I’ve pulled the trigger, and my dates are set: I’ll be arriving in Detroit on Thursday (6/1) evening (from Baltimore), and leaving Sunday at 4:47PM. So that leaves all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until about 2PM for me. Now the question is how to make best use of that time. Maybe some of you can help.
I could spend a week in Detroit, but other demands prevent that, so the many attractions will have to ba rationed over the two and a half days there. The Henry Ford Museum and greenfield Village are a must-do for me, but I’m open to your suggestions as to how to best schedule all the possibilities.
Les Gold near 8 mile?
I just want to know meetup details, so I can, um meet up….
We’re obviously working in that. Stay tuned.
I still have every intention of being there, probably arriving around Wednesday and headed home on Monday. I’ll be watching the comments for tips from the locals on what to see.
Damn ~
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My fleet of ancient Junk has crashed my budget again, I was hoping to be able to go even if by bus…..
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-Nate
Hoo boy…. VW engine external parts are going to the builder tomorrow. I am behind schedule…
The Henry Ford is a full day affair. Or at least it was for me. I highly recommend it.
My mother is not well at all, so I’m not sure if I can make it. Here are some suggestions based on recent trips:
– In addition to the Ford Museum/Greenfield Village, I think Ford still offers tours of the Rouge Assembly Plant. Also, the Dearborn Inn is a reasonable place for lunch or dinner, with some cool history – it was built to serve the Ford Airport across the street, now Ford’s proving grounds.
– In that general area, highly recommend heading west to Yipsilanti and visiting the Yipsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum, which is located in Jack Miller’s old Hudson Dealership. Some amazing stuff in there.
– If you out Woodward, you’ll come to the Detroit Historical Society Museum, which also has an interesting car collection. Across the street is the Detroit Institute of Arts, which has Diego Rivera’s stunning Detroit Industry fresco, commissioned by Edsel Ford, in the courtyard.
– Further out Woodward, you come to New Center, at East Grand Boulevard, home of the old GM Building and the Fisher Building, two Albert Kahn masterpieces. A bit above this is the Boston-Edison neighborhood, full of crumbling old auto mogul mansions, followed by the remains of Henry Ford’s Highland Park plant.
– Take Woodward out to Bloomfield Hills, home of today’s auto moguls, and you’ll find Cranbrook, a combination prep school (Mitt Romney went there) and arts school, all designed by Elliel Saarinen. His son Eero, and Charles and Ray Eames were students there.
– Another good trip is out Jefferson Avenue. Near downtown is Lafayette Park, one of Mies van der Rohe’s best mid-50s apartment tower and townhouse complexes, which is beautifully maintained. Further out, you pass the Pewabic pottery, an arts and crafts business that’s somehow still around, and the Chrysler Jefferson North plant (the old Chalmers/Chrysler factory was across the street).
– If you continue to Grosse Pointe, you’ll be shocked at the change as you cross the city limits into Detroit’s old money suburbs. And up in Grosse Pointe Shores is Gaulker Point, Edsel Ford’s Cotswold-style estate designed by Kahn, with beautiful grounds and a couple of his cars in the garage. Along with his father’s more idiosyncratic Fairlane, in Dearborn, it’s open for tours and a very personal insight into how the Fords lived.
– There’s a GM Heritage Center in the Renaissance Center, but you need to get access. And sadly, they closed the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, but you can still drive by the complex and see the giant pentastar on the HQ building.
– Many of the old factories have come down recently, but Packard is still crumbling on East Grand Boulevard near the GM Poletown plant, and the old Plymouth factory is still there, nearby on Lynch Road. I think the pre-Highland Park Ford plant on Piquette Avenue (off Woodward near New Center) is open as a museum. Further out are the Dodge Truck plant on Mound Road in Warren, and the nearby Detroit Tank Arsenal by Kahn.
– In terms of food, I hear it’s getting better. The Elwood Grill, by Ford Field/Comerica Park is an Art Moderne gem best visited on non game nights.
Wow, great suggestions, thanks! Sadly Paul likely won’t be welcome at the GM heritage center… đ
The Henry Ford is an all day affair, I got through it in less time but didn’t see everything; with this group all day for sure.
