Austin is one of the country's most wired cities, and I'm not talking caffeine. If you're not e-oriented, call the Austin Visitor Center, 209 E. Sixth St., Austin, TX 78701 (tel. 866/GO-AUSTIN), to receive a general information packet in the mail; or visit them online. Austin City Connection, the city's municipal site, is a good source for learning about several aspects of the city, not just the airport, roads, police, and the like; you'd be surprised how many attractions fall under the aegis of the Department of Parks and Recreation. The site also provides several useful links, for example to the University of Texas. To read the entertainment listings and reviews in The Austin-American Statesman, the city's mainstream newspaper, or visit them online. You'll find the Austin Chronicle, the city's alternative newspaper, online.

Internet Access

An organization called Austin Free-Net works to provide the public with free access to computers and the Internet. They have computers in all the city libraries as well as other community locations.

In Austin you can always use a computer station at any FedEx Kinko's Copy Print Center. There's one in the university area that's open 24 hours. It's just north of the main campus at 2901 Medical Arts St. (tel. 512/476-3242). Another one is downtown at 327 Congress Ave., #100. (tel. 512/472-4448).

With Your Own Computer -- According to many folks, Austin is the national capital for wireless access. Since it is a university town, just about every cafe in central Austin offers free wireless. For the price of a cappuccino, you can check your e-mail and do a little surfing. But also getting into the act are chain restaurants, grocery stores, you name it. For a very long list of all the free wireless hot spots in town go to the Austin Wireless City website. Or try the I Love Free Wifi website.

In addition to all this, there is a program called Outdoor Wireless Mesh Project, a partnership between local government and Cisco Systems that has made a big chunk of downtown into a hot spot, with recent extensions of the territory into the lower part of East Austin and south to Zilker Park and Barton Springs Pool.