Originally Posted by trapin

Dean...not sure about hotels that far out. Maybe someone from the western side of the state can chime in.

Jody...I'll PM you my cell number. :thumbsup:

Frank...let me know when you get in. We should all grab dinner somewhere on Woodward on Friday night before the cruise. Plenty of nice restaurants along that stretch.

Then afterwards we can all watch Trush do burnouts in the Wal-Mart parking lot with his Buick. I'll bring the bleach. :D

Originally Posted by trapin

Jody...make sure you guys post something up in here about where you guys are going to be at the cruise. Me and a few others would like to drop by and say hello.

Frank, let me break down the cruise for you as best I can. It stretches for 16 miles. Along that stretch there will be millions of people (literally millions) and 10's of thousands of hot rods. They're not kidding when they bill this the largest single day car event in the world. Some people cruise up and down the stretch but most find a spot to park and watch. Although finding a spot is hard. Most of the time you've got to know somebody, and there's usually a fee involved that can go up past 100 dollars depending on where you are on the strip. I know Jeff has parked with Paul at Hydratech in the past but not sure where he'll be this year. GM, Ford, and Chrysler get involved and will have large tents set up to showcase their products. Vendors are everywhere...and I mean literally everywhere selling everything under the sun. There's no real way to see the whole cruise, if you're lucky you'll see maybe 15% of it. It's that big. But i've got to warn you, it's quite an overwhelming experience. You might be sick of looking at cars for a few months when you get back. :P

Here's the great thing about Woodward though, the actual "cruising" part of the event really starts a week before the official cruise night. This years event is on August 19th...but Woodward will be loaded with street machines starting as early as August 12th. Plan to get here a few days before the 19th like on the 17th. You won't be disappointed.

Frank if I can be of any help, don't hesitate to call on me. My car will be out of the garage during that time at the paint shop so if you're bringing something and need to store it somewhere for a night, I'd be more than happy to lock her up for you. I'm about a half and hours drive from Woodward and I have several hotels about a mile from my house. Not sure how good they are but I know all the Bass Tournament guys from out of town stay there when they fish the tournaments on Lake St. Clair. If you're interested I can find out more information.

Originally Posted by Clockwork

Tony, or anyone from MI

Any ideas for a room near MIS for Sat night? Dosen't have to be anything fancy. Me and the wife are heading up for the race on Sunday. Now I'm thinking about trying to do both, most likely leaving the car at home this time though.

Originally Posted by jmarsa

I would suggest the West Side of Ann Arbor. That way you are 1/2 way between both. Should take a little over an hour to get to Birmingham from Ann Arbor in normal traffic. Add at leat 45 mins if it's during the cruise. It'll take that long to get from I-696 up Woodward anywhere close. Take side streets to avoid the heaviest parts.

--JMarsa

Originally Posted by bob johnson

I just wish they would have a place for all the quality stuff to congregate. I got sick and tired of all the junk..when you would finally stumble into something nice, you were OD'd on trash..Lots of cars but not much on quality. I was disappointed...way too spread out..

Originally Posted by trapin

LOL!!! Bob...you're hard one to please. Don't like Autorama...don't like Power Tour...don't like Woodward. Gettin' crotchedy in your old age. :lol:

Sorry Bob...I'm just givin' ya a hard time. ;)

I can see your point....it can be a bit overwhelming. And of course when you have something on this scale (and it's free) it becomes a magnet for all the riff raff. If anything it's worth seeing these idiots neutral slam their pickup trucks in front of the crowd. That's always good for a few laughs.

Originally Posted by bob johnson

Someone needs to organize a show at Woodward where the best congregate. It was so big that 99.5% of what I saw was junk..I did get some laughs looking at some of the goofiest junk I had ever seen..If I lived there like you, I'd be there..But I'm not interested in making a special trip back there.

Originally Posted by Roger Poirier

Bob, come on. Get REAL. Not everyone has your money! This isn't a car show, nor is it about the engineering of a car. It is a car event, plain and simple. The poor or regular guy gets to have fun too. If this isn't your bag, ok, fine. However, don't blast the event because its not your style or taste. Over 1million people come to this cruise every year. It must be right event for some people. :yes:

R.P.

Originally Posted by bob johnson

Money isn't the only ingredient for a cool car. It helps a bunch, but there are some truly neat cars that guys have built on a budget. One of my favorite cars I've owned is a 66 Rambler Wagon that I own now. I paid $12K for it. It has a .30 over 390 AMC engine built by Warren Johnson..super T-10 trans..9" Locker rear..mini tubbed...Runs strong as hell..out drag 99% of the stuff on the road..ran 140 at Maxton after I had to let off it before I hit 1/2 mile on the 1 mile course..The limit street cars to 135. It would snap my neck when I hit it at 140, still pulling like a freight train. Another favorite of mine is a 40 Ford Coupe that I paid $10K for. Hell I still drive a 91 Infinity Q 45 I bought in 94. Best car I've ever owned and I've owned thousands of them. So money isn't the biggest part. Look at Pimp my Ride. Some people couldn't make a cool ride if they had all the money in the world. I'm not necessarily blasting the event. I just said it's not my cup of tea and explained why. I don't particularly like 500 mile Nascar Races. I love the Bush Clash and the IROC Races. Too much is just too much for me.

Originally Posted by XcYZ

Ray, thanks for the offer. We'll have to keep that in mind as several of us are talking about doing the WDC again next year. We may even do some sort of shop crawl in a bus. :thumbsup: