September 9, 2015
This past winter in New England left everyone at Aria craving rays of sunshine and dreaming of warm weather, beaches, and outdoor activities a little more than usual. Luckily for us, our company has a little perk called “Summer Fridays” that helps us make the most of the season!
So how do Summer Fridays work at Aria?
At Aria, we are split into teams and alternate taking every other Friday off in July and August. This way, we all get the chance to soak in a drop of extra sun and plan some long weekend adventures, while ensuring that there’s always someone from each account at the office, handling the workload for the day and responding to client and media inquiries.
Since I just started working at Aria this summer, I thought it would be a great idea to collect and share the team’s favorite Summer Friday experiences. So, here are a few highlights of what each member of the Aria family had to say:
Scott: “The best use of a Summer Friday this year has to go to the weekend we added Jasper, the dog, to the Collins and Aria families. I know it was sad for our friend and client Kim to let him go, but that long weekend was the start of a very special friendship for me, my family and everyone at Aria.” If you haven’t seen pictures of the cute beagle yet, check him out on our Instagram page (Scott brings the pup to our office every week)!
Jessica: Jessica joked that her favorite Summer Friday was the one where she got the screws in her hip removed (she had major hip surgery this winter). When I asked her to share her favorite FUN Summer Friday she said: “I really enjoyed the Friday I spent on vacation in Cape Cod. My family and I rented a house for the week in Wellfleet, and it was a perfect week with lots of beach time, lobster rolls, oysters, and rose. Doesn’t get more summery than that!”
Ross: “I had a good long weekend in New York visiting my family. I got to see relatives that I hadn’t seen in a while and spent time lounging by the pool while enjoying good food and drinks.”
Kristen: “My favorite Summer Friday was spent at the beach in Duxbury followed by lobster rolls from Green Harbor Lobster Pound! It’s great to have these bonus days off during the summer – especially since it’s so short here in New England.”
Katie: “On my favorite Summer Friday, I went hiking on Wachusett Mountain in Central Massachusetts. It was a fun hike and a good workout too! I also loved spending time with my newly adopted German Shepard puppy, Bear, and trying out a new pesto pizza recipe on the grill with my husband, Jacob.”
Chanel: “I had a memorable visit to Boothbay, Maine – which was also my first vacation with my boyfriend’s family. We went swimming in Knickerbocker Lake, cruised through Ocean Point and ate at Bet’s Famous Fish Fry.”
Allison: “One Summer Friday, I spent the day at the beach with my roommates who played hooky for the day. We enjoyed swimming in the ocean and soaking up the summer sun!”
Erin: “I enjoyed my visit to New York City to see my older sister. My favorite memory of the trip was spending my Friday afternoon walking the highline and taking in the beautiful skyline view of Manhattan (overlooking Chelsea) and appreciating all the flowers and art!”
Alyssa: “On my favorite Summer Friday, I went to the aquarium with my boyfriend. We spent the morning walking around Boston, the afternoon looking at all of the sea creatures and then went out for a delicious dinner by the water!”
Brittney: “One of my favorite Summer Friday’s was when I got a chance to explore the city, and since I just moved here, I was truly a tourist. I went downtown and saw the Bunker Hill monument, walked down Newbury Street and got a pastry from Mike’s Pastry! I had a great time getting to know my new home.”
Lastly, my favorite Summer Friday experience was taking a day trip to Cape Cod to reconnect with the host family whom I stayed with during a short-term exchange trip back in high school. Not only did I get to reminisce about the amazing memories made four and a half years ago, but I also had a fun day at the beach, drinking watermelon sangria, walking the shops on Main Street and eating the Cape’s best fudge.
One thing is for sure: the Aria team certainly knows how to maximize a long weekend – especially in the summer! And, we always enjoy coming into work on Monday morning and telling everyone about all the fun activities that went on during the previous weekend. Also, it should be no surprise that almost everyone’s highlights included food. We definitely take the #AriaFoodies hashtag very seriously! Can’t wait to do it again next summer!
