The CC Meetup in Detroit is only three weeks away, and it’s time to pin down some of the key details. Here’s what we have so far, and what’s left to figure out:
Hotel: Several of us (Jim Klein, Jason Shafer, Jim Cavanaugh and I) are arriving Thursday (6/1) in the evening, and have booked rooms at the Hampton Inn in Dearborn (∼$120/night), through Sunday morning.
Friday: Unless there’s a movement to change it, we thought we’d start with Greenfiel Village in Dearborn. it’s not strictly automotive, but Henry Ford’s tribute to 300 years of American technological history. I’ve always had a yen to go there since a kid, and I’d like to ride in their Model T too.
It opens at 9:30. There appears to be a fountain right in front of the ticket booths. We could plan to congregate and socialize there maybe from about 9:15 to 9:45. There’s two places to eat lunch inside, including the casual State Street Lunch Stand, a good place to meet up again in case we get separated.
Someone who knows might want to tell us whether we should plan for a full day, or break off for another locale in the afternoon.
Saturday: Not yet locked in. Since we’re planning the Henry Ford Museum on Sunday, this is a chance to likely see several smaller venues, as well as see a wee bit of the city itself. That could be the Piquette Ave. Model T factory, or some other possibilities in town. Or drive roughly a half hour either north to Stahl’s Automotive Foundation (open first Saturday of the month 11-4) or west, to the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum, which is open only in the afternoon from 1-4. It’s possible some may want to break off and go their own way.
Saturday night: The CC Shindig. We need to find a place where we can go and socialize and get a bite to eat in the process. The only request is that it not be an overly noisy place, which my damaged ears can’t tolerate. Sorry. Suggestions? The bigger question is for how many? Can we get a rough idea?
Sunday: Since I have a flight at 4:45pm, I was thinking that we’d do the Henry Ford Museum, and I can peel off when I need to. It’s pretty close to the airport.
I know that the Gilmore Museum is fabulous, but its a 5 hour round trip, and many folks are driving long distances to get here, so I don’t think that’s too realistic.
So please let us know if you’re likely to attend, so we have a rough idea. And I suppose I should offer up my phone number in case someone needs to find us: 5 Four 1-556-5789. Anything we’re forgetting?
It’s getting quite close!
I’ve booked my flights. My friend and I arrive Saturday morning, so I’ll be free in the afternoon (or as we say in Australia, “the arvo”). We return to NYC on Monday.
I’ll absolutely come along to the Saturday night shindig and, as I trust y’all will decide on something cool for Saturday arvo and Sunday, I’ll most likely be present then as well.
I’m driving up, and probably need to go ahead and book my room. Had planned on coming Friday evening and back home Sunday, but if i can reallocate a vacation day, I can come up Thursday night.
Have fun guys! The Ford Piquette Ave factory or Rouge factory tour are very worthwhile as well. If you like Motown music, a tour of Hitsville USA is to step on sacred ground.
Rouge tour, Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford museum (he collected everything) are definitely not too be missed if you have time
Re: Lodging – I booked at the Hampton’s site directly and used a AAA number for access to a “Special Weekend Rate” in conjunction with signing up for a HHonors Membership free at the time of reservation, you don’t need it beforehand. Calling the front desk was more, she didn’t have access to the same rate and would have been about $10 more. Parking at the Hampton is $5/day but it seems more secure. The best and safest parking option is always to park next to a much nicer car on the same principle of you not needing to have to be able to outrun a bear, you just have to be able to outrun your hiking partner…
Holiday Inn Express was about the same price. There is a Courtyard By Marriott that might be a bit nicer and wasn’t much more but is located at the Airport (which is not too far away in any case) and had free parking.
There are MANY other choices with lower prices and obviously ones with higher prices too. Virtually every lodging chain is represented within a couple of miles. See you there!
Does anyone know anything about the Automotive Hall of Fame? I can’t tell for sure if they have actual vehicles on display or just historical info and movies.
