The day camp was named “Play Hill,” I ate my brown-bag lunch alone every day and I remember it by its obvious nickname. There may have been a pond, but there definitely were flies. Lanyard-making was popular, but the popular girls got the good colors.
Associate Editor Desiree Chen insists that summer day camps have changed in a way I would actually like: It’s more like school! People can learn things! And this year’s “Summer Pleasures” issue was born. Desiree, who had just sentenced her children to–Oh, I mean, signed them up for–day camp, assured me that they’ll have fun and maybe learn something too. OK, I had heard of specialty camps for kids–baseball, art, music, language.
But to her, the notion of learning over the summer extends beyond kids. “There’s plenty for adults too,” she says, “from SummerDance classes to reading a great new book at the beach.”
The fact is, as Desiree–and Rick Kogan, who was never subjected to summer school or camp–convinced me, a world of summer enrichment beckons. Plus the stakes are lower. “When you do something in the summer, everything is more relaxed; the pressure’s not there,” Desiree explains. “If you flunk Segway school, what’s the worst that could happen? You just walk.”
But never to Play Hill.
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etaylor@tribune.com