Thank you for that. We’ll have to try to prioritize based on shared interests and time.
Making me wish I lived in America…..
You must try Buddy’s for the best Detroit-style pizza. They have a Dearborn location among many others. You may also want to sample authentic coney dogs at American Coney Island or Lafayette Coney Island in downtown Detroit. If you like Polish food, you need to visit the Polish Village Cafe or the Polonia restaurant in nearby Hamtramck. If you have time, you should visit the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan. It is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Detroit and it is a world-class experience. Enjoy your trip!
I’ll be there, but driving the Galaxie isn’t on the radar this year. It’s hard to say what I’ll be in….
That weekend is also Member Appreciation Day at the Henry Ford, so who knows how that will affect the crowds.
Is it Friday as well? If that’s on the list that may be the day for it. Although it IS huge so maybe not an issue as long as an early start is in the works.
Yes; June 2 to 4.
Given the areas of the museum we will likely be focusing on, crowds may not be too big of an issue. An upshot with the HF is with how the cars are displayed, for many of them it won’t necessitate anyone getting on the floor to look underneath. That is a true advantage.
Jason, were you the one thinking about stopping at the museum at the Jackson state prison while you are in state for the meetup? Their summer hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Allow 2-3 hours to read the placards at all the exhibits and watch the video about the riot. Leave your camera in the car as pix are verboten, and don’t tease the inmates as you walk past them.
https://www.cellblock7.org/index.php/home/
I’ll be there. Weather (and maintenance) permitting, I may bring one of my more interesting cars.
Planning on it, as only a state (Ohio) away. Have not been in a long time, but do recall that Greenfield Village was worth the ticket.
If I ever make it to Detroit, the go-to attraction will be the Motown museum.
I’ve booked my flights to the US, and I’ll book my NYC-Detroit flights soon as a friend wants to come along too (he’s never been to Detroit). We’ll probably arrive Saturday morning and leave on Monday.
Hopefully my Mini doesn’t get keyed like my Honda did last time I visited Detroit… đ
Thinking about it, maybe I should just rent a GM A-body.
Stahl’s is open the first Saturday of the month, from 11 to 4, but it is in Chesterfield Township, a significant drive north from Dearborn, so would pretty much kill the day.
The Gilmore is hosting the annual Classic Car Club of America meet Sunday, which is icing on top of an excellent museum. Given your 4:47 departure from DTW and the time needed to clear security, you would need to head back to DTW early as it is a 2 1/2 hr drive. I’ll be there in any event.
The Rouge factory tour is pretty neat. There are a couple audio-visual presentations, then you take an elevator to the mezzanine level to watch the assembly line. Taking the elevator up another level gets you to the observation level where you can see some of the plant complex and the “living roof” on the truck plant.
Whether the plant is running on a Saturday or Sunday depends on how many people are buying F-150s. It’s a pretty sure thing the plant will be running on a Friday.
If I was in your shoes, I would plan the Henry Ford Museum and the Factory tour on Friday, then Greenfield Village on Saturday. Everything closes at 5. Last shuttle bus leaves the museum for the plant at 3.
That would leave Sunday open for a early start to the Gilmore, if you wanted to try it.
It rains in Michigan in June, so plan for flexibility: do the museum and factory if rain is forecast and the village for a dry day.
Last thing: I assume you will be renting a car. Most people gas up their rental at the last gas station they see before getting to the airport to return the car. The owner of that BP at Middlebelt and Wick Road knows this and that station is always the most expensive in the area, currently charging $3.09, 50-60 cents/gallon more than everyone else.
Food: there is an old style diner in the car display in the Ford Museum and another restaurant. There are about three different eats places in Greenfield Village. I would avoid trying to eat lunch in Dearborn at noon on Friday. The Henry Ford is in the middle of the Ford Motor powertrain engineering campus so all the eats places on Michigan Ave are probably jammed. As another mentioned, there is a Buddy’s Pizza on Michigan Ave maybe 3 miles from the museum. Think about that for supper on Friday or Saturday.
Thanks. If we want to do Gilmore, it would probably have to be Friday. That leaves Saturday and Sunday for the HF and Greenfield. Which one is closer to the airport? And which one would be better to cut off early for the airport?