Last time I visited, I got a good deal at Hilton Garden Inn downtown. Was very impressed with the hotel!
This time, I’m doing Airbnb.
I will definitely be there for the shindig on Saturday night.
The HF Museum and GF Village will occupy most of your time on Saturday/Sunday. You could do both in one day, but if you want to spend quality time with the exhibits, it will be a stretch. Dining suggestions in the museum/village include Lamy’s Diner (inside the museum) and Eagle Tavern (inside the village). I believe the tavern is open for dinner and can accommodate groups.
Otherwise, you could do the museum on Saturday and the village on Sunday. That leaves a little more time to enjoy both, but there’s an admission for both days. The Auto Hall of Fame is across the street and could be another destination. Trying to go to Stahl’s or Ypsi kind of chops up the day due to travel.
Local good restaurants include Miller’s Bar (famous burgers), Buddy’s Pizza (famous Detroit deep dish) and any number of Lebanese restaurants (great food, cheap prices). Most can accommodate a group and aren’t overly noisy. Close to where you’re going to be.
Local good restaurants include Miller’s Bar (famous burgers), Buddy’s Pizza (famous Detroit deep dish) and any number of Lebanese restaurants (great food, cheap prices).
Buddy’s has the additional advantage of being about a block from your hotel.
Dearborn has the highest concentration of Arabs outside of Persian Gulf, so there are plenty of Arabian restaurants of all kinds offering
Like lamb chops, shish Kafta, fattoush, hommous, ghallaba….
Picture is from a Lebanese restaurant in on Warren Ave.
As it currently stands, we’re planning to do GF Village on Friday, not Saturday.
I approve of the beer list at Buddy’s Pizza. 🙂 Also surprised to see they feature some wines made in Michigan, I had no idea you had such an industry. And being able to walk back to the hotel if need be is a plus!
Also surprised to see they feature some wines made in Michigan, I had no idea you had such an industry.
Yup, in the western side of the state: rolling country with sandy soil, warm summers and adequate lake effect rain. My grandparents had a cottage at a lake SE of Kalamazoo. In the fall driving out there the smell of the ripe grapes in the vineyards would about knock me over.
There are a number of wineries in west Michigan. One of the better known ones is St Julian in Paw Paw, which is west of Kalamazoo.
http://www.stjulian.com/
One note about Buddy’s, it tends to be popular, so it might be noisy inside. Might be a good idea for Paul and the others at the hotel to stop in Thursday night and reconnoiter.
Buddy’s has an outdoor dining area, but it doesn’t look like it’s easily configured for a large group, and you would get traffic noise from Michigan Ave.
Ok, thanks Steve!
Agreed – Bars on a Saturday night tend to be noisy, wherever you are. If noise is your concern, a restaurant or bar with a private room might be a better choice.
The Hampton on Michigan by Military? Cripes, if you were frisky you could walk to the Village from there.
The fountain is between the building with the ticket office and the entrance gate. For some curious reason, the largest, nicest bathrooms in the Village are in the ticket office building, so I generally use it before entering the Village.
There are a bunch of eats places inside. The State Street lunch stand has been there for decades. iirc all the seating is outside. “Mrs Fisher’s Southern Cooking” is over by the covered bridge. Seating is outdoors on picnic tables. The Eagle Tavern is on the Village Green. I occasionally mosey up the front porch of the tavern, look at the menu posted on the wall, laff at the prices, and continue to the Taste of History, which is on the Green between the tavern and the church.
I eat at the Taste of History. They have changed their menu for this year to include more historically accurate fare, which I have not sampled. This building has bathrooms so people can wash their paws before eating. Seating is indoors, with tables and chairs that can be easily moved about to accommodate a large group.
If it’s a hot day, I might stop at the frozen custard stand, then plop down with my treat and watch Ogg and Megogg beat on the bell in the clock tower, or listen to the music at the carousel.
