Editor's Note: IYAC is now out of business.

Live music, dancing, food, and spirits to lift the spirit might seem the realm of the 20-somethings who pack Providence's hot-spots. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of options for people who don't crave ear-splitting music, elbow-to-rib crowds, and all-pervasive clouds of cigarette smoke.

After a long search, we've found a place for people who aren't kids anymore -- and don't want to pretend to be.

The International Yacht and Athletic Club, IYAC, in Providence's Westin is just what we were looking for -- music we can understand, room to move on the dance floor, a bite to eat when we're hungry, and an atmosphere that, while not 100% smoke-free, was at least breathable.

IYAC features live bands every Friday and Saturday, from 9:30 to 1:30. Bands like "Brass Attack", "Steve Anthony", and "Mystique" play music that the non-kid crowd can enjoy and dance to. The night we went, our $5 cover charge let us enjoy "Front and Center", a band that played top-40 and R&B -- familiar music with a clear dancable beat.

The club was busy enough to be alive -- on some of the songs, the hardwood dance floor was crowded, but by no means overpacked. Finding a place to sit was easy -- a cozy couch in the corner gave us a good vantage to watching the action.

Being the lounge for a business hotel, IYAC had no shortage of mixed drinks. They also had a bar menu -- pub-grub mostly, with $9 hamburgers and such -- enough to keep from starving and not quite as expensive as we had feared.

So we listened to music, danced, ate, drank, and had a wonderful time without having to pretend we were still in our 20's.

The IYAC is on the Providence Westin's second floor. Use the valet parking and get your stub validated at the club. For more information, please call IYAC at 401/598-8170

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