Boston is rather pricey. I'd say only NY is more expensive in this time zone. Unlike Montreal, the agencies tend to be he higher priced. If you are intent to make some acquaintances, I would bite the bullet and pay for TER (I prefer the quarterly membership because it is not recurring like the monthly). Using TER, you can get an idea of the best and safest indys and agencies. You can also use their Boston advertising board and maybe catch a touring lady. Some make announcement weeks in advance, some the week of, so that doesn't always work for the pre-planner. If someone has less then 2-3 reviews on TER, I would be very, very cautious meeting her in the U.S.