As a teenager of the 80’s, with all the films about all the fun American kids of the same age were having, the defining, most memorable for me and many of my friends, was “Spring Break“. ‘In Australia, it would be called ‘Schoolies’.
Despite the basic, yet ridiculous and totally unimaginative plot of two sets of university guys heading to Fort Lauderdale for fun in the sun, and everything that inevitably went wrong, it was a movie that marked a carefree time in our lives and a trip that my friend and I vowed to take and never took.
Until now.
So a few decades on and inspired by our daughters, who are roughly the same age as we were back when the film was released, and influenced by some lovely Sauvignon Blanc, my high school mate Nicole and I are about to experience our own, unforgettable version of American schoolies.
But there are a few differences:
1. Instead of Florida, or Cancun which is apparently the new Spring Break must-do, we are heading to New York, the Hamptons and Los Angeles to let our hair down.
2. Despite social media, you won’t see us on any stage in wet, compromising competitions, but we have booked some Broadway shows.
3. We won’t be sharing a dodgy motel room with others our age, but we are looking forward to the rooftop bar in our hotel.
4. Our parents won’t be surprising us to ensure we aren’t up to any hi-jinks, but our children will be expecting Facebook posts so they can comment on the ‘lameness’ of our selfies.
5. We won’t be participating in any beer booze-ups, but rest assured champagne will be had when we dine at Buddakan.
6. We will not be wearing bikinis, but we have a long list of clothing and shoes to buy, both on Fifth Avenue and at outlets in L.A.
7. We won’t be watching the sun come up, unless we are awake early enough for a run around Central Park.
8. We won’t find ourselves in a car with strangers on the way to some party, but we will share a bus tour with other Sex and the City fans.
9. We won’t be saving money by eating only hot dogs and donuts, but we are hoping to get to a ball game.
And
10. We will remember everything about our trip. We are leaving behind our husbands, kids, cooking, grocery shopping, taxi driving, argument settling, excursion form filling, home-work helping and cooking.
It really will be more of Break than what we expected back in the '80s.
Maybe they should make a movie about it?