Dream Cruise

**iheartthed** · August-18-11, 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPole

Can't forget the Motor City. Oops, wait, I guess you can.

Nice one, lol.

**BagAJellyDonuts** · August-18-11, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Excuse my ignorance... But do people really come from "all over the world" to attend the Dream Cruise? From all over Michigan, yeah, from all over the Midwest, maybe... from all over Ontario, probably. But I have been a few places in the world, yet never had someone say to me that they go to Michigan to attend the Dream Cruise. Maybe it's a generational thing...

This year I have met and talked with people from the "former" USSR and Puerto Rico. Yep, this "event" is comparable to Mardi Gras. And like it or not, it isn't "organized". Big deal.

With everything else in the area that doesn't work, or doesn't entice people to visit, what are a FEW of you complaining about?

Not worth arguing about this anymore.

IMO the closed minds aren't the people out "there". You want to invent a reason for why you are miserable don't bother trying to drag others into it.

Go yell at the clouds, maybe they will listen to you.

**rjk** · August-18-11, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Excuse my ignorance... But do people really come from "all over the world" to attend the Dream Cruise? From all over Michigan, yeah, from all over the Midwest, maybe... from all over Ontario, probably. But I have been a few places in the world, yet never had someone say to me that they go to Michigan to attend the Dream Cruise. Maybe it's a generational thing...

There's no maybe about it, they absolutly come from the midwest and other parts of the country.

I've run marathons in places like Chicago and people come from all over the world to run 26 miles.
Car people are an even more fanatical group and the Dream Cruise is their Super Bowl.

**iheartthed** · August-18-11, 10:48 AM

Originally Posted by rjk

There's no maybe about it, they absolutly come from the midwest and other parts of the country.

I've run marathons in places like Chicago and people come from all over the world to run 26 miles.
Car people are an even more fanatical group and the Dream Cruise is their Super Bowl.

Marathons, yes. But that's an entirely different animal [[and since you've run a marathon, I don't need to explain they "why"). The Detroit Free Press marathon is very external, probably attracting most of the participants from outside of the Detroit area. The Dream Cruise, on the other hand, seems very internal. I don't feel like it has much notoriety outside of Metro Detroit... Unlike, for instance, the Detroit Auto Show, which always attracts national and international media attention. The only time I ever hear about it is either through Detroit based media, or through this forum. Granted, classic cars aren't my hobby. But even people who aren't runners hear bits about the biggest marathons here and there...

**Gannon** · August-18-11, 10:49 AM

Big cheers on that one.

On the many marathons I've jogged, I've met people who have turned their passion into tourism, too. Each year, they seek out and try various places with decent reputations. I've done this myself, when I could afford it. But I do boycott the Detroit now, because of Homeland Security.

I'll never forget at my first Grandma's up in Duluth, we were stuck under the awning of the car dealership at the start...due a rain delay...and one older couple's reply to my innocent question, "How many have you run?", torqued my psyche when they said they had forgotten how many they'd done.

Laughingly, I am now at that point...

But yeah, this thing is huge...classic car owners are a passionate breed. The ones I know would love to have a way to put their foot into it for an appreciative crowd...but going to a drag strip is a bit of a drag.

ferntruth · August-18-11, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Marathons, yes. But that's an entirely different animal [[and since you've run a marathon, I don't need to explain they "why"). The Detroit Free Press marathon is very external, probably attracting most of the participants from outside of the Detroit area. The Dream Cruise, on the other hand, seems very internal. I don't feel like it has much notoriety outside of Metro Detroit... Unlike, for instance, the Detroit Auto Show, which always attracts national and international media attention. The only time I ever hear about it is either through Detroit based media, or through this forum. Granted, classic cars aren't my hobby. But even people who aren't runners hear bits about the biggest marathons here and there...

I spent some time last year at the cruise, speaking with someone from Australia and from UK. They both had their vehicles shipped here for the cruise event and this was not the first year for either of them.
So Im not sure your belief about the Dream Cruise being more "internal" holds much water.