The Village is an all day deal. On a weekday, the line at the “Model T loading dock” will be shorter, but don’t expect to walk in and hop right into a car. If you go through the reconstructed Edison Menlo Park complex, machine shop, power house, glass shop, tinsmith, printing shop, pottery shop, weaver and roundhouse, ride a T and the train, you will be pretty tuckered out. And you haven’t even gotten to the historical buildings, like the courthouse where Lincoln practiced law, or Daniel Webster’s home.
You guys might consider telling the people in the ticket office you car pooled, because they charge for parking separately from Village admission.
If some people plan to drive their CCs to the Village, I would suggest we park together in a remote part of the lot. The part of the lot that is immediately next to Oakwood is usually mostly empty when there is no special event, and it’s not usually filled with school buses as it was when this pic was taken. Everyone could plan on parking in the area I marked in red, for instance, so we can check out everyone’s ride.
Thanks for your helpful insights, Steve.
Frozen custard ? You cannot be serious !
Please stop all this Detroit talk – I am SO jealous.
You won’t want to hear about the flaming cheese in Greektown, then. 😉 Wish I could be going as well.
Paul, you will have a fabulous time at both Greenfield Village and The Henry Ford (You could spend the weekend there).
I would hope that when the ‘new future campsite classic’ is finished and you want a break from the damp & cold next winter you consider the Phoenix area for a ccs meetup. I would love to meet you, work with you on logistics and talk with fellow followers of the site.
Also, Catalina State Park north of Tucson is a lovely place to pass time.
Dave
We’re definitely planning to be in that part of the world in January in the new camper. So yes, a meet-up is a great idea. I’m overdue for some desert dry air; it’s been the longest, wettest, coolest winter in history here.
Don’t forget to stop in Scottsdale for the Barrett-Jackson. This year January 13-21 2018. I go every year and it never disappoints as a car show and big fun automotive party. https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Home/Scottsdale-2018/93f04d0d-614b-4e1c-b4ca-c87d88b709c4
Venues for Saturday: frankly, the Ypsilanti museum doesn’t seem that great to me. It is an opportunity to see several Kaisers in one place, but they have lost several Hudsons and Corvairs recently.
Stahl’s is much more worth the trip. The Rouge factory tour is also interesting. Production is running Monday through Saturday with tour hours from 9:30 to 5:00
It rains in Michigan in June. so be prepared to shift the Village to Saturday if it rains on Friday. And shift indoor things like the factory tour or the Automotive Hall of Fame to Friday.
I would suggest some cautions on the traffic around Ypsilanti, as the it’s alarmingly dangerous within the state.
Also, the speed of traffic on Interstate is very uneven on Southfield Freeway and the surrounding freeways around Dearborn, many cars drive very fast and many very slow, especially in this season.
many cars drive very fast and many very slow, especially in this season.
696 seems to be the worst on that score, with traffic flow at either 85. or zero….and it’s nearly impossible to maintain a “safe interval” behind the car ahead of you as someone will duck into the gap.
I-94 from the airport to Dearborn is relatively sane.
…but watch for potholes. Michigan roads are notoriously cratered, as my old blown-sidewall Volvo 850 tires will attest.
and watch for Romulus and Allen Park police, both departments patrol I-94 by the airport. Do the limit, ‘cos nothing says “Welcome to Detroit” like a speeding ticket.
I can personally attest to that. Upon returning from a trip a year ago, I had just left Budget at DTW with a new Focus, for the trip home (it’s cheaper to rent a car one way at a time to/from Birmingham to Detroit Metropolitan Airport, than to pay to park there) and had just gotten on I-94 eastbound. It was a clear evening, and I was in the middle lane in a pack of cars all travelling about the same speed. I noted the silver unmarked Charger in the median turnaround but thought little about it; I noticed that it pulled out into eastbound traffic, and thought that maybe it was time for a donut. Imagine my surprise when he jockeyed up behind me and hit the lights. I coasted over when it was clear; I had both windows down, DL and rental agreement on the passenger seat, and both hands on the steering wheel. He approached the car on the passenger side, greeted me, and asked for the usual. I nodded at the paperwork on the seat; he glanced at it, noted that it was a rental and that I was a MI resident. He seemed to be genuinely disappointed at that; he admonished me to take it easy and watch my speed, and bid me good evening. I thanked him for his discretion, waited until he roared off, and then continued my journey. It wasn’t until I got home that it occurred to me what had happened – Ohio plates! My point here of course is to all of you flying in, and renting a car – be on your best behavior!
