Summer Travel Quote Roundup

It's summertime and for some people, the living is easy. With the economy showing signs of recovery and improvement, many people are deciding to spend a little more money on summer travel and go a little further than they did last year.

I took a walk to the United States Post Office on Fairfax Ave. in West Hollywood, California and asked some of my neighbors about their summer travel plans:

"Things are much better this year. I work for an apartment building, we are 95% full this year, a lot better than last summer. I'm definitely not cutting back this year on summer travel, we are doing more than last year. We're not going anywhere foreign, but my wife and two daughters are planning a driving trip, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Las Vegas, all the sights of the Southwest. We would not have done it last year, we would have been nervous to spend that money"

George Delgado, apartment community maintenance technician, South Gate

"Rooftop baby! That's why I love DTLA (downtown Los Angeles), I'm gonna party and have fun in my bikini! I don't need to go anywhere, my life is a vacation baby!"

Rachel Fineman, party girl (her label), downtown Los Angeles

"Things are still bad for some people. I'm homeless right now, so I ain't even thinkin' about vacation, I'm thinking about a meal and a bed, you feel me? I've always wanted to go to Hawaii though, if I ever got me some money, I would go to Hawaii and I would go to a luau. They got girls in grass skirts dancing there, that's a vacation."

Corvette Slim, homeless, West Hollywood

"I would like to go somewhere, but my life is just school and work, school and work. I'm putting myself through school and each year the tuition goes up. I do feel better about the economy and some of my friends at school have been talking about a cruise to Mexico, so I would do that. I will probably have to put it on a credit card, but sometimes you just need to take a break and I will pay it back."

Andre Washington, engineering student, Los Angeles

"I'm at the point where I'm feeling more confident, but not enough to really relax and go back to spending a lot of money freely. A few years ago, 2005. 2006 I would take a three week Europe trip, every year. I did it for 5-6 years in a row and it was great. I'm not confident enough yet, but maybe next year. We're moving in the right direction, which is good."

Ellen Clarke, attorney, West Hollywood

"I'm doing a stay-cation, is that what you call it? I'm gonna go to Vegas for July 4th for a long weekend and then there's a cool hotel in Long Beach called the Mayan, I've been partying there on the weekends, it's got a pool party scene like at Vegas. It rocks dude."

Tim Houseman, graphic designer, Hollywood

"I'm a broke student, I'm probably gonna just kick it near home and go to the beach when I can. I just got a new job, which is good, I guess, so I'm gonna be working mostly. Which beach? Zuma in Malibu. I just got a new car too, so that's like my vacation, paying for that. It's a convertible so it will be fun for the beach, so like driving it is like a vacation."

Le'Le' Garcia, nursing student, Silverlake

"Things are good, I will take my family to Mexico and my kids will see my parents and where I am from. We could not go last year, my wife did not have a job. This year we both have jobs and have more money."

Arturo Maldonado, truck driver, West Covina