Jose Romero and stayce Petties
senior editor and campus editor
COVID-19 mandates were lifted March 10 in Texas, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends wearing a mask and maintaining social distancing, so TCC faculty, staff and students have given ideas for safe activities during spring break.
The weather forecast predicts sunny skies for the majority of the week, and there are plenty of socially distanced outdoor activities.
Drive-in movie theaters have risen in popularity during the pandemic, according to NPR. Coyote Drive-In, located in Fort Worth, offers traditional Hollywood films, and Fun Movie Grill Drive-In Theater in Irving has a mix of Hollywood and Bollywood showings.
Volleyball, ping pong, tennis and golf are all sports not requiring players to be closer than six feet, and it’s a way to socialize.
Eagle Mountain Lake, Marion Sansom Park and Quanah Hill in Fort Worth are all outdoor trails with stretches of land for hikers or mountain bikers to traverse. Rental company Backwoods Paddlesports will offer kayak, paddleboards and canoe rentals starting March 13 at Panther Island on the Trinity River. Reservations can be made directly through its website.
On vacation rental company Airbnb’s website, there’s a tab titled “Experiences” where users can type a location and discover which events or activities are happening nearby. From historical locations to stress management and reiki healing, there’s a variety of options to choose from.
Some plan to stay in and watch movies. The action movie genre is on the docket for TR student Marie Conley and NE library specialist Samantha Kayem. Conley plans on watching the film adaptation of the video game, “Monster Hunter.” Kayem wants to watch Hugh Jackman’s final outing as Wolverine,“Logan.”
NE librarian Bonnie Hodges shared movie streaming sites TCC offers. Feature Films for Education, Swank Digital Campus, Alexander Videos Online and Digital Theatre Plus can all be accessed via the database links on the library’s website.
TV crime dramas and mystery are the associate professor of history Peter Martinez’s top genre picks. “Bloodline,” “Broadchurch,” “Happy Valley,” “Unforgotten,” “The Killing” and “The Sinner” are some shows he recommends watching along with reruns of comedy shows such as “Seinfeld” and “The Office.”
“Crime dramas help provide an escape from everyday stresses, and they keep your brain active,” he said.
Historical dramas “Downton Abbey” and “The Crown” were NE student Kristina Randerson’s picks. For viewers not looking for something as serious, she recommends the classic comedy show “Friends” — a show she said she quotes “all day, every day.”
Staring at a screen for prolonged periods can cause eye strain, retinal damage and nearsightedness, according to Harvard Health Publishing. To stray away from using technology, an assortment of books was suggested.
Conley plans to finish the book “Master of One” by Danielle Bennett and Jaida Jones. It’s a young adult fantasy about a thief sent on a suicide mission to retrieve a relic for the queen after a guard caught the character stealing.
Randerson shared her two favorite books, “North and South” by Elizabeth Gaskell and “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte. She said she enjoys reading about strong women pushing themselves ahead for a better life.
Also, the city of Fort Worth’s website and Eventbrite have a list of local events.
