Cars Drive the Streets of Boca Raton for Diamonds & Donuts COVID Cruise
Boca Raton’s biggest car enthusiasts rallied in their luxury supercars, American sports cars, and exotics on April 19th, 2020 to take the streets of South Florida for Diamonds and Donuts’ first “COVID Cruise”. Here is a recap of the COVID Car Cruise and details for the next one coming this Sunday on May 3rd.
Finally, something exciting is happening in this day and age of social distancing and the COVID-19 pandemic, a spontaneous COVID Cruise, which is now something we plan on doing as often as we can.
What is a COVID Cruise?
A COVID Cruise is for car enthusiasts who want to gather together in their own cars to cruise the streets with the simple goal of getting out of the house and having some fun…of course, while maintaining social distancing…during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Across the nation, COVID Car Cruises are popping up in effort to fight off the feeling of “I’m going stir crazy in my house” and to bring some positive light into these uncertain, tough times.
Pulling from this inspiration, we decided to put together our own Car Cruise, which is the first one in South Florida.
DIAMONDS AND DONUTS COVID CAR CRUISE
On Sunday morning, April 19th, members of the Diamonds and Donuts car community gathered together in their favorite vehicles to cruise a predetermined route. The plan was simple, get out of the house, have a little fun, stay involved in the Boca community, show off our cars and just cruise. We couldn’t have asked for better weather. It was a gorgeous, perfect day. The sun was shining, it was warm and barely a cloud in sight.
We organized this car cruise event pretty much last minute. We planned a beautiful route (as most are here in South Florida) that would also help promote local businesses, then we shared it on social media and with our car community here in Boca Raton. It was kind of a quick deal, but it ended up being a great turn out with dozens of amazing cars. Everyone had an absolute blast. Just getting outside these days makes for a good time.
Because of how well our COVID Cruise went, we plan on doing it again on May 3rd, and potentially on a regular basis each weekend moving forward, indefinitely.
Honks to those waving on the streets symbolized “we are in this together”.
Most of us have been stuck in the house for over a month now, people are going stir crazy. This car cruise was a way to get out of the house and spread the message of hope. The cars, which we must say were all super badass, drove, in rows, for about 2 hours. It was amazing to see our friends again, everyone with smiles on their face.
The event was a big deal for us. It was a major boost to all of us, having been shut in our homes for so long now. Just to see and hear the cars roaring and rumbling made our heart skip a beat. It brought us back to pre-COVID-19 days, to our beloved monthly Diamonds and Donuts car show where we would socialize and peruse tons of iconic exotic vehicles, supercars, Japanese imports, and custom motorcycles.
We are social animals. We love to talk, show each other what we do and what we have, what we built and what we accomplished. This was a way of doing that during these very strange times. It gave us a sense of normality.
Of course, there were precautions in place and everyone practiced social distancing perfectly. We all know the rules and we stood by them.
COVID CRUISE SAFETY RULES
To ensure people we practicing social distancing and taking the necessary precautions during the event, we made preparations through our Facebook event page and sent a notice to everyone. We had specific guidelines for the cruise and a route planned out.
We asked that everyone stayed in their own cars, drove separately and used all appropriate social distancing recommendations.
Everyone did a wonderful job of adhering to these guidelines. After all, we all want the same thing, for people to remain healthy and to get back to normal as quickly as possible. So, we know we need to avoid large gatherings and getting too close to people for the time being.
Therefore, there was no face-to-face interaction. Everyone talked to each other from their cars and it was perfectly sufficient for everything that we planned. Everyone knew the route in advance and we drove in rows to stay as a pack.
Big Thanks To All Who Joined
We want to thank everyone for getting involved and taking the precautions seriously. Your support and involvement really means a lot to us. We are glad everyone had a good time. Let’s keep our community spirit going strong! It’s truly an honor knowing that we are all in this together and our community is so supportive of each other.
Now, let’s have a look at the route we all took and some of the cars that joined the COVID Cruise.
DIAMONDS AND DONUTS COVID CRUISE – THE ROUTE
Everyone met up at Diamonds By Raymond Lee around 8:30am. We all stayed in our vehicles and departed at 9am in a single file line.
