Bayshore Coffee House

Alas, The Bayshore has closed.

2727 Bayshore Drive
Naples, fl 34112
239-775-5676

The Bayshore Coffee House is almost a throwback to the bohemian, hippie coffee hangouts we always imagined that WE would open but haven't yet. Incongruously, they sit in a standard strip mall just off busy 41. The menu offers soups, salads, sandwiches and baked goods along with coffee, beer and wine by the glass.
A huge draw, and in the spirit of this listing, is that they are all about living local.
They feature local artist's works on display, an open mic a couple of nights a week and local musicians other nights. Even the walls are local; painted by customers and the owners when they changed locations suddenly.
The decor offers lots of bistro tables, booths, comfy chairs and sofa. The whole atmosphere is an invite to "sit a while and linger" and to make yourself a regular.

Cgrape Coffee & Wine Bar

Alas, Cgrape has closed.

4450 Bonita Beach Rd
Bonita Springs, FL 34134-3989
(239) 221-7388

Straddling a blurry line between traditional coffee house and upscale wine bar, the Cgrape offers a sophisticated atmosphere to go with it's free WiFi. However, this a place that offers tapas as opposed to appetizers so be prepared for a little too much atmosphere. The menu of food runs the gamut from breakfast to the usual array of paninis and wraps with smoothies, beer, wine and coffee for beverages. The food is good, fairly priced and well presented. There is an outside patio with umbrellas for a pleasant place to enjoy the afternoon with a couple of outlets available. Inside, the chairs are comfortable though they are all at tables. No overstuffed wing chairs to curl up in.
I could see making use of the outdoor seating for a semi-regular outpost during the day but not regularly since it still had the feeling of a chic bistro. In the evening, they try to turn into a wine bar and that is certainly not the style that invites working on the web.
If, however, you're having a business lunch I would highly recommend the Cgrape for it's tasty eats, free WiFi and friendly staff.

Third Street South

Covering several blocks in the heart of old Naples, this open access WiFi allows users to log in from anywhere in the area.
Third St. South is dotted with art galleries, fine restaurants and shopping. There are plenty of public benches to sit at around the fountains and flowers and outdoor seating at the numerous restaurants. However, this being old Naples, don't expect to find a cheap eats. The restaurants cater to the older, wealthier and oh-so sophisticated crowd that descend upon the city in their Aston-Martins and Mercedes-Benz.
In it's own way, though, there is much less pretension at all the cafes than in your typical shopping center Starbucks. Perhaps it's open air of the whole area, moving from Handsome Harry's to Tony's Off Third to Tommy Bahama's, that allows the hot air to rise above it all. Yes, a cynical eye can scowl after the beautiful people and their well-to-do world but they seem to not be out and about to impress.
As always, the open and wide-ranging access means that finding seating runs the gamut and it is definitely hit or miss when looking for an outlet. But if you can find a seat, plug yourself in and settle back it is one of the most beautiful areas to just sit and take care of your online world.

The French Connection Cafe

2282 1st Street
Fort Myers, FL 33901-2955
(239) 332-4443

Does not offer free WiFi.
www.frenchconnectioncafe.com/

Calistoga Bakery Cafe

7941 Airport Pulling Road North,
Naples, FL
239-596-8840

9924 Gulf Coast Main Street,
Fort Myers, FL
239-466-8642

1860 Tamiami Trail North,
Naples, FL
239-352-8642
I hesitate to include Calistoga in this listing simply because it is not that dissimilar to Panera Bread. There are three locations, they offer sandwiches, salads, soups, baked goods and coffee all of which you order at the counter and pick up. Another entry into the fast casual restaurant category of blandness.
I will say that the food is a little bit more interesting than Panera, they seem to be less prefab in the atmosphere and just a more comfortable chain. All three locations offer outdoor seating, the usual comfy chairs by a faux fireplace and plenty of booths. The Gulf Coast location, in particular, has a huge area in front of the fireplace with generous chairs and wide "coffee table" seating for four.
Again, there is free WiFi, decent access to outlets and no one seems to notice if you sit for hours. If I had only Starbucks, Panera or Calistoga to choose from I would definitely choose the latter.

The Bar Association

Alas, The Bar Association is closed.

1611 Hendry St.
Ft Myers, FL 33901
239-334-8080

Offering only beer or wine, this little gem is a bit different than most Ft Myers bars. Still it is a bar and seating is limited. There is an outdoor patio which is nice until the rains come (we love our 4pm tropical storms) and a few tables inside. WiFi is free and the atmosphere is uber-friendly. They have good food that does change quite often and a nice selection of taps all at a very reasonable price which makes settling in easy. I would not recommend this place, however, if you plan on opening a satellite office as the space is small, the crowd can get loud and, frankly, that kind of stuff is pretty obnoxious. There's already enough pretentiousness with all the lawyers that migrate over from the courthouse after work. However, if you've tucked a netbook under your arm and have a notepad with the outline of your latest post this is a cool spot to re-energize your creative muscles.

Blackhawk Cafe

Alas, The Blackhawk has closed.  In it's place is The Courtyard Cafe.  I have not stopped there but in walking past, it appears to be what you expect to find at this outdoor mall.  Coffees, teas, desserts and sandwiches not that different from The Blackhawk menu.  However, now it is for the ladies to take a break after a bit of shopping at Saks 5th Ave.

13499 S Cleveland Ave # 137
Fort Myers, FL 33907-3855
(239) 433-7770

This coffee shop/cafe is located in the Bell Tower Shoppes and is currently undergoing changes.
When I first encountered it, it was a nice coffee house along the types I used to frequent in New York. A lot of big, leather sofas and chairs, a good mix of music from Sirius that changed with whoever was working that day and a little bit of food. The WiFi was free and they didn't care how long you camped out.
New owners have taken over and the first change was the free WiFi from the cafe was gone and is provided by the mall now. Not a big deal but just a sign of changes at what was once one of my favorite hangouts. The decor is slowly disappearing and a sign says "The Courtyard Cafe" is coming soon. I fear that finger sandwiches are marching on the horizon. As of last visit (my writing group meets there every other week) the comfy sofas are still there but overheard intelligence suggests that they may not be for long.
Perhaps this was too be expected. With Saks 5th Avenue as an anchor store, the original Blackhawk really didn't fit the image.