Cleopatra Internet Cafe

Ahh internet cafes, I remember I used to always be in the Easy Internet cafes back in the early noughties, but now everyone seems to have the internet and I stuggle to understand how these places manage to survive, technology has come a long way over the past couple of decades, and I can see many of these places becoming less and less common as internet on mobiles become more widespread and cheaper.
This is just a bog standard internet shop that offers prices a little more expensive than the average. I came here with my friend when he needed to check his emails before meeting his girlfriend at Haymarket station.
Cleopatra has a few snacks but not an extensive range and they also charge you 35p if you want to go to the toilet if you have not paid to use the internet, which they tried to make me pay despite me being with my paying friend, which I felt was a little rude.

There’s nothing worse than the annoyance of your internet/​computer/​laptop breaking down, especially when you need it for work/​to check an urgent e-​mail or to keep in contact with someone/​or to print of an important ticket. This has happened to me so many times, for some reason my laptop always decides to break when I really need it, the last time being when I had to print off a plane ticket for a flight the next day. Internet cafes used to be all over the place but now they are few and far between.
Cleopatra Internet Café offers internet if you need it urgently and the prices aren’t that bad either, they also offer printing and scanning too.

I’m with the boys on this one. Even though Cleopatra’s is basic, it appeals to the younger side of me, when I used to run down to Easy Internet for a great 56k connection and a chance to chat to people over MSN.
These days, it’s all been sadly replaced by Facebook, and other such social networking where you score points by gaining friends and coming up with quips every two hours. I’m nostalgic for the days when downloading took a fortnight, MSN was revolutionary and everyone made websites using
…sigh.
But back to the present, and Cleopatra’s. There’s no frills or fuss here — I can’t even remember if there’s Wifi but I assume so… it’s quite sparse and not many seats, but it’s out of the way enough to be able to get a table and peacefully go about your business. Even though you assume there aren’t many machines available, I’ve always managed to get one here without waiting time! The machines are modern enough, there is a small range of snacks and drinks, it’s cheap and there’s a printer if you need it.
I don’t always like to cart my laptop around with me (for the fear I’ll break it more than any other reason), so this is a great place for me to catch up on my Unilocaling and check if anyone has commented on my exciting facebook pictures…(!) Yes, we all succumb to the power that is social networking!

I like coming in here because it reminds me of when the internet was young. When 5 people huddled around a computer with a 56k connection and the most exciting place you went was
.
Cleopatra is basic, but that’s what you want. It’s not designed for anyone to spend more than an hour. It has your bare minimum of drinks and snacks tha

Much like Stuart, I like internet cafes on the basis that they remind me of the early days, and my spotty youth in particular. It”s sometimes quite surprising when you think how the world has changed in the past decade and a half, and it makes me feel ridiculously old that I can remember 1995 very well, when there were approximately 300 intenet sites in the whole world, people had actual conversations rather than typing up endless Facebook updates, and the concept of connecting computers via phone lines was both baffling and amazing to most.
Clatty Pat’s keeps going after all this time, I presume down to backpackers and skint students who don’t get connections at home, and I’d like to think they can keep the head above water for a few years to come yet. Cheap and functional rather than luxurious, it’s still a useful local amenity for many.