The Getty Center has wi-fi hotspots throughout the complex. Just log in with your email address and surf away surrounded by some of the best architecture and views in Los Angeles. Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze

BY MELISSA HECKSCHER >LA.COM

Cubicles and desktop computers are so 2005. These days, all you need is a Wi-Fi signal and a laptop for any place to be your "office." And whether it's a coffee shop or a bar, a park or a museum, L.A. has enough Wi-Fi signals to keep your work environment interesting. Not sure where to start? Here are LA.COM's suggestions on the area's best spots for Wi-Fi.

What better place to hunker down at the computer than one with a constant supply of caffeine and sweets to keep you going. Try one of these Wi-Fi enabled java joints.

 Abbot's Habit
1401 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice
(310) 399-1171

This Venice Beach bohemian coffee shop is part living room, part performance space, so don't be surprised if your coffee-and-work time is interrupted by impromptu acoustic guitar or poetry. In fact, expect it.

Java Man
157 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach
(310) 379-7209
www.oceandiner.com/javaman

Laid-back locals lounge on sofas and hover over laptops at this cozy Hermosa Beach hangout where the coffee's great and the pastries (baked by the nearby Ocean Diner) are even better.

The Cow's End
34 Washington Blvd., Marina del Rey
(310) 574-1080
www.cowsend.com

Steps from the Marina del Rey pier, this two-story coffee shop is a favorite with college kids cramming for exams, and locals looking for a quiet spot to spend a few hours. The comfortable sofas and cozy atmosphere are happy to oblige.

 Coffee Fix
12508 Moorpark St., Studio City
(818) 762-0181

Valley folks drink their java out of ceramic cups and enjoy the local vibe at this cozy, artsy coffee shop.

>bars/restaurants

Who says you can't have a beer while you're "working"? Do you see the boss around? Order a drink, eat some dinner and surf the Web at these bars and restaurants.

 Chateau Marmont
8221 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood
(323) 656-1010
www.chateaumarmont.com

If it's celebrities you're looking for, there's virtually no better place than the Chateau Marmont, where Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, Colin Farrell, Elijah Wood, Matt Dillon, Christina Ricci, Tobey Maguire and Jude Law are among its patrons. The hotel's Wi-Fi signal is available throughout the property, but the best spot to surf is in the garden restaurant. (Note: Parking is $12.)

 Paradise Cove Beach Cafe
28128 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu
(310) 457-2503
www.paradisecovemalibu.com

Boasting its own private beach and cove, this indoor/outdoor eatery feels more like a mini-resort than a restaurant. Get there early and grab a table in the sand, then work the day away as the kids build sand castles by your feet.

 Residuals
11042 Ventura Blvd., Studio City
(818) 761-8301
www.residualsbar.com

Calling itself "the best low-key industry bar in Los Angeles," Residuals is popular with entertainment industry folks and seduces its clientele with cheap drinks and a super-casual atmosphere.

 >parks

Yeah, you don't need to surf the Web while you're camping or just before you set out on that three-hour hike in the mountains. But isn't it pretty cool that you can?

Will Rogers State Historic Park
1501 Will Rogers Park Road, Pacific Palisades
(310) 454-8212

 Malibu Lagoon State Beach
23200 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu
(818) 880-0363

In 2005, California State Parks partnered with AT&T to bring wireless Internet to the picnic tables, tents, RV spaces and cabins throughout the park system. Around here, those parks include Will Rogers State Historic Park and Malibu Lagoon State Beach. The Wi-Fi signal is accessible within a 150-foot range of the ranger stations. To find out more, go to www.parks.ca.gov/wifi.

 Pershing Square
32 S. Olive St., Los Angeles

Wireless Internet is available throughout this block-long city park, which sits smack dab in the middle of downtown Los Angeles.
www.laparks.org/pershingsquare/pershing.htm

>museums

And you thought your office provided all the culture you needed? (OK, maybe you didn't.)

The Getty Center
1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles
(310) 440-7330
www.getty.edu

Whether you want to look up your favorite impressionist painting or send Webcam shots of the view to your friends on the East Coast, the Getty Center is perhaps the most unique spot in the city to use Wi-Fi. The wireless signal is accessible throughout the property - and with its hilltop perch offering views of the expanse from the coastline to the San Gabriel Mountains, there are plenty of good seats.

Why settle for a measly storewide signal when you can occupy a whole city? The following towns have city-sponsored Wi-Fi.

 Culver City
Wi-Fi signal is available in Town Plaza on Culver Boulevard, between LaFayette and Duquesne streets.

Long Beach
Wi-Fi signal is available on Pine Street between First and Third streets.

Hermosa Beach
Wi-Fi signal is available on Pier Avenue between Hermosa Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway.

www.culvercity.org

www.longbeachportals.com

www.wifihermosabeach.com

>shopping centers

Take a breather during your holiday buying frenzy at these shopping centers with Wi-Fi.

The Grove
189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles
(888) 315-8883

Universal Citywalk
1000 Universal Studios Blvd., Universal City
(818) 622-4455

Hollywood & Highland Center
6800 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
(323) 467-6412

>chains

Rather stick with the same old extra-hot sugar-free decaf soy latte you're used to than search out someplace new? The following chains offer Wi-Fi: Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Borders Books & Music, Barnes & Noble, and Panera Bread.

 For more Wi-Fi spots, go to www.Wi-Fihotspotlist.com

Melissa Heckscher (310) 540-5511, Ext. 329; melissa.heckscher@dailybreeze.com