Uther D.'s
Free WiFi for Moments of Great Need
- 112Plum CafeTe AroThe price of a cup of the really quite good coffee will get you access to their solid, reliable WiFi. Great for lunch time email thrashing.
- 21Wellington City LibrariesWellington CentralIt can be a bit spotty and it does reset every half-hour but the cons of the WCL’s Free WiFi are far out weighted by the many desks and power points that make it so useable as an in town internet destination.
- 33If you’re up that end of town, the Hub on the bottom floor, opposite that gallery, offers incredibly workable and very consistent WiFi. Good for passing through and important things that need quick checking as protracted use is a bit conspicuous (and a bit not cricket) in this communal space.
- 42McDonalds Manners MallTe AroHey. It’s four am. You’re drunk, hungry and want to check Facebook on your phone but you’re all out of data for the month. Don’t worry. No one’s going to judge you.
Uther D.'s
Independent Culture Emporiums
- 130Unity Books WellingtonWellington CentralI’m not saying that Unity Books is heaven. But if anyone is shooting a film set in Heaven, I’d point the location scouts to Unity Books.
- 26The Aro Street Video ShopAro ValleyThat it started as a bunch of dudes renting videos out of their living room and is now the beating heart of Wellington’s artsyest suburb only proves its dyed in the wool indie cred. So cool one of the clerks grew up to be the video in a urban fantasy novel, is there any higher commendation?
- 313Slow Boat Records ShopTe AroI have a friend who got the Slow Boat logo as a tattoo. I have a lot of friends that get tattoos. The Slow Boat tattoo is the first one I haven’t cringed a little at. This place is, unironically, the bomb.
- 47Graphic ComicsTe AroIt may look like the typical comic shop with it’s rows of intimidating super hero comics and stacks of Magic cards but endure past the thin sheen of enacted stereotype and you’ll find a independent culture dissemination centre that has something for almost everyone and they are very good at finding just the book that’s right for you.
Uther D.'s
Nothing Bad Ever Happens In Lyall Bay
- 11Brennan Building Recyclers LtdRongotaiSeriously, these guys are the business. When fixing up the flat or building a set; In many moments of not knowing what I need or what I need to do, they have always set me on the right course. Top blokes.
- 21Bunnings Lyall BayLyall BayA cathedral to people who know what they’re talking about in DIY. They’ve never set me wrong when I’ve wandered in unsure how to make one thing into another thing or just how to fix two things together.
- 32The Warehouse Lyall BayLyall BayA seemingly endless oasis of cheap anythings. Always the last stop on every exhaustive search for eerily specific things, from that time I needed a phallic cactus to what I now refer to as the day of fifty desk lamps, it always proves that it should be the first destination of my fruitless searches for short-lived errata.
- 41Dick Smith Lyall BayRongotaiA Dick Smith where they actually know what they’re talking about? Not a myth. Just in Lyall Bay. Land of dreams, place of experts. Lyall Bay is the answer to life’s problems.
Uther D.'s
Brunch with Mum when she's in town
- 19There is a solid density to their french toast which is just perfect for soaking up the circles of chat catch up (chatch up?) that mum’s six-weekly visit entails. Also, I knew a guy who worked in the kitchen and he spelt my name with sauce on my plate of food but I didn’t know he was there so it seemed like a threat from a serial killer in a dream. It was pretty cool.
- 249Maranui Surf Lifesaving Club CafeLyall BayThe Alpha and Omega of brunch in this city, at least in my family. If you hit the sweet spot of the Sunday rush you’ll be caught in the joyous bustle of the place without too much of a wait for your actual food.
- 39Caffe L'affareTe AroEating breakfast foods here almost makes me feel like a real person. Like there’s all these people in suits and things that look like suits. It’s full of real people and it feels great, sometimes, to be one of them. The food is alright too.
- 432OliveTe AroI just like halloumi, okay? And this place has, by far and away, the best dollar to halloumi ratio for brunch in the city. It needs no further recommendation.
Uther D.'s
Culture on Cuba
- 112Light House CubaWellington CentralThe only choice on Cuba for the cinema experience. Luckily it’s also all Cuba needs. Smart, fun, the food is good and the films are better.
- 213Slow Boat Records ShopTe AroThe best record shop in the country. Smart people selling smart music in a smart place.
- 313Pegasus BooksTe AroA delightful warren of literature. Every book you want and every book you didn’t know you wanted yet found here.
- 42Gryphon TheatreTe AroA little out of the way, this Wellington nexus of am-dram buzzes with energy. The death of performing arts in is apathy and with their tangible passion and go for it dedication, this is Wellington’s least-apathetic theatre by far.
Uther D.'s
Culture on Courtney
- 112BATS TheatreMount VictoriaNormally sitting just on the outside of Courtney Place, BATS is a beating heart of everything that is hip and young in the theatre. It may not always be great, but it will always be exciting.
- 210Paramount CinemaTe AroA homey community theatre where film lovers can choose between big movies in the joyousy wide open space of the main theatre or more intimate art house offerings in its two smaller scale theatres.
- 33Westpac St James TheatreTe AroThe place to check out the biggest, brashest and classiest shows in town, from plucky local productions of Broadway musicals to the most austere of operas, St James is the home of big scale performing arts in this country.
- 44The Fringe BarTe AroNow moved to a new home down Allen st, The Fringe Bar is the nexus of Wellington’s Comedy Scene. From regular improv nights by WIT and open mike nights and pro comedy nights, there is, no doubt, always something to make you laugh going on at the Fringe Bar.