Southern California - Where do all the children go?

I stocked up on candy since we actually live in a house and not an apartment now. Only 2 knocks all night with a total of 12 trick-or-treaters. Now I will probably gain 5-10 lb BEFORE Thanksgiving!

Over protective parents, lazy children, pick one?

Yeah, what's the deal? I remember when I was a kid, we'd be kicking around outside a lot. I don't see a lot of that anymore. I see neighborhoods with empty streets. :(

We had 00000.0000 kids last year and 3 bowls of candy. Maybe 10 kids the year before. This year we went out to dinner instead. Driving the streets at night I noticed most the trick or treaters were 16 yo kids without costumes. Part of the reason I say screw it, turn the lights out,lets go!:D

We live on top of a steep hill with no street lights. No one ever comes up here. In fact, I don't think a single trick-or-treater has ever knocked on our door in the 16 years we've lived here. :beer:

I had over a hundred kids come to my door. I ran out of candy and went back to the store to get more. My neighborhood rocks Halloween!

I think the trend is more for block parties, mall-o-treats, and such. Parents are afraid to let their young kids run around in neighborhoods they may think unsafe. Or they drive their kids to other places.

A few years ago I was spending Halloween at my ex's place in Palos Verdes. Let's just say there was a LOT more ethnic variety that came to the door than was usually represented in the area.

PV residents can get quite elaborate with their decorations:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2374/1813062401_a0569f95f7.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2063/1813062405_0fb8416002.jpg

Depends on neighborhood, alternatives to door-to-door, amount of young children, homeowner's willingness to put out holloween lights, etc.

Today I will be driving to work and looking for signs of teenagers who like to smash pumpkins in the middle of the streets.

I had over a hundred kids come to my door. I ran out of candy and went back to the store to get more. My neighborhood rocks Halloween!

I took my kids to an area known to be the 'best' neighborhood to trick or treat.. HOLY COW!!! There were so many kids that the streets were packed solid! It was so great to see my boys having such a great time :D

In Pasadena they all go south of California to the big houses.

We have a cul de sac a few minutes away that is always made over for Halloween. There is even a Hollywood set designer who builds amazing stuff on his front lawn.

Our 13 year old daughter has a friend living on that street. We headed over there at 6:30 and by 7ish, the crowd easily exceeded several hundred. Lots of big kids and lots of little kids...it's always a great show. Home owners on that street just set up shop on their front porches 'cause there is no point in closing the door!

Sheldon

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2374/1813062401_a0569f95f7.jpg

That looks like the homeless camp next to my house.

Maybe the stink is part of the costume.

In Pasadena they all go south of California to the big houses.
Ahh, I knew there would be an answer like this.

I live in an apartment and my X lives in a townhouse, so we take Sarah to the tract next to her place in HB. Lots of kids and lots of treats.

Where I lived in Fountain Valley, buses would bring the kids in from who knows where and it was always a zoo...in a nice way. It was funny, the one bad thing about living there was there was no one for her to play with, very few kids in the whole tract, but on Halloween it would be cars parked everywhere and a million kids.

I live in the #1 school district in San Jose in a great neighborhood full of kids and only had 1 knock at the door, 5 kids. Now I got 7lbs of candy to deal with.:eek:

Even in Burbank last night it was light....we always used to have tons of kids...

I live in a very safe suburban neighborhood, the houses are close together, no hills, no long driveways, no traffic. In other words prime pickings for Trick or Treat. One group of 5 kids made it to my door and now I have to eat a BabyRuth for breakfast.

Strategy for next year: Open one bag at a time, repeating as needed. Save receipts. Return unused bags on November 1 (save one for yourself, of course).

Strategy last night (learned last year when my doorbell only rang twice):

Unscrew all lightbulbs near front of door, turn out all lights in front-facing rooms, hang out in the back bedroom with hot cocoa and 2003 Tour de France DVD.

Strategy last night (learned last year when my doorbell only rang twice):

Unscrew all lightbulbs near front of door, turn out all lights in front-facing rooms, hang out in the back bedroom with hot cocoa and 2003 Tour de France DVD.

I loafed on the couch watching the Kings game, pig-packing Kit Kats and Snickers. This was after a big Thai meal of pad thai noodles and spicy curry. Melissa answered the door.

Ahh, I knew there would be an answer like this.

We did it one year, too, because the apartment complex we were in wasn't too kid friendly and the neighborhood wasn't residential. It was crazy, the streets were packed, no place to park, and kids everywhere!

We have some really nice areas where I'm at now and there were very few kids in our neighborhood, but my kids did great because everyone was trying to get rid of all their candy. :)

Strategy last night (learned last year when my doorbell only rang twice):

Unscrew all lightbulbs near front of door, turn out all lights in front-facing rooms, hang out in the back bedroom with hot fireman and 2003 Tour de France DVD.
fixed :D

I stocked up on candy since we actually live in a house and not an apartment now. Only 2 knocks all night with a total of 12 trick-or-treaters. Now I will probably gain 5-10 lb BEFORE Thanksgiving!

I went out with my kids last night, hardly saw any other kids out. We later found out that all the kids were trick or treating at the local shopping center. Most of the houses we went to gave our kids more than a handful of candy, telling us that they hardly received any visitors. By the first street, the bags were too heavy for my 3 and 5 year olds to carry. :D

Strategy for next year: Open one bag at a time, repeating as needed. Save receipts. Return unused bags on November 1 (save one for yourself, of course).
But then I wouldn't have an excuse to have tons of candy around the house until Christmas!

