Daytona Bike Week 2011 ended Sunday and it will be awhile before official numbers on the size of the crowd are released. In the meantime, the usual anecdotal information that is filtering out is mixed.
Although the weather was better than it had been the last two years, lingering effects of the recession are still being felt. As so often is the case, for those who still are without jobs, the recession is still going on. Meanwhile, for those with jobs, high times are here again.
This latter group might be represented by one person our correspondent in Daytona, Friggs, spoke with over the weekend. Carmen, of Clearwater, FL, told him that every year she spends about $1,000 on gear at Bike Week and this year was no different. Others, such as Tony from Orlando, said he comes every year because he enjoys being in the biker atmosphere, but he objects to the prices: "Four dollars for a bottle of water is a little ridiculous."
A report from the local newspaper, the Daytona Beach News-Journal, found the merchants divided as to their assessment of the turn-out. Some blamed the economy and high gas prices for sales declines in the neighborhood of 20 percent. Others argued it was simply that the rally is getting more spread out, and neighboring communities actually saw increased numbers.
For a final view of the scene in Daytona during Bike Week, please see the slideshow at left.
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