Chicago Auto Show

Being President's Day, my husband and I had off and so we decided to take advantage of the weekday to drive down to Chicago and check out the Chicago Auto Show.  Unfortunately, crowds were not as light as we had hoped and with the number of children present, schools must have had the day off.

Before I get into the Auto Show though, we saw a great sign in Wisconsin that made us chuckle as we were headed south that said, "Your car is not a bobsled.  Watch your speed."

Now, on to the Chicago Auto Show.  We parked in Parking Lot C at the McCormick Place which was a great location.  (We had originally thought to park in Parking Lot B as it is a bit cheaper but due to the rain today, wanted to be in a covered location.)  We arrived about 30 minutes early (not knowing how bad traffic was and so were one of the first ones in the show when it opened.  

The North Floor before opening time:

Our first stop was Hyundai where they had on display the 2019 Veloster N, set to be released in the third quarter of this year.

The also had the 2019 Veloster Turbo which was redesigned this year.  We were disappointed that they had eliminated some of the glass in the back and the sunroof wasn't nearly as big.  They moved the navigation screen up higher.  Other than that there didn't seem to be a lot of changes.

While at the Hyundai display, my husband took part in the Racing Challenge.  He ended up with the top lap time for the morning and was invited back to the tournament at 1:45 p.m. where he took 2nd place overall to someone who has the same chair at home and is familiar with Watkins Glen (a track my husband doesn't have much experience with and he almost caught him on the last lap).

Kia, Jeep and Toyota all had indoor tracks where you could ride along with a professional driver.  The lines were longer than we wanted to wait and so we didn't participate but it looked like fun.  Here are a few photos of Kia's track.

The Jeep track was even more impressive.

The Volkswagen that seemed to stand out to us was the 2018 Golf Alltrack.  The model on display was this beautiful green color with brown seats.  And the best part is that this vehicle still comes in manual (not that I'm ready to trade in my Veloster yet).

Here is the 2018 Beetle Dune:

Here is the Golf R:

Here is the 2019 Volkswagen Arteon:

Here is the row of Subarus:

The 2018 Subaru BRZ made its debut at this auto show and was a pretty neat sporty car.

The Kia Stinger is a sharp looking car but a little difficult to see out the front with such a narrow windshield.

The Slingshot is a really unique three wheeled vehicle, but way too low to the ground for me.

Infinity had a neat looking concept car they called the Q Inspiration.

After 5 hours at the show (including the half hour before it opened), we decided it was time to find our car and find some late lunch on the way home.  

Detroit Trip - Saturday, January 16, 2016

Looking for a long weekend road trip at a SPG (i.e. Sheraton) Hotel for low points (my husband accumulated a lot of points during training for his job), I stumbled across the Four Points by Sheraton near the Detroit Metro Airport.  2,000 to 3,000 points a night is lower than anything I could find!  To add to that, my husband has dreamed of going to the North American International Auto Show probably since he was a little boy.  So here we are.

This morning we left at around 6:00 a.m. for a 6 hour car ride to Detroit.  We stopped for lunch at Joe's Crab Shack in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  The food and the service was really good but the best part was when we received the bill.  This is one of many locations where Joe's Crab Shack is eliminating tipping.  They are paying their workers a decent hourly wage.  Credit card slips don't even have a line for tipping.

After checking into our hotel, we went to Michigan by the Bottle Tasting Room at their Royal Oak location.  This is like visiting 8 local wineries all at once.  They have wines from eight Michigan wineries.  As I speak, I am enjoying the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon from Sandhill Crane Vineyards.  I also picked up the 2013 Lemberger from Domaine Berrien Cellars and the 2013 Chardonnay from Peninsula Cellars.  They offer a full flight tasting of 2 ounces of 5 different wines with cheese and chocolate or a mini flight tasting of 2 ounces of 3 different wines (with no feed).  They also have other local products (sodas, toffee, chocolates, cheese, etc.).

We returned to the hotel and enjoyed a quiet evening in.  The hotel is really nice.  It is in the middle of a remodel and so the pool and hot tub are currently closed as well as the full restaurant.  Although our room isn't fancy, it clearly has been remodeled and is quite comfortable with a lounge chair, desk, fridge, and microwave.

Detroit Trip - Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Today was the day.  We set the alarm, getting up early, and headed for downtown Detroit well before the North American International Auto Show began, taking into consideration rush hour traffic.  We had about ten minutes to spare and waited in line for the doors to open.  When the doors opened, we made a beeline for the other side of the show where the German cars were (stopping at a few highlights on the way, of course), and really enjoyed the part where the crowds are really light.

I'll let my husband share his thoughts before I end with my people-watching photos.

The cars I was most impressed by included the S class Mercedes, BMW M2 and BMW X6M.   Maybe another trip to South Carolina to pick up a new M2 may be in order!  Either that or a lighter used S class or X6M with a certified warranty for a few years for almost half price of new (new prices are way out of reach at over $100k.   The cars I was most disappointed in were the new Honda Civic (very cheap materials) and new Chevy Cruze (I honestly think my 2003 Cavalier was nicer inside, ouch!).  I learned to appreciate the Boxster again as many new cars are very cheap inside!

Cobo Hall

Here are a few photos of the crowds, or lack thereof, and general pictures that first hour.

Acura Precision

 Acura NSX

 Volvo S90

 Porsche Boxster Spyder

 Porsche 911s

VW Beetle Convertible Denim Model 

VW Beetle Dune Model 

 BMW M2

 BMW X6M

Audi  h-tron quattro 

(The side mirrors have been replaced by small cameras and the rearview mirror has been replaced with a small screen reflecting to the side and back of the car, supposedly eliminating blind spots.

 This Kia may look like a toy in the picture but I assure you that it is life size.

 Dodge Charger Hellcat (with car seats in the back!)

Half the fun of the show was the people watching.  Here are a few photos for your entertainment.

I've never seen someone so excited about a Smart Car.

People take pictures of everything! 

I'm not sure what he was doing so intently.  It looks like he must be important.

 He's clearly not a happy camper.

She is not only missing the cars, but all the interesting people that walk by or take pictures of her.

Bored so early in the day?

Taking selfies - She was many walking around offering to have people take selfies.

His presence speaks volumes in this photo.

So many photographers!

Some a bit younger than others.

Is this the "Red Hat Club" of men?

Most probably walked right past her, not even seeing her.  Who do you expect keeps the cars shining beautiful under the lights?

 Peaking in to look at the dash, not realizing the door is unlocked.

Three generations of car lovers.

Radio Station WJR live at the Show

The Crowds as we left two hours later

After several hours at the show, we walked over to the Renaissance Center, stopping at the Rice Bowl Asian Kitchen at the Millender Center on the way.  The food was really good, fast and fresh.

We took a tour of the Renaissance Center which included a trip up to the 72nd floor of the Center which houses Coach Insignia, a fine dining restaurant with views to die for.  It brought back memories of sharing a meal there over 6 years ago while my husband had training in Detroit.

Here are photos of the Renaissance Center

 Looking up

The Show Room at the Renaissance Center

Views from the 72nd Floor

 Don't look down

 Chrysler Factory where they build the Jeep

Windsor, Canada on the left bank, Detroit on the right

 Comerica Park where the Tigers play

Cobo Hall

Ford Field where the Lions play

A Range Rover and a Ford Explorer - The one on the left cost twice as much as the one on the right but they look the same.

Food for Thought

We walked along the Riverwalk and back to our car so that we could head back to the hotel and enjoy some quiet time.

Dinner was at Beirut Restaurant just a half mile walk from our hotel.