Motor City Michigan Summer '08

It has been a really long time since I first heard of and decided to visit the Woodward Dream Cruise in suburban Detroit, Michigan. However with work, school and other commitments it was never possible, until now! The plan was ambitious, long and expensive but just a few days before the actual trip it all changed and to tell you the truth it was for the better.

The original plan was for me and my best friend Nick to drive to Detroit in his new Volvo S40 via Kentucky. Why? You might wonder would we make such a crazy and out of the way detour? Because the first stop on our list was the Corvette Assembly Plant and National Museum in Bowling Green, KY. Unfortunately Nick, who loves everything Corvette, had some plastic surgery and our plans went out the window.

I quickly went online and within minutes was able to book a pretty sweet deal, $230 round trip, on United to fly to Detroit. My justification for changing the method of travel was purely economical. It cost less to fly and rent a car than to drive for 9 hours each way in my gas guzzler (to my amazement I must add). I took mass transit to LaGuardia Airport and had a nightmare of an experience with United. The plane must have been the oldest in the fleet, and well after checking its registration it was made in 1989. Certainly not a JetBlue type of experience. I flew in through Chicago O'Hare and arrived in Detroit early at about 4:30pm on Friday, the day of the cruise.


For the second time this year I booked a car with Hertz. To my amazement it was significantly cheaper than all its competitors in Detroit including my favorite, Enterprise. With the weekend 50% discount the whole rental cost me $50 bux. The staff at the Hertz DTW facility was much more friendly than PBI, and even though the nice lady slipped a Hyundai Tuscon SUV into my slot, I was able to change it to a Hertz #1 Gold Ford Fusion rental with a V6, alloy wheels, spoiler and Sirius radio. The car was very nice and the overall experience was quite enjoyable.


My buddy JP volunteered his guest room for my stay in Michigan which certainly saved me a few bucks and potential bed bug bite issues cheap hotels offer. That was very helpful and I was dying to meet JP because he's been one of the most generous contributors to my SRT owner registry web site. JP gave me a pass for the 2007 SRT track experience I did at Road America in Elkheart Lake, WI a $500 value. Thanks JP! I especially enjoyed JP and Mona's company both at the Woodward Dream Cruise and hanging out. One of the most memorable experiences from the visit was a trip to the local restaurant: The Packard Grill in Shelby Township, MI. The menu in that place was outstanding, all items had automotive names, for example if you wanted to order onion rings you'd ask for "a set of wheels." The location of the grill was next door to the original Packard proving grounds which is now a historic site. JP also gave me a private tour of the Chrysler Corporate grounds in Auburn Hills.


The Woodward Dream Cruise itself was just a big car show stretching along Woodward Ave from Auburn Hills to Ferndale. With thousands of cars and a million people in attendance it was a happening place to be at but I noticed that many locals elected to go about their normal lives when this was in town. One such local, Kip Ewing - one of the big dogs at Ford in charge of development and production of the FORD GT and the designer behind Genaddi Design Group's FORD GTX1 roadster conversion, was kind enough to let me meet with him. A very cool guy that now has his own shop on a side producing some very high quality carbon fiber bits for the FORD GT and other exotics. Similarly, Rich Brooks was another cool person I had the priviledge of visiting. The GT Guy himself does some magnificent work on FORD GT including upgrading the power output of already a potent engine with twin-turbos. I love his big red barn where all the magic happens.


The flight home was uneventful. I especially enjoyed flying for the first time on regional jets, or puddle hoppers as some smug business folk joked around before getting on board. The United Express flight operated by Trans States Airlines between DTW and IAD, and Chautauqua Airlines flight from IAD to LGA were especially smooth and I'd actually prefer to fly this Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft instead of a Boeing 737 in the future. I didn't get a chance to have lunch or dinner in Detroit so I pigged out at the airport getting a sub at Quizno's in DTW and a massive burger at Five Guys at IAD.


It was an excellent trip and I wish I had an opportunity to do this more often. The last time I was in Michigan was in 2003 for the Ford Centennial Celebration after driving in a convoy of Panther Platform cars from Saint Thomas, Ontario where we did the Assembly Plant tour.


www.woodwarddreamcruise.com

www.united.com

www.hertz.com

www.packardgrill.com

www.kipewing.com

www.thegtguy.com

www.ford.com

www.chrysler.com