Morgan Hill teenagers have spent almost two and a half months away from school and scheduled with family vacations, summer jobs and sometimes, that dreaded summer homework. But what do these teens do when they kick it with their friends? Despite Morgan Hill's lack of a mall or a theme park, tweens and teens have found many ways to have fun and make safe summer memories.
In the teenage world, there is a split between the 12-15 year old teens who cannot drive and 16-19 year old teens who do drive. You will frequently find Britton and Murphy students along with a few Sobrato and Live Oak lower classmen at the Tennant Station Cinelux Movie Theater on Friday and Saturday nights. After the movies, these kids can walk to the adjacent bowling alley, the ice cream shop and even to a convenient Starbucks inside the nearby Safeway.
However, older teens who have their drivers' licenses, such as Sobrato and Live Oak upper classmen as well as returning college students, definitely have more options. They, of course, go to the movies, but they can also drive to various Morgan Hill parks. Paradise Park located near La Crosse Drive and Vineyard features a kids' playground and a pa r course for exercise, plus some sitting areas and shady trees. Community Park on Edmundson Avenue is equipped with a basketball court, contains a pond with rather aggressive geese and includes plenty of grass for soccer and Frisbee playing. Carved into Community Park is the Dog Park where teenagers can play with their dogs and socialize with other dog lovers.
For teens searching for get-a-ways on the east side of Highway 101, they might try Nordstom Park on East Dunne, which provides a large, sunny playing field for soccer and other sports. In contrast, the secluded and oak-shaded park beneath Anderson Dam off of East Cochrane offers picnic tables and a meandering stream.
Youth who focus on sports or just staying fit can work out at the gym or indoor pool in the Centennial Recreation Center at 171 W. Edmundson Avenue. The family dues are $76 per month while the individual teen charge is $25 per month. In addition, the Aquatic Center at 16200 Condit Road provides two waterslides, an instructional swimming pool and a competition swimming pool along with a large movie screen for summer entertainment. The outdoor Aquatic Center charges $7 daily admission for teens and $60 for a season pass.
Many of these teens have their own money from summer job20earnings, and they can treat themselves at venues such as the Hot Java coffee shop on 2nd Street and Monterey Road, Peet's Coffee and Tea, numerous Starbucks cafes and Jamba Juice. Driving independently in town and spending their own money give older teenagers a taste of the exciting independence they will soon find in the adult world and also what money can buy and how fast it goes.
Morgan Hill teens may want to check out other potential hotspots. Book Smart has grown from a small Monterey Road bookshop to a large bookstore on Depot Avenue. Book Smart carries a fabulous selection of fiction, teen literature, newspapers, magazines and resource materials for the SAT, ACT, and AP tests as well as book and writing accessories. This is a great place to buy birthday presents for friends. Plus, the store offers a cafe/ice cream parlor with seating and tables for customers to read their new purchases. Best of all, there is a wonderland of a toyshop where teens can check out gifts for younger family members.
The Morgan Hill Library, an unlikely place for many teenagers to hang out, actually is holding many events for teenagers this summer, including Guitar Hero tournaments, movie nights and an August 2 Release Party for Stephanie Meyers' Breaking Dawn. Even if some teens can't go to these activities, t he area around the library provides benches and shade, the two necessities for talking with friends in the summertime.
Summer is not over yet, so teens who live here should definitely get out there and live it up in their own hometown. And maybe, they can establish some other safe teen hangouts and great teen memories. The time goes fast.
Catherine Connor is a senior at Ann Sobrato High School.
Catherine Connor
Catherine Connor Catherine Connor is a senior at Ann Sobrato High School. She writes a monthly youth column for the Morgan Hill Times. She can be reached at cthrnpm@aol.com.
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