With the arrival of Memorial Day last week, summer is upon us. People in Weehawken are planning a variety of vacations from New Jersey to Mexico.
Roni Solla, a paralegal and mother of four, including three-month old Brandon, is looking forward to a trip to Cancun in Mexico.
“I’m going with a group and I’ve never been there before so I’m looking forward to it,” Solla said. “It is a low cost trip right now.”
Solla had planned her trip to Mexico for earlier in the year, but the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks made her leery of travelling by jet.
Wayne Cook is staying close to home.
“I might go to Boston and the shore,” Cook said. “Maybe Las Vegas if I can.”
Also on the Cook summer to do list is a lot of running, biking, rollerblading and mountain climbing, all in the Northern New Jersey area.
When asked about the possibility of injury while climbing, Cook was unfazed.
“No, they have marked trails, some easy, some hard,” Cook said. “I’ve been mountain climbing for about two years.”
Cook’s dream vacation, however, is Aruba.
“I’ve never been there and I like to imagine sitting on a sandy beach with a cold drink,” Cook said.
Roosevelt Grammar School fifth grader Ashley Diaz, 11, said she had a busy summer planned once she gets out of school in June.
“We’re going to Virginia and North Carolina and my whole family is going to a lake,” Diaz said. “It’s the first time I’ve been to either place.”
Also, Diaz has a piano recital, which will keep her close to home. “I practice one hour every day,” said Diaz. “I do rock songs and smooth jazz. I’ve been taking lessons for four years and I’m starting to like it now.”
Diaz will spend a week in the Dominican Republic, also.
Classmate Michael Garcia, 10, will visit Orlando, Fla. and Great Adventure before he has to go back to school in September.
“I’m going to try out for the soccer team,” Garcia added, saying he practices on daily basis. However, the rides at Six Flags are what Garcia is really looking forward to.
For dental student Adriana Faleiros, this summer will mean a longer departure than most. Faleiros is returning to her native Brazil in June.
“I studied dentistry at UMDNJ and I also worked on my English,” Faleiros said. However, Faleiros has not missed to opportunity to see New York City. Recently, she has seen the musicals “Chicago” and “Beauty and the Beast” and the play “Proof.”
“I liked going into the city, but sometimes I had problems with the language,” Faleiros said.
If education in New Jersey is ending for Faleiros, it is just getting under way for Carmen Rodriguez.
“I’m going to Cancun for six days this summer,” said Rodriguez, a law enforcement major at Hudson County College. “The 9-11 stuff has made me concerned, but you can’t go around being afraid. I sleep on the airplane anyway.”
Part of Rodriguez’s summer will be taken up with studying for membership in an area police department.
“I’m glad the summer is coming. It will mean more outdoor activities than indoor activities.” – Roni Solla
“I might go to Boston and the shore, maybe Las Vegas if I can.” – Ronnie Cook
“We’re going to Virginia and North Carolina, it’s the first time I’ve been to either place.” – Ashley Diaz, 11
“I’m going to try out for the soccer team.” – Michael Garcia, 10
“This summer I’m going back to my home in Brazil.” – Adriana Faleiros
“Flying after September 11 does worry me, but I can’t be scared all the time.” – Carmen Rodriguez