August is traditionally the time for summer vacations (I’m personally of the opinion that all American businesses should take a cue from Europe and shut down for the month—that’s cool with you, Protima, right?). And who doesn’t love a good family summer vacation--full of bonding, fun, love, and siblings fighting each other in the backseat during those excruciatingly long car rides. We therefore asked D&B staff to share their best summer family vacation stories. – Joseph McKeown

Matt Bray, Attorney
I went with the extended family on my mom’s side to Cape May, NJ--I was probably about ten or eleven. We all--five full families--stayed together in a big house (which itself was a step up from previous years’ vacations spent at campgrounds on the Jersey Shore). All the kids--the cousins--performed for the adults. We wrote original plays and lip-synced and did routines to some family favorites (including The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine”). I also remember the dunes and grass and walking to the beach in beautiful weather. And getting a hermit crab (which I later killed by leaving in the house during an extermination).

Elizabeth Brettschneider, Attorney
My best family vacations growing up were when my parents, my brother, and I went to Maine. I remember lots of messy lobster eating with the plastic bib around my neck and my fingers covered in butter. On one particular summer trip to Maine when I was about eleven years old, the family drove up Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park and then went for a walk around the paths on top. There are many scenic overlooks and we posed for photos. My dad was getting nervous that my brother and I were too close to the edge so of course I took advantage and started posing on what looked like a dangerous precipice (but really wasn’t) while balancing on one leg. A photo of this shenanigan was snapped and now this practice has become a family tradition. Even into adulthood I continue to send my father photos of myself balancing on the edge of what looks like a cliff.

Briana Cornelius, Summer Associate
The summer after I graduated from college, I went to Barbados with my mom, my brothers, and my mother’s side of the family (a whole lot of Canadians). I brought my boyfriend Cody along, and we stayed at an all-inclusive resort on a beautiful, secluded beach. There was lots of swimming, snorkeling, and sailing (also severe sunburns, which are less fun), and the twenty-four-hour free open bar wasn’t terrible either. It was the first time Cody got to meet and really spend time with my mom’s side of the family. It was very sadly also the last time that I got to see my uncle, who had been diagnosed with brain cancer. So this is a “best” family vacation only in the sense that the time we all had together on that trip is the most fantastic way to remember him.

Protima Daryanani, Partner
I love the water and being on and in the water, especially the ocean. One of my best vacations as a child was in Las Palmas, Spain, where my sister and I spent entire days in pools playing water Olympics (I am not bad at water handstands, just saying). We were prunes at the end of the day! As an adult, I love going to Positano, Italy, which is built up like an amphitheater over the blue-green of the Tyrrhenian Sea. John Steinbeck, in Harper’s Bazaar in 1953, said it best: “Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone.”

Ashley Emerson, Attorney
My best summer family vacations consisted of trips to visit my grandparents in Portsmouth, NH. I have many fond childhood memories filled with cliff-side strolls and salty ocean air, cribbage games, cobblestone streets, sweet trips to the candy store, tennis, open-air plays, laughter, ice cream and, of course, love!

Jacki Granet, Attorney
As a big family, it can be really hard to find time to gather together as a whole, which is why our family trip to Hawaii last summer was so special. For the first time in a long time, we didn’t have a wedding to attend or a holiday to celebrate. We were just all together, relaxing in the most beautiful place in the world. I will never forget that trip and at my annoying yet effective insistence, we are going back next summer.

Joseph McKeown, HR Manager/Blog Editor
When I was five or six my family--living in Pennsylvania--took a vacation to Seattle, Washington (and surrounding area) to visit relatives. It was the first time I'd been on a plane and I was pretty excited about that. We got to play in the woods, stay up late with the sun, and ride mopeds on the beach. On subsequent trips out there I also have fond memories of eating fresh fish and playing golf--until I hit an old, retired (and then angry) man at my grandparents' club.

Jen Mecum, Attorney
I just returned from one blissful, glorious week with my fiancée’s family in Lake Tahoe. They have been vacationing there for for decades, but this was my first trip. I had been told that Lake Tahoe is one of the most beautiful bodies of water in North America, but I didn’t really believe it until I saw it for myself. Our week consisted of reading novels, sleeping in, lying in the sun, kayaking, and daily 7-11 Slurpees. I only wished I had seen a bear. Otherwise, it was the perfect vacation.

Carolyn Szaiff, Summer Associate
My best family vacation in recent memory was a few years ago when my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and I went to the Dominican Republic for a week. My aunt, uncle, and cousin also traveled from Hungary to join us. We spent our days drinking, dancing, and relaxing on the beach. Each of us having such busy schedules, being able to spend that time with family was awesome.