**rjk** · August-18-11, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Marathons, yes. But that's an entirely different animal [[and since you've run a marathon, I don't need to explain they "why"). The Detroit Free Press marathon is very external, probably attracting most of the participants from outside of the Detroit area. The Dream Cruise, on the other hand, seems very internal. I don't feel like it has much notoriety outside of Metro Detroit... Unlike, for instance, the Detroit Auto Show, which always attracts national and international media attention. The only time I ever hear about it is either through Detroit based media, or through this forum. Granted, classic cars aren't my hobby. But even people who aren't runners hear bits about the biggest marathons here and there...

I don't think you have a good read on car people. I'm not one myself, but I know many of them and they wouldn't hesitate to travel a long distance to attend an event like this.

I just did a random search on a muscle car forum and a thread about the DC had people from as far away as the Netherlands and Germany making reservations to attend this event. Also people from Houston & San Antonio Texas, California, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico to name a few, plus a lot of people from the midwest. These people on this forum were making reservations last fall. One of the people from Texas mentioned that this will be the 5th year in a row that he's attended the DC.

**adamjab19** · August-18-11, 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by Gannon

Cruising without the drag racing is only an impotent old man without his viagra.

I just don't see the point. Most of the cherished classics were only MADE to make the competition look slower.

I know it is a celebration of cheap oil...and largely another time...but it is a party remembering when Detroit ruled the world of automobiles. Sure, it has grown enough to make reasonable people groan...for that, I blame the organizers. This should never have been about profits alone.

The parking problem could be cured by making the ONLY sanctioned parking at either end of the route...Pontiac and the Fair Grounds. Anything else would only be permitted for those who live and work and shop in the regular businesses. Literally, permitted with a paper sticker.

The cities could make their cash off the scofflaws...and much of the problem could be made gone.

People could bus or bike to where-ever they wanted...and venues along the route could have their own shuttles...greatly reducing the clutter of non-participant vehicles on the main strip.

<sigh>

But of course, this is too logical and will never be attempted.

No way would this work. Hell people could do this already but instead chose to sit in traffic for hours on end. No one wants to bus up and down woodward, they want to drive up and down woodward.

The dream cruise problems are unsolvable. As I say above it's a car event so there are going to be cars there and people taking their cars to get there. Could it be contained a little more? It would be nice, but probably not because again people drive their cars around to get to different areas of festivities and it's a cruise after all. There's also no way that their could be less police presence. Last night people were revving their engines until midnight. At least on friday and saturday night the cops start shuttling traffic off woodward at 10pm. In a prefect world people would leave at a respectable time but they don't and they won't.

To follow what Gannon typed though. The only permit situation that I could see possibly working would be to drive in the cruise on the Saturday. That way you are not seeing a bunch of RV's and ......s in 2010 mustangs. They wouldn't even have to charge for the permits just an application with what kind of car you have. That way people with the nice cars could cruise nicely up and down the road and the rest could park and walk to the festivities. There are plenty of other roads to travel around and plenty of places to park. this way it puts the problem of getting a permit on the visitors not the residents of the area. But of course this is a whole different level of involvement by someone to deal with permited and non-permited vehicles. It's too bad people don't realize this for themselves though. How much nicer the cruise would be if it was only classic cars cruising.

I have lived a block off woodward for four years now and have attended the cruise for approximately 1 hour through all of the years. It doesn't interest me and in general is a pain in the ass for the days and weeks leading up to cruise day. And yes I knew this before I moved in. It's just one of those things that happens, that I have no control over and that I still bitch about every year.

**Danny** · August-20-11, 08:48 AM

The Woodward Dream Cruise is in full gear. From Ferndale to Pontiac. Lots of hot classic cars from 100 years of the automobile. Over 1.5 million people will attend this one day event. Started in 1995 as a small funderaiser for a new soccer field in Ferndale, the Dream Cruise lured thousands of car lovers around the world. Woodward Ave in the north central Oakland County became the classic car mecca of the world.

