Trip report

**Ray1936** · April-07-09, 09:07 PM

Sorry to say that due to the shortness of this trip to Detroit I was unable to make any connections with the DY crowd. Friends and family had me running from the time I hit Metro Airport on March 31 until we left on April 6. But here's a quick review of the trip.

The main purpose of the trip was due to the fact that we came into some unexpected money, and wanted to share it with our sons. One lives here in Henderson, the other is in Livonia. So off we went to surprise him and drop a nice check in his hands [[hell, when we croak, he's gonna get it anyway.)

Landed at the new terminal at Metro. It is very nice, one heck of an improvement over the old dungeon. Signage is rather poor, as we had a tough time finding the right level where the car rental shuttles were at, but we finally figured that out. Got our rental, a nice Ford Fusion, and off to Page's bar in Farmington, where Marty had been duped to appear by friends. Surprised the dickens out of him when we walked in, and really knocked him for a loop with the check. I also picked up the tab for the party of ten, as we all had a whooping good time.

We stayed with friends in New Hudson, visited friends in Farmington, New Hudson, and Marge's sister out in Washington in that county known as Macomb. On that drive, the usual Michigan highway construction screwed me up as the 26 Mile exit/overpass on the Van Dyke Freeway was closed. That got me lost for a good 15 minutes, but we recovered. And who was the yahoo who named it the "Christopher Columbus Highway"? What did Columbus ever do except give a name to Ohio's capitol [[yuk)???

We took a trip downtown. Drove around what is left of Tiger Stadium, and then into the MGM Grand casino. Boy, that place does NOT look like any Las Vegas casino I've ever seen. It looks like a bloomin' fortress. I'm certain that the architect was the same guy that designed the Maginot Line. Anyway, the buffet was very good, and Marge broke us even just before we all left by hitting four aces with a kicker for five Franklins [[thank you, dear!!)

Friday saw us watching the MSU game with beer and pizza at Alberts on the Alley at Middlebelt and Ford Road [[Westland?). Great place, great crowd, great result.

Sunday I drove alone into Detroit to visit the old homesteads. "Touring" the Meyers/Fullerton/Grand River area, I could have cried. It looks like Berlin, 1945. No, Berlin looked better. I will say our old area in Rosedale Park still looks spiffy [[there's a 1920's word for you!). But it couldn't make up for the heartbreak of the middle city that I had just viewed.

Monday, upon waking up to eight inches of snow, I was glad to head for the airport and catch our Southwest flights home. Plane leaving DTW was two hours late going into Chicago Midway, but they held up our connecting flight there and we were only 40 minutes late getting into LAS.

Nice trip for this special occasion, but frankly I froze my ass off. From now on, I only go to Michigan in July, August, and September.

EARLY September.

LodgeDodger · April-07-09, 09:47 PM

You know, Ray, any time you find you want to hand someone a check, I'll come to Vegas!

**Bigb23** · April-07-09, 10:03 PM

So off we went to surprise him and drop a nice check in his hands [[hell, when we croak, he's gonna get it anyway.)

When I returned to my parents house after a hitch in the Navy, I showed up unannounced, and knocked at the door. My mom opened it and said, "just a minute" and slammed the door in my face ! I waited for about ten minutes. Turns out that she thought I was the paperboy for a collection. Not the best welcome home, but take what you can get.
Thanks for the story, Ray, and you owe us a round.

**Bobl** · April-08-09, 11:28 AM

Ray, we share your dismay with the condition of our neighborhoods. When I took a relative from Germany for a tour of the City several years ago, he made similar comments about the East Germany, post war, appearance of east side neighborhoods that we visited.

Hope you enjoyed the snow! I promised myself a long time ago to never visit Las Vegas in June, July, or August!