Sounds like an interesting weekend – enjoy!
I have empathy for Paul re tinnitus/damaged ears/noisy venues – I’ve dealt with tinnitus and hyperacusis for a number of years now. For what it’s worth, hearing aids that can also pump in low levels of white noise have helped me with both conditions. Loud venues can still be unpleasant, but aren’t the ‘assault’ they once seemed.
Other points of interest in the Village. The various musical acts don’t start until later in June, but you can catch the running of a replica of the first engine Henry Ford built, and ran in his kitchen, and reenactors portraying the Wright Brothers and Edison.
I’ll miss you guys. Hope to make the next one, wherever it is.
It’s looking about 80% for me to do Friday only. I would come in Thursday night and hang out, then do Friday’s activities. Back to Wisconsin Friday night; middle daughter is graduating high school Saturday.
I have been to HF a couple times, and Gilmore once, but never Greenfield Village. I’m good with that plan.
Oh, and no Isuzu this time. It’s in need of a few things, including tires.
Count me in for the Dinner on Saturday, and I will try to make a couple of the other events/days with different malaise oldies, weather cooperating.
I’m definitely one more headcount for the Saturday night meet-up. Looking forward to it.
I’d like (tentatively) to do the other things – still checking on a few things.
Sorry, no recommendations on venue.
I’m also in for Greenfield Village on Friday. Haven’t been there in decades, but always enjoyed it. See everybody in front of the fountain.
Count me in as probable for Friday and definitely Saturday. No on Sunday.
Jacobys Biergarten. Detroit’s oldest saloon in downtown. A must to honor those of us with Grrman/Austrian heritage ? I’ve thought the food was great.
I am disappointed that I won’t be able to join, but my daughter is graduating high school that weekend.
I do have a suggestion for the group dinner: the Vinsetta Garage on Woodward near Royal Oak. The food is fantastic–BBQ, burgers, amazing Mac and Cheese. There is a private room that can be booked for a large party–while the restaurant itself can be noisy, the private room is much quieter. The place was a famous hangout back in the days when Woodward was the center of the drag and cruising scene in Detroit. It’s also filled with cool automotive memorabilia.
It’s the academic in me talking, but there’s also the Ford Archives, with a chance to pore over company papers and photos and such (my last visit was–yikes!–20 years ago); maybe that could help me deduct part of the trip expenses(?):
https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/services/reading-room/
For those interested in going “behind the scenes” (and who isn’t?), there are more possibilities. Perhaps, with the couple of weeks’ notice they request, some sweet talking could line up something special, even with only a rough estimate of turnout:
https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/services/tours-and-special-access/
I’ll try to get Friday off but will at least be there for all of Saturday.
There you go, making some of us all sad again…so many miles, so few dollars 🙁
Hope it’s a great convention. Will there be funny hats?
I’m hopefully arriving in Windsor Friday night, and have the Hampton booked for Saturday night.
1963 VW took the first spin around the block yesterday, so am planning to make the 400 mile round trip by beetle.
You might be most interested in this: One block to the west of the Ford Piquette Ave. Model ‘T’ plant was the site of the Studebaker plant (1906, originally for EMF) where all Studebaker automobiles were made before the move of production to South Bend in 1928, and cars like the Erskine and the Rockne were made afterwards. It was a huge facility that took up the full block from John R to Brush Sts, and Piquette to Baltimore. Sadly, it burned down in a spectacular fire in 2005 — I picked up a several bricks from the site shortly after that.. The folks at the Ford Plant stood on the roof and washed away the falling embers to save their own building that night.
