Daytona Beach and Daytona International Speedway, Florida, Part 1 - Sunday, November 7, 2021

Two walks are on the agenda for today: Daytona Beach 6k (Part 1 of my blog for today) and One Daytona 5k (Part 2 of the blog). And, away we go!

First thing this morning, Susan Medlin and I did the Daytona Beach 6k walk. Our plan had been to start at 6:30 am, but we are still time-zone, time-change challenged and had our clocks set for the wrong time. Instead, we headed out the door of the resort at 7:30 am.

A stiff breeze whipped around us. Brr! I had not packed any cold-weather clothes, so I put on two T-shirts, long jeans, warm socks, shoes, and my windbreaker. It was barely enough to keep me warm. We walked fast and got our heart rates up, but that windbreaker stayed snapped throughout our walk.

Our first instructions said to go under the tunnel at the hotel and walk on the beach. The high tides, strong onshore winds, frothy ocean, and waves coming in almost to the dunes, put the kibosh on a soft, sandy walking surface. I said, "Nope, I'm going to walk on the sidewalk." (That was an option for days with high tide and today certainly qualified.) 

The Atlantic Ocean at Daytona Beach
on November 7, 2021.

Susan decided to walk on the beach. We decided to meet farther south; she would come up from the beach when she was ready.

I went back out to Beach Blvd. and started walking. About two blocks in, Susan came back up to the sidewalk. The ocean was not kidding around today, folks. 

In a couple more blocks, we were able to walk on the Broadwalk. (NOTE: This was called the Broadwalk originally; however, over time people changed it to Boardwalk even though no wooden boards were used in its construction.)

[An aside: Bob and I did this walk in November 2020. Last year, it was warmer, but we had thunderstorms with downpours and had to take shelter a few times. We also got drenched. My umbrella kept collapsing and dumping all the water on me. I don't think Bob brought an umbrella that day. It was miserable.]

Anyway, back to the Broadwalk...There is so much to see here. First off, is the historic bandshell with a capacity of 4,500 people in open-air seating. This coquina shell structure was completed in 1938. Two American Presidents, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have delivered speeches from this stage.

The historic bandshell in Ritchey Plaza.

Susan Medlin by the arches in Ritchey
Plaza.

Next on the list of things to see along the Broadwalk, was the Daytona 200 display in front of the Hilton Hotel. This display celebrates the beach motorcycle races.

Daytona 200 display.

Daytona 200 display area.

Next, we came to the Clock Tower, also made from coquina shells.

The historic clock tower.

It's always beach time in Daytona!

The years 1903-1935 were exciting times to be in Daytona Beach! The need for speed was evident here as you will see in some of the plaques below.

All along the Broadwalk from the Clock Tower to the Main Street Pier, historic plaques are embedded in the walkway at each light post. Oh my gosh, they were so interesting. Bob and I completely missed these in the pouring rain last year. In addition to the Daytona Beach car and motorcycle speed trials, airplanes also raced here! These are just a few of the plaques. You can see I had to wipe away the sand with my shoe in some of them. Yes, the water had been up this high!

A brief history of automobile racing
at Daytona Beach, Florida.

Name dropping at the 1904 Winter Speed
Carnival: Vanderbilt, Curtiss, and Flagler!

Airplane speed records.

About (1) Pioneer aviator Ruth Law, and
(2) A race between a Curtiss JN-4 plane
and an automobile.

Close-up of the above signboard.

Close-up of the above
signboard.

At this point, we were supposed to go back to the beach beyond the pier, but the water was too ferocious. The beach will have to wait. It's time to check out the town.

Daytona 2000 store with 
Daytona licensed merchandise.

You can't come to Daytona without
getting a photo of the sign.

A fountain from the glory days
in front of a hotel.

The beach at Daytona is hard-packed sand making it possible to race automobiles, motorcycles, and planes. The excitement in the 1940s was palpable as high-society types flocked to Daytona Beach. 

Our next point of interest was the Streamline Hotel. What is its claim to fame? This art-deco-style hotel opened in 1941 and is recognized as the birthplace of the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). A December 1947 meeting held at the rooftop hotel bar created the organization that was made official in February 1948. Susan and I went into the recently renovated hotel and looked around.

The newly renovated Streamline Hotel.

The sign over the front door of the
Streamline Hotel.

The beautiful retro lobby of
the Streamline Hotel.

A display in the lobby - 
Streamline Hotel.

A close-up of the motorcycle.

The Streamline Hotel.

We passed through the old downtown core on our way to the Ocean Center (the fourth largest convention center in Florida) and the Peabody Auditorium.

Part of Daytona Beaches old downtown.

I love the artwork on this mural!

The Peabody Auditorium was originally built in 1919 with funds donated by Simon Peabody, a wealthy lumberman. This 2,500-seat theater replaced the original. At the round-about intersection between the Peabody and the Ocean Center, is this delightful sculpture of "The Four Muses," by Fred Dana March (1872-1961).

Here's my best guess as to the Muses:
Erato, a combo of Thalia and
Melpomene, Polymnia, and Clio.

The Ocean Walk Shoppes was our last point of interest. It's a beachfront mall with shops, attractions, and restaurants. It was very deserted on a Sunday morning!! Even the restrooms were locked. That's not good if you really need one, as I so often do on a long walk.

A kitschy alligator in front of a motel.

The entrance to Ocean Walk 
Shoppes from this side of
the street.

A lovely mural on the ground level
of Ocean Walk Shoppes.

We are back at Ritchey Plaza.

Our walk instructions want us to take the beach back to the hotel. Ha! It's a good thing there's an alternate route. We headed back to Beach Blvd.

Still a raging ocean. 

There is not a "beach" here today.

Back at the hotel, our 6k walk was complete. Susan and I packed up my Jeep and checked out of the hotel. 

Now, we're on our way to our second walk of the day at One Daytona, a shopping experience across the street from the Daytona International Speedway. We had a choice of doing a 5k or 10k walk. We chose the 5k. It was still cold and windy with a threat of rain now.

To be continued in Part 2...