Coffeehouses come and go like lovers; some stay longer than others. It’s simple: coffee is like sex; if it’s good we go back for more. Sex isn’t everything, however, and to make a relationship (or coffeehouse) worth remembering, we need a deeper connection.

The café has always been a place to connect and, at some point near the turn of the century, the corner café as the “local hot spot” came to mean something quite different. Now, we take our jobs and our social lives with us when we leave the house or the office. Being denied Wi-Fi away from home feels a bit like discrimination, and living through an unexpected blackout is akin to torture; we’re suddenly forced to talk to people real-time and, no matter how hard we try, it’s impossible to edit our voicemails to any satisfaction.

But are we really at a loss when we plug out, or are we just returning to something better?

Indie coffee shops make connecting easy, both online and off. But when a writer-friend suggested that shops might cut back their Wi-Fi over the coming months, I shuttered to think how the reduction might drastically limit my digital mobility. I wondered why exactly I’d invested so much in connecting online away from the confines of my apartment. Like me, most New Yorkers expect Wi-Fi everywhere, and coffee shops play a big role in forming that expectation.

Alex Clark and coffee have been friends ever since he first roasted it for his parents at age 16; it was his first job and, despite a stint in the stock market and a career as a chemist, the industry has since held a special place in his heart. Anyone who’s met him might tell you he wears his joy on his sleeve. Perhaps it’s the love of the culture that affords him an optimistic view of the future, a sensibility that no doubt gave him the guts to set up shop a stone’s throw from the empty carcass of Rapture, the legendary East Village queer-punk haven crushed by a burgeoning recession.

Ost Café, located at 12th Street and Avenue A, is the breath of fresh air for a neighborhood that in 2008 lost not one bubbling hot spot, but two; Gramstand, just a few doors from Rapture, closed in December.

Ost

Although Clark says Wi-Fi hasn’t been all that essential to business since the shop first opened, wireless connectivity is what loyal customers had come to expect. Alphabet City’s lingering nostalgia for both Gramstand and Rapture- and its reception of Ost- says that indie is about community. It’s customary to see a score of laptops strung to eager eyes and clumsy fingers adjusting monitors one minute, then lifting iced lattes the next. Patrons here connect as if their lives depend on it.

Clark says Ost has already formed a loyal customer base after only five months- with zero advertising. When I enter Wi-Fi user into the equation, Clark simply says it’s a matter of respecting the fact that it’s free. In other words, sitting for hours with a laptop on a single cup of joe is a no-no.

Even with the best of intentions, refusal to get up for a second cup lands us on a watch list. Enough offenders and Wi-Fi could leave for good. And for good reason.

Just like other businesses, coffee shops pay for rent and overhead costs like electricity, equipment and staff. And while Alex Clark takes no issue with Wi-Fi, a few shop owners across town have taken measures to avoid landing in the red.

‘Snice

In response to ‘Snice patrons who perch at their computers for hours, owner Michael Walter has decided to cut wireless altogether. When I ask if the falling economy and soaring unemployment have something to do with excessive lounging, he replies that most computer users fiddle on sites like Facebook, while considerably fewer engage in job searches. But Walter isn’t altogether unsympathetic. “It beats sitting in the house,” he says, referring to finding perfect hot spots away from home. “Most New Yorkers live in cramped apartments. But it comes down to the fact that we’ve got limited space. It’s about real estate.”

By city standards, the West Village location has a wealth of tables. Many however, are deuces, which greatly reduces the number of accommodations once customers start flashing their laptops. While some aren’t crazy about the change, for Walter, playing the villain has paid off; business is back on track, and cutting Wi-Fi has created an atmosphere more conducive to connecting people in the corporeal sense. Walter says the shop is now a “much more social place,” with Wi-Fi gone and computer usage limited.

Grounded

Throwing Wi-Fi out completely isn’t always the answer. Just paces away on Jane Street, Grounded has introduced a time limit of about an hour to curb what Manager Sarah Jackson describes as “not enough turnover,” adding that at least half of the computer users there can be found obsessing over status updates while their neighbors patiently wait to sit and sip.

