Dinata Misovec

We went on a vacation! A short vacation. Three nights at the beach. Though, some might argue that you can’t take a vacation when you are retired; we are always on vacation. We did vacate our house and stay in a resort. Son Mike had been staying with us for a few days while working on brother Paul’s house to get it ready to sell. The night before we were to leave, and Mike to return to Virginia, I got an email saying we got a free upgrade from one bedroom to two bedrooms. So, we invited Mike to stay a few more days and go to the beach with us. I didn’t have to twist his arm

Ocean Walk is right on the ocean boardwalk in downtown Daytona Beach. I did not like the news that our unit was on the sixteenth floor. I’d rather stay on a floor where I can jump out the window, if necessary. Since I am not really hung up on it, I didn’t complain. The view was nice. When I looked down from our balcony, the people were small. It took two photos to capture the pool deck. To the left, a kiddie pool, a hot tub, and a resort pool.

To the right is a “lazy river” stream for floating in inner tubes. I wanted to try that. Then there is another hot tub and another resort pool with a tall spiral sliding board. There are also several more hot tubs close to the building that do not show in these pictures.

The historic Daytona Beach band shell adjoins the resort.

Here is some of what Wikipedia has to say about it:

The Daytona Beach Bandshell is an amphitheatre in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It is located at Ocean Avenue, north of the junction of Main Street and Atlantic Avenue. On March 5, 1999, it was added to the U.S.National Register of Historic Places. On April 18, 2012, the AIA‘s Florida Chapter placed the Daytona Beach Bandshell on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places.^[2]

In the 1920s, residents of Daytona Beach considered this area to be run-down and held discussions on ways to improve it.

In 1936, WPA workers began construction on this community-use project that was to cost Daytona Beach $84,000, the federal government $184,000, and be completed in 1938. Originally known as “Broadwalk”, common usage gradually changed the name to the boardwalk.

The first facility constructed was the 48 foot by 114 foot natural coquina rock bandshell which seats 4,500. This was begun in September, 1936, and was completed in time for the first program to be presented on July 4, 1937. Open air concerts, as well as other programs, are still presented in the bandshell. The other structures in the boardwalk area are a clock tower, kiosk, concession facilities, restrooms, subway entrances (now closed), and an elevated walk from Earl to Ora Streets.^[3]

There is a nice lawn between the band shell and the city clock tower.

There are an ancient roller coaster and this charming hall filled with game machines.

I took this photo from the pier where we went to lunch at Joe’s Crab Shack.

We watched a Life Guard Truck arrive on shore, but we could not figure out who they were saving. The bartender told us that there were 72 rescues the day before. Apparently, rip-currents are a big problem here.

We had walked past the food trucks on the way to lunch and saw a film crew filming a woman showing her food at a table. Mike asked someone on the way back and was told that it was the Food Network filming a show about doughnuts. Mike decided to buy a doughnut but changed his mind when the woman told him it was five dollars.

This is the Wyndham resort, two buildings connected by the basement and lobby levels.

This is part of the view from the elevator lobby on the street-side of the hotel. The Intracoastal Waterway is in the foreground. The large, battleship gray structure behind the two buildings in the background is the Daytona International Speedway grandstand. I zoomed a lot.

This is the view of the beach and ocean from our balcony.

The second day, I spent a few hours on the balcony taking photographs of the pelicans flying by. Sometimes they were below us, sometimes they were above us, and sometimes, usually when I was facing the other way, they would come zooming by at eye level.

Andy had the best time laughing at me facing the wrong way and missing the photo-op. I caught him when he wasn’t laughing. He must have just closed his mouth.

We were so high that we were level with the airplane towing advertising banners for restaurants.

Later, I took a few gull pictures while we were sitting on a bench on the boardwalk.

It was a lazy and pleasant vacation.