Who's going to the Dream Cruise? And what car are you bringing.

**gazhekwe** · August-20-11, 04:27 PM

Took the SL on its annual swing from Nine Mile through Pontiac and back to Old Woodward, where we parked and took Shank's Mare to wander up and down Old Woodward where there was a wonderful collection of Studebakers, my fave cars ever. Saw TWO Batmobiles and Elvis. A crazy 62 Rambler Classic in primer brown with a supercharger poked up through the hood was my favorite car of the cruise. There was a solar flying saucer car, too, from WMU.

**Supersport** · August-20-11, 09:20 PM

Just finished uploading my pictures from today's cruise. Thankfully, nobody was hurt that I saw from the violent storm that passed through, nor did I see any cars with damage. Enjoy.

Motor City Muscle

**gazhekwe** · August-20-11, 09:33 PM

Nice. I think we were near where you caught that monster rod with the Caterpillar engine. That was the strangest thing I saw in this year's cruise.

**lalynch** · August-20-11, 11:05 PM

Saw Mike from American Pickers along Woodward today, south of Adams! He stopped to buy a hot dog from a hot dog vendor. I took a photo of my husband with him. He said they were in town to shoot something for Chevrolet.

**downtown_racine** · August-20-11, 11:07 PM

Cool pictures.

**everglade carl** · August-21-11, 04:04 AM

Sorry to be the wet blanket but I dread this weekend every year.

**adamjab19** · August-21-11, 08:13 AM

I walked around for a few minutes yesterday and...there was cruising but more like 1998 ford explorer cruising, idiot girls in a cavalier cruising. My favorite was the rusted out chevy lumina van pulling a row boat from the 70's! [[Maybe that display was party of Chevy 100 years theme.) Sure there was some nice cars and admittedly I am not in the epicenter, but still it would be nice just to have a nice stream of classic cars, in the appropriate lanes cruising. When will people just let the cruisers cruise? that's what annoys me about the whole thing.

Anyways, the rain seemed to kill it off in my area. If it wasn't for the helicopters flying around I wouldn't have even known it was still going on.

If you didn't get a chance Vinsetta Garage was set up like a lounge. Floors were really clean, nice plush chairs and a DJ. I'm looking forward to it becoming a restaurant! It will be very cool inside with the brick walls and concrete floor.

**Supersport** · August-21-11, 10:54 AM

I have to disagree. I thought there were more classics cruising this year than I've seen in many years. Perhaps it was just the area you were in, as the Woodward/Coolidge area was probably 3/4 classics...including "modern classics," which will be the hit of the party in another 25-30 years.

**Magnatomicflux** · August-21-11, 11:48 AM

Great pics, Supersport!

Why, oh why....didn't chevy put that '69 front clip on the modern Camaro?!?!?! At least the SS package should have received this treatment!
I've only been to Dream Cruise once. Thankfully I was riding shotgun in a GNX

**Cincinnati_Kid** · August-21-11, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by rb336

I enjoyed the cruise years ago. It has since become a pain in the behind for a week. If people would stay home and stop screwing up the commute weekdays, if people would stop driving cars that are by no means "classic" I would enjoy it again.

p.s. - no car from after '72 is a "classic" and that includes the smokey and the bandit trans ams and the corvettes. "old" and "classic" are not synonyms

I respectfully disagree. The Black and Gold Trans Am's of the late 70's are reaching collectable status. I watched the Mecum Muscle car Auctions on cable TV the other night, and a 78 model with 19,000 original miles sold for $23,000 dollars. These as well as late 70's Camaro Z28's are increasing in value.

**Magnatomicflux** · August-21-11, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by Cincinnati_Kid

I respectfully disagree. The Black and Gold Trans Am's of the late 70's are reaching collectable status. I watched the Mecum Muscle car Auctions on cable TV the other night, and a 78 model with 19,000 original miles sold for $23,000 dollars. These as well as late 70's Camaro Z28's are increasing in value.