Regardless of whether New Yorkers are taking their social lives online or ditching the office to be productive elsewhere, filling any café is about creating a sacred space where people want to do more than just surf the net. Arguably one of the coziest Wi-Fi hotspots in the city, Grounded offers a laidback living room feel, complete with bookcases and a coffee table where the weary can rest their feet.

And despite outlets at every turn, the shop’s layout more than encourages conversation. Sage Crump, Performing Arts Exchange Director for Southern Arts Federation, says it doesn’t matter much to her that most of the indie spots in the city provide free Wi-Fi. “If I’m coming out of the house for a really good cup of coffee, all I’ve got in tow is my journal or a good book,” she says. “It’s too tempting to do work if I bring my laptop, and that ruins the ritual for me.”

Coffee Culture

For centuries, coffeehouses have been an integral part of the public sphere. The first European salons may have appeared as early as the 16th century, and by the 1800s, salons and coffeehouses had acquired a widespread reputation for the intellectual and literary circles they nurtured. The café was the place where many people turned to for the news and to discuss current events.

Today, indie coffee shops still act as intellectual hubs in their communities, and one can easily argue that newspapers, zines and chapbooks have been replaced by -you guessed it- those warm and fuzzy laptops we tote like charm bracelets.

With communication in constant upgrade, the term “public sphere” carries more weight than ever before.

“Coffeehouses and newspapers go together,” says author and urban farmer Troy Soriano. “The Internet is the modern day equivalent of a newspaper. You might as well not have cream or sugar at your coffeehouse than not have and allow and encourage patrons to use Wi-Fi. Even cruising Facebook, you’re getting news posted to pages. Any owners that are put off by ‘loafers’ don’t understand the history and culture and place of the coffeehouse.”

As many urbanites will attest to, it’s good to get out. But surely there are rules when it comes to coffee and cohabitating. Pam Chmiel, owner of the late Klatch in the financial district, “understands there should be etiquette” when it comes to computers in cafés. While Chmiel says offering Internet “never caused a problem” for her shop, she remembers how “people were sometimes inconsiderate by sprawling out,” making it difficult for lunchtime patrons to find a seat.

“Rushing in and out [of a café] without writing, talking or lounging would be a mistake,” Soriano says. “Coffee should be something you luxuriate over with a book and your thoughts, or with friends, catching up. I love coffee but I don’t value it over scanning headlines, sketching in a sketch book or running into friends and sitting for an hour or two. The right coffee shop encourages all of that.”

And with regard to guests who overstay their welcome? “Sure I’ve had to wait for a table. But I don’t mind. I’d rather have to wait than have ‘10 minutes only’ or ‘No Wi-Fi’ signs up and be rushed out the door once my ten dollars has been collected.”

While changing technology may present new challenges for businesses and their bottom lines, most wireless users are in the relationship for the long haul. It’s my bet that we’re willing to forgive a few snags in the road and adjust, connecting where we like to connect the most: at the local hot spot.

“I just want to put my elbows on the table with the mug between my hands, stare out of the window, take that first sip and see where my mind goes,” Crump says.

More from “the caffeine eccentric”

Read my column on Edge

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Lately your coffee has been brewed to less than perfection.  Coffee grinds at the bottom of your cup is not the way to start a day.  You’re better than this.  Here’s hoping for a remedy, we’re rooting for you to bounce back.

GOT WI-FI?:GRAMSTAND NYC

Like any proper computer nerd, I size up every coffee/tea location by the free availability and ease of access to its Wi-Fi network. OK, I suppose the quality of beverage is an important factor as well. Hence, a new series for Daily Marauder: Got Wi-fi?. Over the next several months, I will embark on a mission to find the best Wi-Fi spot in the city be it coffee/tea house, restaurant, bar, or swanky hotel. My computer will boldly go where many computers have gone before it. Mine rocks a 17” screen which intimidates the competition.

Which brings me to, my first choice.

Located right around the corner from my humble abode, I have walked by Gramstand several hundred times before even noticing that it existed. But today, is a different day. I go in search of Wi-Fi and on this particular day on Avenue A between 13^th and 14^th Street, I find it.

