High Gas Prices Chase Teens To Malls

KYW 1060 has a report today about how high gas prices have forced teenagers to cut down on cruising, a time-honored tradition where kids ride around in their cars for hours and hours and hours without any real point. (Frankly, I still find it kind of awesome as an adult.)

It’s a warm, sultry Thursday night and a portion of a shopping center in Richboro, Bucks County in Pa. is filled with parked cars belonging to teenagers who ordinarily would be out cruising the streets. But not this summer. Eighteen-year-old Greg Borden says times have changed: “We usually come here to make plans and we used to all take our separate cars to where we were going, but now that gas is so high we just take one car and we usually try to not go to far either.” [...]

It’s the same story all across America. Parking lots, shopping malls, and movie theaters are now the favorite gathering spots for teens.

It’s neat to know teenagers are now gathering in malls, parking lots and movie theaters. As opposed to my day, when we gathered in basements, malls, movie theat–hmm, wait a second.

Also: Kudos to Larry Gatti, quoted in the piece, for getting the word “sucks” (which actually offends some people) onto the radio. And also for having a rhyming name.

Gas Costs Force More Teens to Cut Down on Cruising [KYW 1060]
Photo via CGoulao, Creative Commons license

Tennis Team To Play In, Uh, Parking Lot

While Chester’s new MLS team does not yet have a name, we at least know it can’t be the Philadelphia Freedom (thankfully), because there’s already a World Team Tennis squadron called the Philadelphia Freedoms.

And, hot damn, while the state helps build a stadium for the soccer team, the Freedoms are left with nothin’. They’re playing games this upcoming season in the King of Prussia Mall parking lot.

Yes, the mall parking lot. And team co-owner Billie Jean King is totally in favor of this as well!

“The timing is right and the Philadelphia market is another perfect opportunity for us to continue with this approach,” she told the Philadelphia Business Journal. “The Freedoms have a new home and we will be driving more traffic to the mall. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.”

It’s only a matter of time before the Kixx begin playing at Rocket Sports.

Phila. Freedoms to play matches in mall parking lot [Phila. Business Journal]