Yesterday I found a hotspot that came in handy and will certainly make my visits to the mechanic a little more pleasant.
I had met up with a client in the Rockville center area. After I was through I went out to Panera Bread in Rockville center for lunch so I could hop on their free WiFi. Paid $1 for parking so I wouldn’t get a parking ticket. Over Lunch I worked through my Google Reader as I had fallen behind my favorite blogs. When lunch was over I went back out to the parking lot only to find a ticket on my car for an expired inspection. It expired last month. I knew it but I was dreading going to the mechanic for this as it is a good 2-3 hour wait with absolutely nothing to do.
I’m cranking with the workload here so I really wanted to find a spot where I could sit down and work so that 2-3 hour wait would be productive. Since I have been mapping hotspots in my area I knew I could access an Optimum WiFi hotspot all down Franklin Ave in Franklin Square which is on my way home. There happens to be a Mavis Discount Tire within this hotspot and they do inspections. I walk in, do a quick look around and notice there are two cubicles were you can sit down and work. They have electrical outlets and are semi private. No one can see what you are working on. They just got my business.
Yes the place was busy and there were at least half a dozen people waiting around for their cars, some snoozing in the waiting area, some reading a newspaper but others were just waiting right in front of the service desk giving the clerk the eye, like that’s going to speed up the work on their car. Really now!
I sat down and started working. People are looking at me typing away. Some are probably thinking, “So that’s what those cubicles are for”. Others are probably thinking, “why didn’t I think of that” and then there’s that one soccer mom who just left to take her young daughter down the block for lunch. Quality time with the kids. Possibly a dying art. Put a smile on my face.
Anyway, I just had to share with the world the new WiFi spot I can now use when the car needs work. If I had found it sooner I could have avoided the $50 fine for having an expired inspection sticker. If you find similar hotspots, please let me know. I’m building my list of hotspots here.
[Recovered from Wayback Machine on 2026-05-10] Original: http://daviddaniels.com:80/2010/03/car-inspection-done-wifi-hotspot-found/ · view snapshot