Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Mr. Paspalakis your pants are on fire
I grew up in the Daytona Beach area, When I was a little kid my parents would bring us down to this magical midway called the "Board Walk". We, as a family, would spend long summer days at the beach and at the arcades, playing nickel pin-ball machines, three games for a dime, we would ride the bumper cars, shoot in the shooting gallery and play skee ball, it truly was a family friendly atmosphere.
Then as a teen-early twenty something, my friends and I would go down there to smoke cigarettes sneak beers and play the same pin ball machines. Then it happened a fat little guy came in being chased by ghosts and eating dots, he changed the world, however, he didn't change the board walk. There were new games exciting things like Punch Out, Galaga, Stargate and the all new super exciting Miss Pac-man. Still the Boardwalk didn't change.
Then, as a young adult, I really didn't spend much time there, but from time to time I would still go back to visit my old haunts, Walking Charlies, Mardi Gras Fun Center, Joyland amusements, etc., I watched as the paint began to peel, and the floors became dirtier, yet the games didn't change.
Now as a father of two young children we went back down to the Board walk this past weekend. It was amazing, just as Dino Paspalakis had continually averred this place, he and his family had invested so much money into, why it had become the Taj Mahal, it was beautiful, it seemed as though We had stepped into heaven, into some kind of amusement fantasy land.
Yeah right The floors were dirty, the benches have barricades down the middle of them so the bums can't sleep there, young thugs are roaming the once fabled Boardwalk harassing young couples and demanding money.
Even better, it was like stepping into a time machine nothing had changed at least not for the better, most of the same games I remember from fifteen years ago are still there, except for the more popular ones those broke down a long time ago, nothing new and exciting resides in this place of electronic death. More sadly even yet there is hardly a pinball machine to be found, but the back of each arcade are filled with slot machines which spew nothing but tickets to be traded in on plastic junk from a counter in the back of these pestilence filled holes.
Hopefully Daytona has finally smartened up and the likes of people such as Paspalakis and his family will be run out of town on the broken down rails which run through the other dead areas of town.
I will still visit al least twice a year and hope for the best.
Much Love,
Vince
Then as a teen-early twenty something, my friends and I would go down there to smoke cigarettes sneak beers and play the same pin ball machines. Then it happened a fat little guy came in being chased by ghosts and eating dots, he changed the world, however, he didn't change the board walk. There were new games exciting things like Punch Out, Galaga, Stargate and the all new super exciting Miss Pac-man. Still the Boardwalk didn't change.
Then, as a young adult, I really didn't spend much time there, but from time to time I would still go back to visit my old haunts, Walking Charlies, Mardi Gras Fun Center, Joyland amusements, etc., I watched as the paint began to peel, and the floors became dirtier, yet the games didn't change.
Now as a father of two young children we went back down to the Board walk this past weekend. It was amazing, just as Dino Paspalakis had continually averred this place, he and his family had invested so much money into, why it had become the Taj Mahal, it was beautiful, it seemed as though We had stepped into heaven, into some kind of amusement fantasy land.
Yeah right The floors were dirty, the benches have barricades down the middle of them so the bums can't sleep there, young thugs are roaming the once fabled Boardwalk harassing young couples and demanding money.
Even better, it was like stepping into a time machine nothing had changed at least not for the better, most of the same games I remember from fifteen years ago are still there, except for the more popular ones those broke down a long time ago, nothing new and exciting resides in this place of electronic death. More sadly even yet there is hardly a pinball machine to be found, but the back of each arcade are filled with slot machines which spew nothing but tickets to be traded in on plastic junk from a counter in the back of these pestilence filled holes.
Hopefully Daytona has finally smartened up and the likes of people such as Paspalakis and his family will be run out of town on the broken down rails which run through the other dead areas of town.
I will still visit al least twice a year and hope for the best.
Much Love,
Vince
