Daytona Beach, Florida - Bike Week

     Daytona Beach is on Florida's East Coast and well known for Daytona International Speedway, which hosts February's Daytona 500 NASCAR Race (photo from visitflorida.com). Due to the beach's hard-packed sand, driving is permitted on it in some designated areas. There is also a boardwalk with rides and arcades with free concerts performed at the Daytona Beach Bandshell stage. There is plenty to do there, especially if you like sun, sand, and shopping!

   

Dayton Bike Week starts Friday, March 9th this year, following the NASCAR races, so I thought this would be a good time to write about this location which I've visited a few times over the years. The first time was  about 24 years ago before I was too cautious to ride on a motorcycle (prior to working in a hospital emergency room). I was young, carefree, and not vegan so I probably did what everyone else there was doing...riding up and down the strip, going to "biker bars", eating barbecued food, and wearing some sort of leather.
     In 2010 I went and met up with my sister Tarra and her husband who was rebuilding bikes at the time and had a table set up on the fairgrounds with his company. I had recently become vegan (no consuming or wearing animal products) and I remember I had a difficult time finding food I would eat besides salads and the protein bars I brought with me. It that summer I started performing as Times Square's Naked Cowgirl so came back to Daytona one more time not on a motorcycle, but instead walking through the crowds with a guitar, cowgirl hat, and a bikini. Videographer Ron Israel of "Behind the Scenes", whom I've known for many years from Baltimore and a local photographer Justin Laughman where there to capture videos and photos of all of the action going on. It was a very different experience from my first visit, but both were a lot of fun!

     There are so many restaurants, pubs, and cafes to eat at, but if your vegan it's always a little more challenging, but no worries...I've found some options for you! The Dancing Avocado kitchen is located in Daytona's Historic Downtown area on South Beach Street. It's a family-owned business serving to both herbivores and carnivores harmoniously.  Some vegan/vegetarian choices include veggie burgers, white bean soup, vegan waffles, guacamole and chips and even green juice smoothies, among many other healthy options (indoor and outdoor seating available).
     Another place located on Ridgewood Ave. in Daytona Beach is Oliv Epicurean Grill which is a casual eatery offering made-to-order Mediterranean Bowls and wraps and salads with vegetarian options. I even saw photos of some yummy looking falafel. On International Blvd. you can find falafel and kebabs at Pasha Middle East Cafe. If you're not one for trying new places you can always go to Panera Bread for a healthy soup or salad.

     Not into motorcycles or sand? Maybe you'd enjoy visiting the Museum of Arts and Science (http://www.moas.org/) to experience the planetarium's variety of live star shows, full-dome HD movies, and laser shows weekly. You baseball fans can check out the Jackie Robinson Ballpark located at 105 E. Orange Ave. on City Island. If you are NOT there for motorcycle fun, do NOT go within the next 10 days or you will be outnumbered! Just kidding...it's actually nice to see the comradery of the "bikers" and the diversity of people who enjoy riding. As an x-ray tech of 15 years in a top trauma center hospital in NJ, I'm completely against getting on a motorcycle anymore due to the horrific conditions I've seen people come into the ER after motorcycle accidents, so PLEASE be careful, wear a helmet, keep your skin covered regardless of the heat...and enjoy the sun and sand while I'm several inches deep in snow right now in New Jersey!
   

Tampa With a NY Yankees Fan - Eat, Shop, Relax, Repeat

     The first 24 hours of my trip to Florida this past week was spent in Tampa with a woman I met about 15 years ago at a gym in Secaucus, NJ when she hired me to train her. She's closer to my mother's age, and although we have little in common, we've remained friends ever since.  Miriam Weiner  is a Jewish genealogist, author, and lecturer who specializes in the research of Jewish roots in Poland and the former Soviet Union. Weiner is considered to be one of the pioneers of contemporary Jewish genealogy through her work to open up archives and is described as a trail-blazing, highly respected guide and leading authority on archival holdings and resources in pre-war Belarus, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, and Ukraine. (excerpted from Wikipedia.org). Although I am not Jewish, Miriam has done an extensive family history chart for me that is amazing. I think she was even a little challenged since my Nana's family history traced back to the 1600's!

