop complete with wireless access. Great thinking -- that is if you lived in an area surrounded by airwaves thriving with connections. If you've read my earlier blog about finding myself in socioeconomic quarantine you'll know what I mean about Boyle Heights being left out in the dark. There is one link in the immediate area but the chicken shits have it secured -- the nerve!

So, back to square one. If and when I want to check email and surf the net I must pack up my laptop and drive into downtown to the one coffee shop with free wireless access. A good system, that was, until my car broke down. I've been backpacking it on foot through Boyle Heights these days making semi-daily visits to the neighborhood library. This morning though I decided to hit Central Library by taking the Metro Red Rapid. The unseasonably hot weather has eased up over the past couple days and today is the sort of day which makes people in the Midwestern states pack up their stuff and move to L.A. From my seat aboard the bus I can see that the sky is a crystal blue, from the open window I feel there is a soft breeze, the sun is gently leaning on my shoulder and the chemtrails are nowhere to be found. I'm finding myself experiencing the love part of my love/hate relationship with the city and it feels good.

Off at Grand and 5th I disembark and cross over to Central Library where I see people sitting on the steps and benches with bewildered and somber expressions. I figured the library wasn't open yet seeing how it was barely after 10 AM until a fellow bus riding back packer informs me that the library is closed in observance of Veteran's Day. As much as I was bummed out over the news I hung around a while and had a brief conversation with a woman who walked up and sat near me. She too had taken the Metro, only she was in from Long Beach and was visiting the library to find directions to a clinic in East Los Angeles. She couldn't have chosen a better person to spark up a conversation with seeing how I knew exactly where she was going and even gave her the correct bus route. For that she gave me the most incredible persimmon fresh from her tree. I normally don't take fruit from strangers but the gesture was sincere and I had to imagine it was destined for me when she plucked it from her tree. Back to my dilemma, at this point I'm still trying to figure out a way to hack into the wireless network and see a young woman with a laptop situated right outside the library door. Figuring she too was looking for a WiFi hookup I kept an eye on her. When I finally did blink I noticed she was gone. I waited a few minutes and then I sat in the same spot and powered up only to realize the signal didn't work.

Surely, in a city such as Los Angeles there must be hotspots which don't require fees and then I remembered hearing how Pershing Square had officially been declared an Internet hotspot. Seeing how I was only a couple blocks away I packed up and headed out. Once at Pershing Square I was directed by park security to a location known to have the best reception. I must have really been Jonesing for a logon because there I sat amongst a line up of homeless men. With laptop running I see one of them eye me and make his way over. I looked at him with my no way stare and said I had nothing for him. He was curious about the way wireless works. We actually had a good conversation. I was about to offer him the persimmon and then realized he was missing a good portion of his chomping teeth -- besides, that was an offering of appreciation to me -- an omen of sorts. The WiFi gods must be having a good laugh at my expense today because once again the signal was dead.

Okay, by now I could be frustrated and/or even pissed but as I said it's much too beautiful a day for me to toss in the towel and retreat back into the no WiFi zone at home. Besides yesterday I sunk into a feeling of total isolation and there's no way I want to fall back into that mood. I had one last option -- take the Metro Red Line one stop over to Civic Center and take the A Dash into the Artist District to Groundwork. The Dash leaves me off right across the street from the place plus they have free WiFi and a pretty damned good selection coffee -- Bitches Brew is my favorite. So this is where I've been the past couple hours.

When my day got started I had no clue this is how it would end up. Getting around downtown L.A. via public transportation from one place to another has helped me reconnect with a city I've been less than friendly to lately. My journey in search of WiFi this day would have made most people I know give in to frustration. I took it as a challenge and am glad I did. The interactions I had with the people on the street has been a hell of a lot more rewarding than feeling invisible at home. Think I'll update my current resume to reflect a sense of stick-to-it approach to life and an ability to accomplish tasks without guidance.