But then I wouldn't have an excuse to have tons of candy around the house until Christmas!

True. I meant just for those with the "now I have too much candy" gripe...

I loafed on the couch watching the Kings game, pig-packing Kit Kats and Snickers.

Way to show your wife a good time on her birthday, Romeo! :p;)

fixed :D

Sadly, the hot firemen only appeared in my dreams after I fell asleep! :o :p

Way to show your wife a good time on her birthday, Romeo! :p;)

:roflmao:

Hey, that's our b-day tradition (bring-in Thai food and [Mel] handing out candy). The hockey game just happened to be on. Plus we already watched "Beaches" and "Steel Magnolias" earlier in the day.

Plus we already watched "Beaches" and "Steel Magnolias" earlier in the day.

Be careful of the estrogen overdose. Don't be surprised if some hair starts falling off your chest this morning.

True. I meant just for those with the "now I have too much candy" gripe...
Oh, I'll have that too, just so I can act the victim when I gain 10 lb.

wife said we had about 10 knocks on the door last night. I was out riding my bike LOL

In Pasadena they all go south of California to the big houses.

. . .or up to the Linda Vista area, above the Rose Bowl, where I live. Scads of kids last night. By my count we gave away more than 100 pieces of candy, and more kids were on the way when we ran out. My sense is that the costumes weren't as creative this year, though. No teenage girls dressed as Lindsey Lohan, for example. Sigh.

Nobody, not one kid.
I live on a hill so I'm sure the little monsters are just too lazy to climb.
Sigh, what's the world coming too? I'd have climbed Everest for a snickers.

Sadly, the hot firemen only appeared in my dreams after I fell asleep! :o :p

Well, next year knock your pumpkin over, maybe it'll light something off.

Sadly, the hot firemen only appeared in my dreams after I fell asleep! :o :p
I said "fireMAN". When did it become plural? :eek:


Well, next year knock your pumpkin over, maybe it'll light something off.
Excellent idea!

I said "fireMAN". When did it become plural? !

In my dreams, Brian, in my dreams. :D

No trick or treating goes on at my place, so I don't stock candy.

We live in one of "those" neighborhoods where all the kids go. Every year, we stage a big production and the kids seem to love it. This year's theme was: a zombie invasion has trapped unsuspecting Halloween party-goers in their house.

The wife put together a quick slideshow of the fun: http://www.thebluesmokeband.com/Halloween_2007/Last%20Roll.html
And our soundtracks are here -- we loop this over a PA system all night: http://www.thebluesmokeband.com/halloween.sound.effects.php

Part of the scheme this year was that the neighbor's 12-year-old would integrate into the larger groups and one of our zombies would drag him into the back yard kicking and screaming. The other zombies would swarm and trap the other kids in the yard, chewing on beef ribs with hands and feet attached to them. We measure our success by screams, weeping, and people refusing to stop at our house. Let's just say, this year was a huge success.

We got probably 500 kids, and perhaps 1 in 10 would avoid the house. A few streets down from us, they actually block off the street and get about 1,500. Halloween rocks.

We later found out that all the kids were trick or treating at the local shopping center.

What's the deal with trick-or-treating at a shopping center? I never heard of anyone doing this until we moved to So Cal. Is this a recent phenomenon?

Still trying to figure out why? I guess it is a saftey issue for some freaky deaky parents???

So I asked my students, and many of them had their parents drive them to Beverly Hills because they hand out cash! Amazing that my students are reluctant to travel 3 miles to San Fernando to get a reed for their clarinet but insist on going 15 miles to Beverly Hills to trick-or-treat.

I guess it is a saftey issue for some freaky deaky parents???
That's probably it, even though the only documented case of poisoned treats was done by the child's own relative.

I'm *guessing* the fear is not so much about poisoning as it is about child abduction/molestation. :(

I'm *guessing* the fear is not so much about poisoning as it is about child abduction/molestation. :(

When I was a kid the only way we got molested was if we did it ourselves.

I walked my kids and Darwin around to all the houses last night and I would think that most parents would do the same. However, I can tell you that I've heard the rumors from the kids of the parents in San Marino giving out full size candy bars, none of this funsize carp, so it wouldn't surprise me if economics are more a part of it than self-preservation.

Get in my belly!!! I think I know where they are!!:eek:

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n188/hmeyerowitz/austin3_7612.jpg

I'm *guessing* the fear is not so much about poisoning as it is about child abduction/molestation. :(

Sadly, the only thing that's changed since we were kid is that people are more afraid of each other. Neighborhoods suffer because of it.

I'm *guessing* the fear is not so much about poisoning as it is about child abduction/molestation. :(
Ahh, so the parents are too lazy to walk their kids house to house.

i went to a party at my boss' last night and there were some very hot scantily clad high school girls roaming the neighborhood. i didn't mind.

So I asked my students, and many of them had their parents drive them to Beverly Hills because they hand out cash! Amazing that my students are reluctant to travel 3 miles to San Fernando to get a reed for their clarinet but insist on going 15 miles to Beverly Hills to trick-or-treat.

You should hand out reeds for Halloween.

You should hand out reeds for Halloween.
Great idea! Some of my students actually did ask where I live so they could trick-or-treat at my house, but I don't want the trick they were probably thinking of.

We live in one of "those" neighborhoods where all the kids go. Every year, we stage a big production and the kids seem to love it. This year's theme was: a zombie invasion has trapped unsuspecting Halloween party-goers in their house.

Halloween rocks.

Wow!! Does it EVER! Good job...I would have SO avoided going in there...toooo scarrry ;)