Union Station

Union Station, 30 West Pershing Road, Kansas City
802.11b
SSID: Union Station

This particular hotspot has a special place in my heart. I think it was the first public one to open in Kansas City, and it was the first one I used extensively. The antenna for the 802.11b access point is on top of the information booth, so you'll have to either sit on one of the benches along the north wall of the lobby or hope there's an empty table outside the Union Cafe if you need to be close to the AP to get a sufficient signal. If your laptop has better reception qualities you might get away with setting up at a table in the food court at the other end of the lobby, as I have occasionally. Power outlets are few and far between; there was one under a bench I often used near the AP and a few along the walls of the food court, but once more, getting a good signal there could be a problem. And if you're going to be there after sundown, be sure to pack a penlight-or maybe something like Kensington's USB Fly Light-because the lobby is as dark as a tomb at night.

That said, we should all give a hand to the station's management for being bold enough to try something like this down there. Union Station's biggest problem is obvious-it doesn't attract enough people. It's too bad that by the time they fired up the hotspot to try and bring in more, it was really too late to help save the food-court restaurants it might have helped the most. Let's hope that the station can turn things around, perhaps becoming a bit more laptop-friendly in its new incarnation.