Ummmm, Am I the only one here who actually read the OP's story? They said they will NOT have a laptop and/or web cell phone w/ them. At least 3/4 of the responses here talk about wifi hotspots and the like. This person will not have that option!

From my expericences, the public libraries are definitely your best bet...However, lots of them have really short time limits on the web access (the main branch of the S.F. Public Library, for example, has a 15 minute time limit for Net use. Was in Palm Springs recently and used the computer at the main library there and it was a 30 minute limit. It's O.K. for doing a quick check of e-mail, but not much else.)