Quote Round Up: New Yorkers on Summer Vacation Plans

New Yorkers are famously put out by traditional vacation plans. Mostly because of their obligations to host friends and family over the traditional vacation months. Of course many people's plans are stoked from finances, the economy, or bad saving and planning on their part in the past. With that in mind I took a sampling of friends in the five boroughs to see how everyone was spending their summer and how the realities of modern life has impacted their plans.

"My vacation plans are nil at this point, mostly because my business is booming and I need to focus on continuing the upward swell networking and getting my hands inky again from design and construction work. I also have a medium range goal of expanding the business abroad; hard work during this summer may lead to enjoyment of summer in another hemisphere, when work traditionally ebbs in my field here. Vacation will be limited to local weekends at friend's houses in the Catskills or out on fire island this summer, unless some cheap tickets to relaxation in Mexico, Turkey, or South America magically appear of course!" Damian Possidente, Starch Design Firm , Manhattan.

"(My husband) will be in boot camp for the coast guard reserves while I spend the summer on Cape Cod with his parents. I need the extra help with the little one. So I will be spending my time watching Joshua grow! Unlike the past 5 years we will not be traveling overseas. We are working on fixing up our older apartment. And I will be working on gearing up for my return to the classroom." Kelly Houston, Teacher, Brooklyn

"I just came back from a cruise around the Western Mediterranean earlier this week. It was my most expensive trip to date and was the first time I've taken a vacation in more than 2 years. This will be it for me for the rest of the year in terms of vacations. The economy hasn't affected my finances or my travel plans, and Osama Bin Laden's death definitely hasn't either. His death and retaliation from other terrorists did not even cross my mind during my trip. I trust our government is doing its best to keep everybody safe and not traveling out of fear would just be admitting we are scared." Katie Chan, Hotel 91, Lower East Side.

"We have NO vacation plans - it just seems impossible to justify a get-away with a wedding on the horizon. We have set a date for June, 03 2012. We won't even be taking our honeymoon until a month after the wedding. I normally attend one or two yoga teacher trainings a year, but the expense of the wedding has put it all on hold. We make do by visiting our parents and out of state friends. I think that the situation with the economy has made us all the wiser on where we put our money." Christie Cassano, Yoga Teacher/Actor/Student, Manhattan.

"I really don't travel much at all. Don't know why, but never did much. I would like to travel but money is always a barrier, especially now. I just finished paying for my violin and I'm now on the hunt for a performance bow, which will cost me around $2,500. I really can't travel but I would like to go away though. Everything is so expensive. To travel for a week, it will cost almost $1,000 dollars and I don't have it to spare. I have other priorities, like my violin bow and other music supplies." Kevin Woods, Scholastic, Manhattan.

"As a freelancer it's hard to plan a vacation. Work can come up unexpectedly, or sometimes I can be put on hold for a job for a month and it can just as easily go away. I can usually count on August being pretty slow in the city though. Since I'm trying save more this year my vacation is going to consist of watching my parents place in the town I grew up in, while they go on an actual vacation." Matt Occuhuizzo, freelance photographer, Brooklyn.

"I am not doing much traveling this summer, just small trips to Connecticut and Delaware but nothing big. As opposed to other years, because of financial purposes, I am definitely NOT renting any cars. In years past, I would rent a car without thinking about it, but now, I save my money and take trains and buses to Connecticut and Delaware, and Vermont. Amtrak is my favorite for anything outside the MetroNorth. I am also trying to stay with friends, family instead of getting a hotel. Usually I like to have my independence, not be a nuisance, but since I'm broke, I am going to annoy everyone I know!" Stephanie Madonna, student, Manhattan.