Further to the east along Piquette (at #700) is (or was) the old Fisher Body Plant 21,(for Cadillacs) by Albert Kahn in 1919, abandoned by GM in 1984. It’s a good contrast to the Ford plant… concrete frame, floor decks and glass for lighting, compared to the Ford’s Masonry-wall and Oak-Frame construction — which would later burn so spectacularly at the Studebaker plant.
Going through this area, which was once densely populated with car and car-parts plants on every street and every alley, you start to understand the give-and-take that went on between all the car companies of personnel and ideas, in the late 1890s through the 1920s. And even so, it’s less than a mile from adillac Place, the GM Headquarters building until it moved to the Renaissance Center in 2001 (the latter one of Henry Ford II’s ‘better ideas’. Ain’t that a weird one!).
And don’t forget to go see the Packard Plant site, now under renovation!
I am currently hoping to join you all at some point. If the plan is to visit the Piquette Avenue Plant on Saturday it is not too far from the Traffic Jam (www.trafficjamdetroit.com) at Second and Canfield. TJ’s is an always interesting eccentric eclectic local institution on the edge of Wayne State’s campus. There is free secure parking across the street, room for a group and it is generally not too noisy.
I’m triple booked that weekend so I’ll only be able to come for one day unfortunately, probably Friday but maybe Saturday. My suggestion would be to try to do Greenfield and the Henry Ford in one day if possible, it’s a lot to see but combination ticket prices are less expensive than doing separate tickets for separate days. Looking forward to it!
I’d like to do the Saturday night shindig. Agreed re Vinsetta Garage!
Agreed re Vinsetta Garage!
Vinsetta Garage has had a parking problem for a long time, and the owner isn’t getting anywhere with the city about building a parking lot for his patrons. That place is likely to be especially crowded as our meetup is the same weekend as the Indy car race on Belle Isle.
Berkley again snubs parking rezoning for Vinsetta Garage
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2016/10/03/berkley-again-snubs-parking-rezoning-vinsetta-garage/91507082/
Too nice today to stay home, so I mosied over to the Village and shot a bit of video of the entrance and the different eats places. The seating at the State Street lunch stand is under a heavily vegetated pergola so the tables don’t really show in the video. They wouldn’t let me shoot inside of the Eagle Tavern and the menu isn’t too legible on the video. The tavern has the best quality food in the Village. Entrees cost about $20 and they have more vintage types of liquor than you can imagine. The last place I shot menu and dining room is the “Taste Of History”.
Ride passes can be purchased at the main admission building and at the Model T ride and the Smith’s Creek train station.
Since I couldn’t take interior pix of the Eagle Tavern, I found this pic on the net.
I’ll be there, Friday through Sunday.
Paul mentioned a sensitivity to loud sounds. If we wind up at Stahl’s on Saturday, anyone with a hearing sensitivity might want to bring ear plugs. The organ there is overwhelming in the relatively small space. It isn’t running constantly, but someone comes out and plays a set about every half hour.
I’ll holler at you from across Oakwood.
Hey Guys, I got my ticket, hotel, and car reservation a week ago, but unfortunately it was in the wrong direction, from DTW to SFO. I’m out here in Fremont for the Model 3 launch. In my 10 years as a traveling tech, this is the first time I do not have a return flight scheduled. I could be here for 2 weeks or two months, I don’t know. There is a chance that I may be back in Detroit for the gathering; I hope so as I’d like to meet up with you all. As a native Detroiter and one who grew up in the suburbs, I’ve followed the posts by those who have given suggestions for activities, and they’re all good. Always enjoy my trips out here, however, as CA is so different from MI in so many ways. Of course I’m always on the lookout for interesting vehicles; just when one gets lulled by all of the late model stuff, something genuinely cool shows up. Who knows what this is?
Glad that you guys have been having good luck getting your hotel reservations.
The local media has started it’s hype campaign for the Indy car race and supporting races on Belle Isle on June 2-4
http://detroitgp.com/