Some think of Port Coquitlam as a city where there is nothing to do and nowhere to go, especially for teenagers. Every teenager or at least most, who lives in Poco has said the infamous line, “Let’s just go to the mall,” or “Why don’t we just hang in downtown Poco.” And when they do go, they probably get bored out of their minds in roughly half an hour and decide to leave.
The only other option is to ask your parents for a ride to Coquitlam Centre, Metro Town or downtown Vancouver, which is a roughly a 40 minute car ride. An answer that a lot of teenagers would get back is, “Why don’t you just bus or take the skytrain?” The span of getting from point A to B by bus or skytrain can take ages with the actual “getting there” part longer than the “hanging out with friends” part.
What teenagers don’t know though is that there ARE things to do in Port Coquitlam. It just might take a little more time and effort to find a fun and new place to hang out.
A place that many don’t know of is the DVC Indoor Shooting Centre located on Broadway street in Port Coquitlam. (must be accompanied with an Adult). General Admission is $30 dollars and it’s open everyday except for Monday. If you are willing to spend that amount of money, it’s a great place to come with your friends and learn to shoot different guns, even for first timers.
Another place you can go is the Poco Rec Centre. Not only is it open for public skates during the day time for $3.80 for teens, but the Rec Centre youth services have organized a “Late Skate” where teenagers come together from 10:15pm – 11:15pm and for only $3 on Fridays, skate in the dark with loud music and bright, colourful lights. Lions Park, Railside Skatepark, and the Poco Trail are some outdoor options.
There are other places in Poco that teenagers can visit and maybe it’s true that Port Coquitlam doesn’t have many fun things to do than its neighbouring cities, but unless you are able to get ride or are willing to bus and/or skytrain, I would suggest exploring what Poco offers.
Feature photo courtesy – Port Coquitlam Website
