When my mother, Jessica Pecker, is asked what her ideal Saturday night of fun looks like, money is out of the question.
She and her three kids have mastered the art of people-watching in an expense-free (besides the gas) weekly outing to Mizner Park, a hub for the arts, culture, food, shopping, and nightlife in Boca Raton.
She says her average Saturday night involves cruising through the promenade of this special place. Lively bars, the local art museum, and various bustling shops line this jovial spot.
Pecker rarely follows the crowd, however. Instead, she watches from the sidelines in her Hyundai SUV with the bass kicked up, blasting oldies like the music of Barry White, the Bee Gees, or Marvin Gaye as she shouts the words along with her kids.
“Driving around with my kids, we look for a good radio station with usually oldies music.” she gushes. “We drive around and put the windows all down and watch people walking by.”
When money is tight, sometimes simply observing the hubbub of the expensive nightlife has an incomparable feeling. Jessica Pecker and her family have made a tradition of it.
Hear it in her words below.
Correction: an earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled Jessica Pecker’s name.
