Just need a place to go

While I completely agree with Teri O’Connor’s description of our area as a “little bubble,” I can’t agree with her assertion that L.A. is “only 30 minutes away.” The last three times I went to the city on a Friday or Saturday evening, it took a minimum of one to two hours. The traffic congestion, not to mention the price of gas, is a deterrent for our teens.

The teens of Agoura don’t have a “hang out.” Sure, there’s The Promenade in Westlake and The Commons in Calabasas, but if they are under 16, or have no one to drive them, how are they supposed to get there? Please don’t say parents, because these are the same parents who are allowing their teenagers to hang out at Wendy’s, partying until all hours of the night. And what about the non-partiers— the kids who are responsible and contributing members to their school and community? They also have no where to go on weekend evenings in Agoura.

Case in point: The Friday evening after Agoura’s homecoming game, my husband, another couple and I went looking for a restaurant to get some hot chocolate and sandwich. We drove to three restaurants on Kanan Road and every one of them was closed at 9:45 p.m. What a shame. It would have been an incredible marketing strategy to advertise in The Acorn that week—“We’re open after Homecoming!”

The teens want entertainment, not a community center. They want somewhere to go after they drive to Woodland Hills for bowling or after a local movie or after a sports y r game. They want to be able to sit around a big tale and talk. I challenge the restaurants of Agoura to write in and let us know not only who is open late, but who welcomes teenagers. Laura Gilbard Agoura