Three days of holidays, beginning with the national Children’s Day yesterday followed by the weekend, have given people a quick breather away from the bustle of their daily city lives and work. Since yesterday, the usually busy areas have worn a deserted look, be it the Science Laboratory crossing, or the New Market area. Even one of the city’s busiest intersections—the New Elephant Road-Mirpur Road crossing—hardly had much traffic. Mohakhali, another busy intersection, was eerily quiet without the usual commotion of honking automobiles. Depending on the bulge in their pockets, citizens have escaped the maddening crowds of the city—either to their roots in the villages or out of the country to destinations like Kolkata, Kathmandu, Bangkok, Singapore or Langkawi in Malaysia. Many are enjoying a quiet time on the beaches of Cox’s Bazar or Kuakata. Those who could not escape are visiting friends and relatives or shopping at their favourite haunts like Elephant Road or Baitul Mukarram. Bus companies, launch and railway services, and airlines reported good business on the occasion. Many people left the city on Wednesday itself, taking an extra day’s leave to enjoy the holidays even better.