Hopping off my Internet Island at the Holiday Inn Express

I've gotten spoiled these past three days with the reasonable and free Wi-Fi Internet access at the Holiday Inn Express Chelsea hotel on West 29th Street here in New York City. Every hotel has its own quirks in service or expense. I'll call them Internet islands. I'll be spending Thursday and Friday evening at The Roosevelt near Grand Central, but they charge $14.95 a day for wired high-speed Internet access. And that's a fancier hotel to boot. I would call that a relatively unfriendly Internet island. That seems to be the "model": low-end hotels attract people (especially road warrior business types) with free Internet access, while higher-end hotels charge excessive rates for inferior service.

In a few minutes I'll be hopping off of the Holiday Inn Express Internet island and hopping into unknown Internet territory at the Murray Hill East Suite Hotel on East 39th Street. I'll just be dropping off my "luggage" (backpack) and immediately head out for my typical walk up through Central Park and down through the Upper West Side. I don't have any idea what level of Internet service is available on the Murray Hill East Suite Internet island. If free, I'll go for it, otherwise I may take a mini Internet vacation over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. No great loss on such quiet days.

I may see The Good Shepard near Lincoln Square, but I cringe at the thought of blowing three hours of quality vacation time in the middle of a sunny 50-degree day in late December in New York City. Kind of a waste. I'll decide at the last minute whether to duck into the movie theatre or continue my wandering.

-- Jack Krupansky