THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 10, 1995 TAG: 9502100066
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALICIA LUMA, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
TO TEENAGERS, the weekend is a wonderful thing. Monday through Friday, we labor in anticipation of these magical days.
Our hopes climb as we realize that these could be the best two nights of our lives. We get on the phone and plan carefully who will chill with whom.
And then it's finally 7:30 p.m. Friday. But as you sit at the designated meeting place, you wonder, ``What is the plan for the evening?''
Club commercials play in your head, one after the other. But they only make your situation worse, because you have to be 18 to get in to these places. And in the midst of this particularly strenuous moment, your friends arrive and ask, ``What's up?''
Drained of all excuses, you mutter, ``Um, anyone up for Twister?''
Well, it seems that Hampton Roads is finally waking up to the fact that there are people under 18 who would really like to go out on the weekends. And as a result of that amazing discovery, there are more and more things for us to do.
We'll give you the dirt in this biweekly Teenology feature, which will include not only nightspots but also other innovative alternatives for the under-18 set. This week we will start with the basics:
For a true cultural catch-all and hangout for the monetarily challenged, there's the Cafe Napoleon. You can almost feel the creepiness oozing out the front door.
It's located on 21st Street near Colley Avenue in Norfolk. The hours are insane. On Tuesdays (oooo, poetry night), it's open from 9 p.m. till midnight; on Fridays, 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.; on Saturdays, 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.; and Sundays, 8 p.m. to midnight.
At the beach, for those of you who exist in that part of the world, there's the Fire Escape. Located at 17th and Pacific, this oddly situated, oddly decorated building hosts bands almost every weekend. There is sometimes a cover charge, and snacks and sodas are sold inside.
Hours vary but concerts usually start around 8:30 p.m. On Friday, Feb. 17, Four Living Creatures and Leaf will be performing. The show will start around 9 p.m., and the cover charge is $5. I know it's a bit steep, but 4LC rocks. Go. I mean it. You won't be disappointed.
Also, every Thursday at 7 p.m., there is a Bible study with various activities starting at 9 p.m. By various we mean everything from open-mike nights to an almost planned rave.
And in Hampton, there's the Nsect Club. Located at 1916 N. Armistead Ave., the Nsect usually caters to the over-21 set. I guess the atmosphere (booze) attracts the older, more intellectual types (sailors). But on occasion, they will bless us with an all-ages show, maybe to purge the place of the elders it attracts or maybe just to rip us off by charging way too much. (People under 18 have to leave by midnight, so sometimes you can't see the whole show.)
The next big concert is Buzzoven with Acid Bath on Tuesday. Tickets are $5 in advance. Even though the show is on Valentine's Day, this is no music to love your honey to. Buzzoven is pretty mean, and though I've never heard the other band, with a name like Acid Bath, it can't be too nice either. MEMO: If you want to tip her off Alicia Luma to what's happening, call
Infoline at 640-5555 and enter category 8989.
ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Alicia Luma is a home-schooled junior.
by CNB