Chas: Thanks for all of the internet resources--I appreciate it. I'm bookmarking all of them for future reference.

Marje: What you say about the practicalities of cities vrs. towns/etc. makes quite a bit of sense. And you're right, I guess I'll learn more about the situation when I'm over there! And it seems as if open sessions will certainly provide a more amenable format for me. The youth folk movement will provide an interesting aspect to study, but I don't think, as a whole, that the folk scene in some of the larger cities is rich enough to offset the higher cost of living it would require for me to be there (which I have to very much take into account).