Coach: What to do with quiet time in the suburbs

All seems quiet on the suburban front. In fact, the silence is almost deafening.

We have been through this before, it seems, every year just around this time as Northbrook and Glenview families exit stage left and head to temporary greener pastures.

They depart in what seems like massive numbers for their traditional summer getaways. For many, it is the last - and some cases first - chance to gather the family and take the a summer vacation before going back to school and sports activities start up once again. Lake houses in Michigan or Wisconsin, trips to southern Illinois, visiting family out of town, water parks, beaches, it runs the gamut.

But the one constant is these first two weeks of August are always the quietest times for our two towns. Sometimes even "ghost town quiet," where you walk down a neighborhood street on a beautiful, early summer evening - and nothing. No one is out, no sounds, no noise, no kids playing. Kind of eerie.

So, one must ask the question what do those of us "stuck" back here in Northbrook or Glenview do to re-create while the rest of the town is away having fun?

Let's see if we can help just a bit.

Although we may not be able to go away to more exotic locations, it still might be a good time to hit the beach. Any of the local beaches would work. Everywhere from Winnetka to Wilmette to Evanston and up and down "the coast," public beaches are open and they are significantly less crowded these next two weeks.

There might be a small fee for parking, and a bit of a walk required, but it is well worth the welcome respite from the parks and streets of our suburban towns. Even better, the normal maybe 30-minute drive time to get there is closer to just 20 minutes now because of the lack of traffic.

If not the nearby beaches, how about finally trying that new game everyone is talking about? Pickleball has absolutely exploded in popularity, and there is no better time than now to give this sport a try.

Most of the summer, and probably this fall as well, getting on a pickleball court has been tougher than doing one of those double flips off the balance beam the amazing gymnast do. Degree of difficulty finding open courts these days? Call it around 9.4, but not now with everyone and their cousin out of town.

Another idea? How about good, old-fashioned neighborhood friends getting together and playing outdoor games. I'm talking to the young kids here specifically. Does anyone still play "Ghost in the Graveyard," Kick-the-Can" or flashlight tag in the dark, or even Capture The Flag?

You know, those informal out-on-the-street games that all the kids in the neighborhood used to play? Just a thought, but maybe this would be the perfect time to do just that.

Another potential idea is to check out a new park. So many of us here in Northbrook or Glenview, through force of habit if nothing else, tend to take our kids to the same park, or maybe same couple of parks, all the time. It is kind of a comfort and convenience thing, and certainly well understood. But what a perfect time of year to explore some of the many cool, slightly off the beaten track, neighborhood parks that each have their own unique style and charm.

In Glenview, Sleepy Hollow Park, Manor Park, Cunliffe Park and Richardson Park are just a few of the many examples, while Northbrook offers interesting spots like Salcedo Park, Oak Lane Park and Stonegate Park, just to name a few.

Bonus: If you bring the kids to some of these different locations, they might enjoy playing on new playground equipment they haven't experienced before. Again, the beauty of these quiet next two weeks is everything will be wide open and readily available for use. You might even have a whole park just to yourself!

One final idea would be to brush off some of those backyard games you bought awhile back that are still sitting in the garage. Scrape off the dust and bring into action that bags set you bought four years ago, or the badminton set, the bocce ball, the lawn darts, horseshoes, or maybe even a little old-school croquet game.

Whatever it may be, to beat the quiet and loneliness of this time of the year you need to get creative and think of some activities to do. Plus, it will help to keep your mind off the fact most everyone else is on a fun family vacation.

And if you don't like any of the suggestions above, you can always just sit back and enjoy the peace and quiet. Remember, it won't last long.

• Jon Cohn of Glenview is a coach, retired PE teacher, sports official and prep sports fan. To contact him with comments or story ideas, email jcsportsandtees@aol.com.