 
      I got to Tampa's Springhill Suites Marriott in about 6 minutes by Uber coming from Tampa Airport. Miriam was waiting outside for me so we could make it to our 8 pm reservation at Seasons 52 Fresh Grill on Westshore Blvd. The name is appropriate since they change their menu as the seasons change. I was pleased they are currently serving their Harvest blend through November which means a variety of squash and other Fall vegetables to choose from to go with the Malbec wine I ordered. Miriam said some of the New York Yankees players are occasionally spotted in there. I believe she told me she saw Derek Jeter in there during one of her visits.

     I'm not much of a soup person but the Butternut Squash Soup was very good! We then ordered a couple of appetizers, one being the brussel sprouts which was delicious, but luckily after eating one or two the server told me that there were some pieces of bacon mixed in. Thank God I did not chomp down on a piece to find out! I ordered the Roasted Mushroom Flatbread and asked the server to add tomatoes and remove the goat cheese. It was delicious!

     Of course after all of that delicious food, I felt the need to hit the hotel's gym in the morning after our coffee (free continental breakfast). A little workout is better than no workout!  Miriam is a big fan of the New York Yankees, as is most of my mom's family. I grew up watching the Yankees play in the late 1970's when Thurman Munson, Reggie Jackson, and Lou Piniella played. The George M. Steinbrenner Field (formerly known as Legends Field) located in Tampa, is home of the Tampa Yankees, the New York Yankees' affiliate in the Class A Advanced Florida State League and also the Yankees spring training home. Miriam wanted to take me to their gift shop since she shops there every time she's in Tampa to watch Spring Training. She even bought me a really cute Yankees necklace. My Aunt Ethel (who recently passed away) was a huge Yankee fan and took me to my first Yankees game when I was a child. I thought of her often during this trip and just had to take a photo of Mariano Rivera's plaque when I saw it since he was one of  her favorite players.

     After getting our fill of Yankees souvenirs, we headed over to Barnes and Nobles to look around for a while. I was ready to hit up the Starbucks in there for my second caffeine fix...Iced Coffee with Vanilla Soy Milk. Although I have two other books I've started reading and have been procrastinating with them, I couldn't resist buying another, "Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man" by Steve Harvey. I'm reading it with an open mind and have to say I have been enjoying it. I think it's great for women to read to get a little insight as to why men don't love and act the same way most women do. The last book I read that I wanted to give to all of my single girlfriends before this was "He's Just Not That Into You" by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, a funny and insightful book. We purchased our books and decided to get some lunch.

     P.F.Chang's is in the Westshore Plaza and has plenty of vegetarian/vegan options that I would eat. We split some sort of Asian Salad that was healthy and tasty and then ordered two entrees to split...the stir-fry eggplant and some sort of Tofu with vegetables. Both were very good but too much to eat, so we wrapped the rest to-go.

     It wouldn't really feel like a Florida vacation to me if I didn't get to sit out by the pool in a bathing suit and get some sun. I took my new journal and my new book and relaxed on a lounge chair. I had the whole pool to myself! I kept thinking that 86 degrees back in NJ feels so much hotter but I guess it's because there was no humidity. It really did feel perfect! Miriam came down to sit in the shade and we just chatted for a while since we didn't have to be anywhere until 7:30 pm, which is when I had to be back at the airport to meet my son who was flying in from NJ.

 

      Miriam and I looked at some brochures to see what else there is to do in Tampa. The Tampa Riverwalk is something to check out had we more time. Not only is it very "exercise-friendly" with people walking, jogging etc...but there are many shops, restaurants, parks, and museums to keep busy all day. We also looked into some of the dinner cruises such as Yacht Star Ship Cruises & Events, Star Lite Dining Yachts, and a more family-oriented cruise called The Pirate Ship Royal Conquest. 

     The whole reason I was in Florida last week was to visit my family who lives in Springhill, Florida and fortunately I was able to fly in a day earlier to spend the day with Miriam. I planned to have my sons meet me there since it's been five years since my younger son Dakota had been down to see his grandfather, aunt, and cousins. My older son Jesse just finished four months of computer training in Mississippi for the US Air Force and drove to meet us for a mini-vacation.

     I found a photo of my son at the airport from the last trip we took 5 years ago and couldn't resist taking another photo of him sitting in the same spot waiting for my mom to pick us up. The rest of my trip was spent in Springhill and Tarpon Springs, Florida. To be continued...