Last year at the bifurcated convention of national pastors and emergent conversationalists, I was desperately seeking free WiFi. My scouting report (via willzhead) from an hour ago tells me that the WiFi infrastructure has not apparently improved. Nashville is not moving at the dot-com pace.
Here’s a list of where you can get WiFi around the convention site, Renaissance Nashville Hotel, within walking distance:
Free WiFi
Provence Breads and Cafe – 601 Church St. [L from hotel lobby on Commerce St, R @ 7th Ave, R @ Church St]
The Global Cafe – 322 Broadway [R from hotel on Commerce St, go 3 blocks, R @ 4th, L @ Broadway]
Rocketown – 401 6th Ave.
Best Western – 711 Union St. [L from hotel on Commerce St, R @ 7th Ave, go 2 blocks]
(cf. other locations farther away metrofreefi.com, wififreespot.com)
Free Internet [updated 5/18]
at the Digital Lounge, near Convention Headquarters – bring a laptop and connect up to an ethernet cable, or use one that’s available there
Paid WiFi
Renaissance Nashville Hotel – public areas & hotel rooms @ $9.95 /day
FedExKinko’s – 212 Broadway – T-Mobile Hotspot @ $6 for 1 hour, $9.99 /day, or by subscription [R from hotel lobby on Commerce St, go 5 blocks, R @ 2nd, go 1 block]
No WiFi, just Starbucks coffee
Starbucks – 424 Church St. [R from hotel, go 2 blocks, L @ 4th Ave, R @ Church St]
This year, I head down to Nashville o-dark-thirty tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, and get there a little after lunch time, Lord willing. Will see many people there, maybe you too! And, free lunch on Thursday – you don’t have to be a blogger and you don’t have to be registered at the convention (confession: I party-crash conferences) – just show up at lunch.
the city of nashville did not know that on this week a great number of bloggers would be dawning on their unsuspecting city… to not prepare for this could lead to bloggers running through the streets with lap tops in hand, praying that they will find a spot that will indeed connect them back to the world
thanks for the tips. i’ll be there tomorrow noonish. look forward to hooking up… even if we can only do so intermittingly to the outside world.
great resource! look forward to seeing you at the conference..
whats funny is the conference center says it can make wi-fi available..i imagine substanital extra $$$ however..
peace..
mark
Even the free wifi is unreliable. SMTP did not work when I was there earlier. This is coming to you from the VERY expensive paid connectivity at the hotel.
sorry, there’s lots of wifi spots but they are not close to the convention center. caffine, a coffee bar on demonbreun is one of the closest spots. generally though, if you head towards vanderbilt you get quite a few signals.
I am at a hotel that “has wifi” however if you are not within 20 feet of the antenna wich is mounted on the corner of the building you are out of luck! The Knights Inn on spring st. is sadly lacking in the wifi age and I can pick up intermitant signal from the TA Truck Stop a mile away and not their antenna less than 250 feet away! Go figure.