On The Road...in Florida™

Hi. If you are already on this page, welcome to On The Road...in Florida™.

We are not open for business yet, but we will be soon.

On The Road...in Florida™ will be an ever changing, constantly expanding celebration of the Florida roadside that once was, the Florida roadside that still is, and the Florida roadside that just keeps rolling along.

On The Road...in Florida™ will be about Signs and Wonders™, and Fleeting Moments™, stuff that makes the Florida roadside like no other place in the world.

When you ride with us, each week, you will see original never before published photographs and hard to find background stories about stuff that makes eyes pop and cars stop on the highways and byways of the Sunshine State. Sights along the way will include:

wacky one-of-a-kind roadside attractions
mid-century modern, Googie and Populuxe survivors of a lost era
themed large-object, programmatic buildings and signs
themed entertainment attractions and vehicles
vintage ghost vehicles from the past
unusual creatures (and people) engaged in fascinating behavior
giant advertising inflatable objects and characters
plants doing things that plants don't usually do
flying objects and strange phenomena in the sky

On The Road...in Florida™ will give you different ways to share the ride with us:

Free Way - free public content every week
Pay Lane - exclusive subscriber content every week
Inside Lane - subscriber video blog
Open Road Talk - interactive fan discussion
Inside Road Talk - interactive exclusive subscriber discussion

Also, On The Road...in Florida™ will have Souvenir Road Shop where you will be able to buy miniature roadside scale models, souvenirs, T-shirts, caps, posters, prints and books.

Plus, if you have an idea, our Design Workshop can provide you with custom design and fabrication of custom themed models, signs, interiors, props and graphics. To see samples of our work or to contact us, please visit www.aaiDesigns.com.

In the meantime, thanks. We appreciate your interest, and we are looking forward to your support as we ride On The Road...in Florida™.

About the Author

Hi. My name Daniel Charles Assael. I am a creative director, designer and writer, with extensive experience in entertainment and informational projects.

My work in themed attraction design has included projects for Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Marriott Hotels, Georgia Aquarium, WhiteWater Attractions, and many more attractions, resorts, hotels, and restaurants.

My work in exhibit design has included a replica of the HBO Game of Thrones Dragonstone Painted Table prop for Comic-Con, a seven foot replica of the Bok Tower Gardens Singing Tower, and scale models and displays for the City of Orlando and the City of Kissimmee, as well as, for many attractions, resorts, architects, builders, businesses, residences, and institutions.

My work in children's toy design has included Erector Sets, Tinkertoy, Trouble Game, Magic 8-Ball, Zybots, Sgt. Rock, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Simpsons, Safari Ltd., and many more toys, games, videos and books.

To see samples of my work or to contact me, feel free to visit www.aaiDesigns.com.

I am a native of a small island, Manhattan Island to be exact. Now I have always loved Gotham, and always will, but, when I was young boy, I dreamt of a future living in a tropical paradise, or living on the boardwalk in Coney Island. So, for me, with all the kitsch, coast and coasters, Florida is a dream come true.

So, since I have loved living in a state of sunshine since 1991, I have taken several thousand photographs of wild, wacky and whimsical sights along the way, on...well...y'know...On The Road...in Florida™.

Now, the Florida roadside is not what it once was. Over time, changing tastes, changing fortunes, and changing needs erases all traces of what graces the world around us. Even in the age of the internet, it can be hard to get a picture of sites and sights that are now sadly gone.

On The Road...in Florida™ is my effort to save remnants, if only in the poor substitute of images, of things that could be seen only in times and places that will not pass this way again.