Cities that go on vacation.

I find Stockholm a lively city, even in Winter though I am opening myself up to arguments with that statement. Summer is undeniably a time with high activity. Every sidewalk is crammed with outdoor seating, the parks are full, and the waterways more crowded than the center of the city.
This street is Gotgatan, a street I normally avoid if I am able too, because the street tends to be just that bit more crowded than the streets running parallel. Except, as you see in high Summer when most locals are on vacation. As an American who rarely took vacations, I find this practice of a mass population all taking vacation at the same time a concept that is hard for me to conceive. I really can't get my head around the idea. The same practice happens in Australia, but of course high Summer there also encompasses Christmas, and New Years Day. I suppose I have read about "people" getting out of New York when the temperatures get too high, but I think of those people, being an elite class. Here, the mass exodus is comprised of normal people, exemplified by my favorite lunch eateries and boutiques being closed until the second week of August. I have to content myself with being able to navigate Gotgatan without feeling like I am a human bumper car.