Balcony? Not at These Intimate Listening Spots.

WHEN it comes to describing places to hear music, here's an adjective that is tossed around a lot: intimate. In New York, that's sometimes a euphemism for ''tiny'' or ''sardine-like'' or, from a musician's point of view, ''unprofitable.'' But sometimes it lives up to what you hope for: cozy, friendly, comfortable, with a sense of interaction with the performers. In other words, a place where your row (say, XX) will not be named after sex-determining chromosomes, or one where a flying drop of guitarist sweat could theoretically land in your drink. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]