PingWi-Fi man cannot live on rock shows alone. He muth have coffee … and Wi-Fi, so finally I did some hotspot exploring in St. Louis. First stop — Park Avenue Coffee.

When I finally found the coffee shop, it was very easy. It was in the last place I looked, as the old adage goes. But when I first set out, armed with Yahoo Maps instructions … ha … I ended up a few miles away, following their simple directions step by step. Go figure.

Talan, Zach ... Good Peeps

Anyway … at first glance, I thought about passing by Perk I mean Park Ave. There were no people inside, even though it was a cold, perfect coffee night. But, I recalled several nice reviews of the place on the Web. So, I decided to be that guy … the one who would break the ice and be the first to sit in an empty establishment.

That brings up the old retail adage … it takes butts in seats to put butts in seats … I am just full of adages …

So, not to worry. The place filled up as soon as one brave soul grabbed a chair. My butt did a community service, I suppose.

The Web reviews I saw in advance of my visit were correct … Great atmosphere … and the usual fare you expect in a coffee shop. But, along with all the pastries, there seemed to be a few more funky flavas in the mix when it comes to smoothies and steamed drinks … even a funky monkey frappicano … yes frappicano.

Also refreshing … the two guys behind the counter gave in-depth descriptions of the brewed treats … and even better, they asked me all about the ingredients that go into a hot steaming cup of PingWi-Fi. Heaven knows I am passionate about the blog … so don’t get me started (as they learned). And oh yes, I showered them with PingWi-Fi.com t-shirts although they did not reciprocate with their one and only remaining, cool, Park Avenue T.  Oh well:)

Now … getting down to business. How was the Wi-Fi?

Excellent. My increasingly ancient Dell laptop made the hookup before I was able to launch my browser. I was blogging about eclectic musician Keller Williams in no time … sending tweets and checking e-mail … without a single spill … tea nor connectivity.

So … yes, the 1-7 pingometer or rating system at PingWi-Fi.com is still alive and well, although we haven’t used it much lately.

Park Avenue in St. Louis — the best hotspot in St. Louis so far — quaint, knowledgeable brew dudes, a nice flavorful cup and excellent Wi-Fi — 5 pings.

Know what I sayin?