The best value for a night out!

In this day and age, who isn't looking for a bargain. Well, you've got one of the best entertainment bargains right in your back yard. For somewhere between $10 and $20 you can get a ticket to your local coffeehouse. You'll have an intimate musical experience because the furthest seat from the stage is just feet away. Add a couple of bucks for coffee or tea and maybe a piece of carrot cake and you're still well below what it might cost you for a night out at the movies. At the end of the evening you can pick up a CD as a souvenir and still not be at the cost of a single ticket for an average mainstream music event. And, I dare say, nine times out of ten, you'll be able to chat with the artist or artists you've just enjoyed. Try that at a Van Halen concert!

Here in New England we are doubly luck. Not only do we have a coffeehouse in practically every second town, but most of them collaborate as a part of the Boston Area Coffeehouse Association, whose website (http://www.bostoncoffeehouses.org/) allows you to easily locate one near you. If you don't know the location of your nearest coffeehouse, just scan down the list (http://www.bostoncoffeehouses.org/Finder/FindACoffeehouseNearYou.html) until you find one in your neighborhood and then click on the logo to be taken right to that venue's own website. If you have a favorite performer, or are just looking to go a little further a field, try the combined coffeehouse calendar (http://www.bostoncoffeehouses.org/Calendar/Calendar.html) where you'll find listing that stretch into the summer and beyond.

Did I mention that parking is usually free. Many are accessible by public transportation, and since the performances begin between 7 and 8, depending on the venue, you won't be up late. Unless, of course, you want to be. I should also mention that the volunteers who run these coffeehouses, and the folks who attend them, are among the nicest, friendliest people, you'd ever want to meet.

Now, what's keeping you? I bet there's a coffeehouse performance near you this weekend. Get out and enjoy!