Can't wait to hear from you, malliotpois! I have to admit, I think seeing your avitar is what started the idea rolling around in my head a while back. I did read the Sheldon Brown article which just reinforced the idea! There is a bike shop in Philly that specializes in tandems and comes highly recommended, so I think well be making a pilgrimage down there this weekend.
"The bicycle is just as good company as most husbands and, when it gets old and shabby, a woman can dispose of it and get a new one without shocking the entire community." -- Ann Strong, Minneapolis Tribune, 1895