If mean the HF and Greenfield, they’re right next to the airport and both are off the freeway there. Logistically, it’s easier to break off from the HF; psychically, I’m not so sure…
Good to know. So that definitely makes one of them best for Sunday. I might be able to stick around until closer to 3 then.
As Robert said, the Museum and Greenfield Village are next to each-other, in Dearborn. Detroit Metro is about 12 miles west of Dearborn, right next to I-94. Exiting the HF for the airport would be pretty easy: left on Village Rd to the Southfield Freeway to I-94 or left onto Oakwood Blvd to I-94.
As to which attraction at the Henry Ford you would want to cut short, depends on your interest. The Museum offers maybe 30-40 cars, three short car oriented films to watch, trains, steam engines, an exhibit on Model T production at Highland Park, airplanes, farm equipment and Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion house.
The Village offers a reconstruction of Edison’s Menlo Park complex, train rides, Model T rides, (rides are extra cost), a railroad roundhouse and turntable, a reduced scale replica of an early power generating station, a machine shop, glass works, tin smith, printing shop, weaver, pottery shop, the Wright brothers bicycle shop and home and a variety of other houses and commercial buildings connected with well known people or as examples of living in different eras.
Having come this far, it would be a shame to miss the Gilmore. How big is the Gilmore? There is probably more to look at than the ACD and NATMUS combined.
I shot this video on the Village’s season opening weekend last year.
I mooched a ride in a 1919 Pierce Arrow last year at the Gilmore. This video shows a bit of the Gilmore campus.
Would love to go…
But, with the 280zx, Silvia, Monte Carlo SS, Mk II Jetta, Prelude, E70 Corolla, and Alfa all down for the count(Gotta love car troubles) …
There’s no way, like Nate, I could afford a ticket. đ
Heh, I think I’m even in town those days. Out before, out after, but here for those days it looks like.
The Aloft at David Whitney is an excellent downtown hotel.
The food and atmosphere at Angelina’s, next door, is pretty great. The arugula and goat cheese salad is very good. So is the margherita pizza.
The Detroit Institute of Arts is a must!
I stayed at the Aloft in Baltimore and texted my wife “This is a very hip hotel, I am not hip enough to stay here”.
A place with secure parking for visiting Curbside Classics would be good though. We’ll see what Paul comes up with.
Most Aloft hotels tend to have a modern and rather austere vibe, but the David Whitney location is is a little more historic in flavor.
We stayed in one in Chicago last year and thought the exact same thing!
Planning to join y’all, and if the thing will ever get here (been delayed over a month), I’ll be in something “interesting” as well.
Hee hee.
Looking forward to Detroiting!
If only…..
Not sure if you can get into the restored Fisher Building lobby or not yet.
(Evergreene’s owner (doing restoration in link below) is a car-collector and fellow Studebaker Club member)
http://www.detroitnews.com/picture-gallery/entertainment/arts/2017/02/21/restoring-the-fisher-building-ceiling-murals/98221636/
The Piquette Ave Model T factory is great if you are interested in the early Ford years, they also have some of the competition on display. It is in close proximity for a drive past the GM plants mentioned above plus the old triple-tower HQ, the Packard factory and also the Motown museum is great if you like music.
Another thing a couple of miles from the HF/Greenfield is Henry Ford’s mansion Fairlane.
Unfortunately, Fairlane is currently closed for restoration.
http://www.henryfordestate.org/
Cool. I am having some scheduled and preventative maintenance done on the Ninety Eight this coming week. As long as I feel comfortable trying to do so, I will aim to make it out to Detroit.
Edsel and Eleanor Ford house, and a drive thorough Grosse Pointe on Lake Shore Drive on your way to downtown Detroit is a must.
There are many, many restaurants in Detroit – Green Dot Stables is a favorite of mine, and is a good spot for a crowd like us.. I live in Grosse Pointe and can help with lots of stuff. Detroit is such a wonderful place!
Jim
I was really impressed with the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House when I saw it in 2008. Large, but surprisingly intimate. The rooms updated by Walter Dorwin Teague in the late 30s were a pleasant surprise, too. The real hit for me was Eleanor’s 1952 Lincoln Town Car, which she used up until her death in 1976.