Sunday, March 22, 2009

Where the Boys Are (not) Postcard



Fort Lauderdale was where the "college boys" went for their vacations in 1966 when this card was published. Now the most popular spot for Spring Break is Cancun. In fact, Fort Lauderdale does not even want college students to spend their vacations in their city.

A student travel page on about.com quotes a 2006 "story idea" from the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitor's Bureau website:

"SPRING BREAK NO MORE"
"What do Cancun, San Padre Island and Daytona Beach have that South Florida once had, but does not want again? The six week ritual known as 'Spring Break.' Fort Lauderdale is no longer 'where the boys are' but where well-heeled Europeans, sophisticated Northerners and laid-back Mid-Westerners come to relax and vacation. From the late 1980's into the early 90's, Greater Fort Lauderdale was a destination in transition. The area's success at ridding itself of Spring Break has made it one of the fastest growing travel destinations in the United States."

6 comments:

  1. Fort Lauderdale was very lucky to get rid of such a nightmare! I can't even begin to imagine the yearly madness!

    Ps. You asked about violet candles in the US:) I wish I knew. I haven't lived there for 10 years now. Time certainly flies!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I can imagine; I used to live in a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. Though I am hard-pressed to understand how it grew into a problem, given the disproportionate male-to-female ratio in the picture.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Prisons have a disproportionate male-to-female ratio, too. And yet they have some problems.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I can hear the Beach Boys singing "california girls" on this card :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I don't think I've ever seen quite so many people on a beach! All men? I can't quite see.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for the marvelous links! I poured over the history tidbits! I need to rewrite the article now:)

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...