I was driving next to a black and gold '78 T/A on my way to work this morning. It was gorgious! Can't say so much for the guys mullet though.

Good god was it ever flappin' around with the T-Tops off!

**Don K** · August-21-11, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by Gannon

rb,

It sounds like you want to disclude those designs which proved the myopia of the then Big 4...unto the utter destruction of this town. I call foul. Those vehicles are JUST as important as the so-called classics. Master of Ceremonies should ride in a lemon yellow AMC Pacer, and the Queen and her Court get to ride in the last Eldorado convertible...while the Shriners drive circles around them in battered, rusted Toyotas and Hondas.

Maybe that is how we tie the city into this...we get our locals to ride their hoopties south of 8 mile. I've seen some beauties around town.

I propose an anti-Cruise for all of those 70's POS's that did their part to destroy the American auto industry:

Mustang II, Granada/Monarch/Versailles, Chevette/Astre, Pinto, Vega, Volare/Aspen, Gremlin, Pacer, any alleged muscle car with less than 200 hp [[I'm looking at you, 301 cu in Trans Am and 1979-'84 Fox Mustang), will all have their day in the sun. All of the cars that were slow, got crappy mileage, and generally never ran right from the moment they left the showroom floor. The cars that convinced an entire generation of car buyers that nothing good comes out of Detroit.

**tvaspen** · August-21-11, 09:10 PM

I live near the epicenter [[13 & Woodward), also own a store on 12 Mile in Berkley. The Berkley Cruisefest party is right in front of our store, it's one of our busiest days of the year and I welcome it. I don't spend much time at the Dream Cruise anymore, but it is still a good event. The only big problem is the idiot RO police department not letting anyone east of Woodward cross after 9:00 pm. We were in Troy for dinner and it took us an hour and a hlf to get home, we had to take Main St in RO to 696, to Greenfield to get back to Berkley. The traffic was ridiculous, I don't see the point of not letting people cross Woodward, it just effs up the traffic everywhere else. But I guess the RO cops need to show their muscle.

**gazhekwe** · August-21-11, 09:56 PM

I LIKED my Gremlin.

**Zacha341** · August-21-11, 10:32 PM

Classic DCruise Caddy stolen in Wixom but later found.... We do get visitors for the cruise from out of town. Owner of the Cadillac was from PA. Glad he got his car back!!

Stolen:
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news...#disqus_thread

Car found:
http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/...has-been-found

**canuck** · August-21-11, 10:42 PM

Originally Posted by Don K

I propose an anti-Cruise for all of those 70's POS's that did their part to destroy the American auto industry:

Mustang II, Granada/Monarch/Versailles, Chevette/Astre, Pinto, Vega, Volare/Aspen, Gremlin, Pacer, any alleged muscle car with less than 200 hp [[I'm looking at you, 301 cu in Trans Am and 1979-'84 Fox Mustang), will all have their day in the sun. All of the cars that were slow, got crappy mileage, and generally never ran right from the moment they left the showroom floor. The cars that convinced an entire generation of car buyers that nothing good comes out of Detroit.

My dad had a Pontiac Astre, it wasnt twinned with the Chevette but with the Vega. The Chevette was twinned with the Vega. In Quebec, kids used to make fun of the Vega by calling it Dégat which means Mess in french, and the Astre was the Désastre, which I am sure you know the meaning of. I first learned to drive in style in a Plymouth Volare. My dad bought a Javelin in 1971, and design wise it was pretty neat, but what a lemon that was. There were a lot of muscle cars back in the seventies just burning rubber even in the smaller streets here.
Lots of woodywoodpeckers and STP, Holley and Pennzoil stickers...lol

I feel the same about disruptive events in Montreal when I get stuck in traffic but I think this event should become more publicized among car collectors worldwide and grow. It's a vital cultural link to Detroit's industrial design history.