Caffeine High School

Published in the Asbury Park Press 10/05/04

Coffeehouses new option for money-savvy teens

BY ALEXANDRA GUADAGNO

"What do you want to do tonight?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

Sound familiar? For many teens at that dreaded "in-between" age (too young to go to a bar or a club, too old to stay home and play board games), this situation is encountered far too often.

"There's just no place for me to go," says high school senior Sarah Dwight, 17, of Red Bank. "They won't let me into Chuck E. Cheese, and they won't let me into a night club. The only other things are shopping and going out to eat, and that can get expensive."

By the time teens are old enough to drive or get around on their own, there's a good chance they've exhausted all of the entertainment options in their hometown. There are only so many times you can go to the mall or the movies before you start to crave new and exciting social activities.

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