Food/Beverage Selection

Even though Gramstand serves up both coffee and tea, they really pride themselves on their tea selection. Specifically, they offer over 50 types of traditional and exotic teas all hand-picked by the owner. Tea bag? I didn’t think so. I’m personally waiting for summer so I can try the Citrus Berry, a drink with ice cubes made of tea with a honey inside. Sweet surprise yumminess. On the food tip, they had a pumpkin muffin in the store that almost made me cry from happiness.

Wi-Fi Action

On to the Wi-Fi as prominently displayed in front of the counter. Wi-Fi issue? Nope. . .not here. Getting on to the network was flawless and speeds seemed relatively quick and crash-free.

Seating

Gramstand rocks an upstairs and shockingly. . .

a downstairs as well. Lets just say. You’ll never be without your comfy seating options. I hope you dig shabby chic. This Marauder definitely does.

Extra points for the Etch-a-Sketch downstairs.

Customer Service

Meet Hanly, Gramstand tea mistress and fellow blogger. In a sea of bitter New Yorkers, it’s nice to be greeted with a smile for a change. Here Hanly introduces us to Gramstand’s communication device for sending messages from the upper level downstairs. Click on her image above to check out her blog. Please please please check out her book club including the most awesome alternative to Eat Pray Love.

Final Call

If you’re not a tea drinker, this place isn’t for you. If you are, you’ve found mecca both in beverage variety and in the quality of the free Wi-Fi. Marauder Thumbs up on this one.

Local tea stores are my home away from home and I’m always looking for ways to support them. Normally I try my best to buy several cups of tea from any new place that pops up near me, but today I was given the opportunity to help a cafe, the gramstand, get closer to reaching their goal of winning $10,000 with just a click of my mouse. Located in NYC, the “gramstand is a tea café and store, providing East Villagers with a modern-day retreat that invites conversation, relaxation, and an opportunity to experience the healthy lifestyle associated with tea.”

Now you may be thinking, how do you get $10,000 with just a click of a mouse? No, not gambling or bank transfers, but rather with a website, ideablob, that has created a space “where entrepreneurs and small business owners can share and grow their business ideas – and have a chance to win $10,000 towards fulfilling them.” I am thrilled to support a tea store and a site that encourages expression and success of creative ideas.

If they win the $10,000 Gramstand will using these funds to, “increase our menu options, renovate the store for more community gatherings, and enhance our website. Most notably for our customers, we plan on installing bifold front windows and new air conditioning for the summer. As well, we’d like to fix up the basement seating space a bit more.”

Today is the last day to vote, so hurry up and support a great place.

The next time I’m in NYC I will definitely be making my way over to gramstand and sipping on the gramstandard brew (sri lankian black with a hint of mango and magnolia).

I’m sitting on a futon that too closely resembles mine at home, but other than that, I’m liking it here.  This is my second attempt at Gramstand – a nice little coffee and tea shop offering free wifi.  Thing is, i’m not using their wifi.  I just sneezed and everyone said bless you.  I walked in and they had some Bob Marley playing.  The vibe here is completely different than B Cup.  Where B Cup feels like the home of an Italian artist, Gramstand feels like Hemingway’s solarium.  Green plants, white roughed up wood, beige futon, green chairs, clean lighting and really vary simple display of food and decor.  It’s more minimalist and a really cute girl talked to me when I walked in the door.  she warned me that the seats put you a little low under the table.  Good warning as I HATE that.  So now I’m perched on their futon with my laptop on their coffee table (made higher by resting on an Operation game box) drinking a really tasty citrus berry tea.

I’m pretty down about the state of my phone, but it’s only making me want a job more.  That and the fact that I’m the one roadblock to Factor and I getting our place to not look like Roseanne Barr’s trailer.  And I don’t mean her ass.  But if it’s fuzzy, our place might look like her ass.  I’m off now, to work on my resumes (oh yes, there are many… must target for specific audiences).

Guess what else I did – don’t totally pass out on your spreadsheets, people.

I joined Facebook.  how gross is THAT?