Four Friends is friendly, fun, and free of smoke Johnathan Borsodi You have all been at Calvin for at least two full months now, at the bare minimum. You are receiving a good, proper, Reformed education. But are you learning all the essentials to living in Grand Rapids? You should have learned such things as which of the waitstaff at Denny’s are good, where Vinyl Solution is, how to get to Studio 28. Also on the short-list of essentials for any good Calvin student is Four Friends Coffeehouse. Four Friends is owned and operated by (oddly enough) four friends who met at Calvin and married each other. Hence, the close ties with Calvin. But anyway, here is a review: The Essentials - Four Friends is located at 136 Monroe Ave, on the pedestrian mall. To get there from Calvin, take Lake Drive to Fulton. Continue towards downtown G.R. on Fulton, turn right on Division Avenue, then left on Pearl Street. After this, directions get a bit sketchy. Park anywhere on Pearl past the art museum. Find the parking lot with the guy in the booth, walk through it, and look for the big sign that reads “Four Friends Coffeehouse.” Walk through the door under the signs. Four Friends is open from 7.30am until 10pm, Monday - Thursday, and from am ‘till midnight Friday and 9.30-12 Saturday. They are closed Sunday. Who You’ll See - Four Friends has an eclectic mix of students and schizophrenics, businesspeople and alternateens. The businesspeople compare their digital wristwatches, the students study the schizophrenics, and the alternateens merely exist in their angry-at-everything little worlds. What It’s Like - Four Friends is rather small. It is a rectangular room, with tables in the front and back, and a large bench with tables and the coffee bar in the middle. There is always plenty of artwork hanging about - the coffeehouse doubles as a sort of gallery for local artists. Plenty of good magazines and papers, both local and national, are to be found. There is also a “Cyber Lounge” - two Internet-ready computers available for customer use. During the warmer months, there are tables and chairs set up outside. Four Friends is entirely smoke-free. The Drinks - A decent selection of lattes, coffees, Chai, Italian sodas, and teas.The drinks are mostly straightforward, but a few stand above the rest. Try the 007 - cinnamon, chocolate, coffee, and steamed milk. Food is also available. The bagels and muffins are big, the soup is superb, and the panini is taaaa-stee. Other Stuff - Live music is featured often. Four Friends is right outside of the Monroe Mall Amphitheather, which is rather nifty. The Rating - On the Pete and Johnathan Scale o’ Good Coffeehouses, Four Friends gets a 9.