We took route by heading up North Federal Highway to Spanish River Blvd, passing by some of our favorite restaurants. Then we made a right on Spanish River Blvd so we could hit A1A and drive up with a stunning ocean view that we are all so accustomed to, yet have been deprived of for the last month. Once we hit South Ocean Blvd, we took a left on Royal Palm Way, mansion haven. We cruised through to Royal Park Bridge, crossing the Intracoastal Waterway into West Palm Beach. From there, we took Lake View Ave, which turns into Okeechobee Blvd. Then we jumped on I-95S back to Spanish River Blvd to return to Diamonds By Raymond Lee.
We cruised and made pit stops along the way. It was a very chill vibe. Everyone took their time and enjoyed the drive rather than unleashing the real power of their cars, which are formidable, to say the least.
People along the route who were outside whistled and waved and we honked back. It was a sight to see. Dozens of cars worth millions of dollars, accumulatively, driving together, it obviously makes for a spectacle. Albeit, living in South Florida, home of some of the best cars in the world, per capita, you get used to that sort of thing…Yet these days, not so much. It brought life back to the streets of Boca Raton and Palm Beach!
SOME OF THE CARS THAT JOINED OUR COVID CRUISE
To say we had a good turn out would be an understatement. There were all kinds of cars. Any make and model was invited, as they will be for COVID Cruise II this coming Sunday.
It is always nice to see a little variety. We even had some street bikes join the drive. From Lamborghini and McLaren to Chevrolet and Ford, Diamonds and Donuts COVID Cruise had it all.
What’s more, many of the cars had some striking modifications. These are builds that people can look at and hear, and of course, appreciate. These are cars that don’t deserve to be stuck in the garage, but instead should be outside on the street to enjoy and share with the world.
A few highlights from the COVID Cruise:
Overall, it felt something like high school days, cruising around in our whips, showing off a little bit…just a whole lot more baller status. It brings back great memories while creating new ones at the same time. It’s nice to get out and enjoy life. You appreciate it more when its taken away from you. Moreover, we are all avid car fanatics so we love getting together and doing stuff like this regardless of COVID-19.
If this is something you’d like to do too, join us on the next COVID Cruise this Sunday!
NEXT COVID CAR CRUISE – MAY 3RD, 2020
We figure people are going to start going crazy being stuck in the house again, so we are doing another COVID Cruise!
We are going the distance with social distancing! COVID Car Cruise II coming this Sunday!
So, if you are interested in taking part in our second COVID Cruise, join us this coming Sunday in the morning. We are meeting at Diamonds By Raymond Lee and departing from there to take course on our new route at exactly 10am.
COVID Cruise II
Time: May 3rd, 2020 at 10 am
Starting point: Diamonds By Raymond Lee – 2801 N Federal Hwy, Boca Raton, FL 33431 – We are leaving at 10 am sharp, so be there on time!.
Route: We leave @diamondsbyraymondlee at 10 am on May 3rd. We will start by heading to US1, driving south to Palmetto Park Rd. From there, we are heading East to South Florida’s iconic A1A, cruising it all the way to Las Olas. Once we hit Las Olas, we head West down. Then we make a right on US1, followed by a left (heading West) on Broward Blvd. The final stretch comes as we merge on I-95 North back towards Diamonds By Raymond Lee.
Cars of all makes and models are welcome! If you want to join, RSVP with us so we can share with you our social distancing practices and precautions for COVID-19. The safety of everyone is of the utmost importance. So, we ask that everyone take extra care and play their role of good Samaritan. If you are sick, please contact your health care provider.
Let’s have fun and most importantly let’s be safe!
Message to our Friends, Family, Customers, Car Community, and Boca Raton
Diamonds By Raymond Lee continues its commitment to protect the health and well-being of our community as we navigate through this unprecedented situation with COVID-19. We are continually monitoring the situation and will update everyone if anything changes. We want you all to know that we are taking serious precautions with every action we take, now and moving forward. The safety of our beloved community is top priority to us. If you do go out, please wear a face covering. When joining our event, please take our COVID-19 precautions seriously.
You all have our full support and we couldn’t be prouder to be part of this amazing city. If you have any questions or concerns about our Diamonds and Donuts COVID Car Cruise, or anything for that matter, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’d love to hear from you.
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