I grew up near there, learned how to drive on Woodward Ave (explains a lot). Glad I don’t live anywhere near there now. They weren’t doing that way back when I lived there (they barely had combustable engines), sounds like a pain. Being from there, you may enjoy one of my personal favorite Woodward moments - you know how busy the street is, obviously. One day I was driving up Woodward heading home, saw a cop had pulled some one over in the median to give 'em a ticket.
It was my best buddy. Naturally, I pulled around into the Arby’s parking lot, directly across from him, and got out of the car and waved.
I live a block from Telegraph. I was going to say screw it and get my 20 year old Mercury Tracer in the parking lot of Pep Boy’s, pop open my hood, crank some NPR, and have a big jug of lemonade with me and cout the number of people that stop over to see my sweet car on one finger.
Word. Given the season, may I also recommend an equally shitty time to live in Ann Arbor: move-in week.
/Wolverine madness
To the OP: I live roughly more or less around where you do (A2/Ypsi) and I think I’ve witnessed that 'cuz I’ve got a gramma in Ferndale. It’s probably equally as annoying as growing up a stone’s throw away from the Michigan International Speedway. They closed the churches in order to accommodate the influx of traffic pretty much every weekend during the summer. Bleh.
I guess it’s more or less the same whenever big events like that happen anywhere. Probably a very universal annoyance.
Ahhh… Royal Oak. I love that area. Worked in Birmingham for about 4 years, over the weekends too. Had to take Woodward to get there. Every year, same shit but worse. I had to remind myself every year that this city/area was founded on these damn cars, so give them their damn week. But still, cold comfort when you’re actually IN it. I live closer to Gratiot than Woodward now, and now there’s a fucking Gratiot Dream Cruise. Woodward, Telegraph, Gratiot… what’s next? Jefferson?! MetroParkway?! Six-Ninety-Fucking-Six?!
No more ‘car people’. No more.
But then, there’s my buddie’s DeLorean we were thinking of cruising up and down this weekend. Maybe we’ll see ya in your driveway Tikki! Call for a flatbed though.
Here’s to hating the culture of the town you live in! Living in New York, I am tired of Ticker Tape Parades, St. Patrick’s Day, Puerto Rican Day, Macy’s Thanksgiving, The Dance Parade! Fuck celebration of culture! Yeah!
I feel…well, felt…your pain. My husband and I used to live north of 9 Mile just a scant block from Woodward in Ferndale. Hated, hated, hated the Woodward Dream Cruise. It lasted for weeks, no matter what the official date is. We even posted about it, but I can’t find the post. No one replied to us, either.
I live in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I get the stupid car show bullshit eleven weekends a year during the summer, where “weekend” is defined as anywhere from Wednesday afternoon to Sunday night. We routinely have to put up with the Turnpike exit being backed up a good 5-10 miles (I shit you not; I clocked it once). Hotels and motels are booked months in advance; you have to check the car-show schedule before you plan a college graduation or wedding. We’ve also had issues with poor behavior, such as bikers riding up and down the halls of their lodging establishments. And let’s not even talk about blocking off downtown in a three-block radius so the 'Vettes can cruise, forcing the businesses along those streets to close.
The only thing I like about these shows is the money they bring to the area, since that’s taxes I don’t have to pay. The rest of it sucks.
Oh no, it was more embarrassment at writing a post so lame that no one even popped in to say “dude that sucks” than irritation at being ignored.
If only we could. My husband has jobs booked all weekend. He has to map a route around Woodward to get to them, of course.
wring, I know exactly what Arby’s you’re talking about. My friend had the limo pull over there in between her wedding ceremony and reception because she wanted curly fries. It was classy, all 18 of us eating fries and roast beef sandwiches in our bridesmaid’s dresses and tuxedos.
Well here it is just about 15 years later and when I put in something on Google to search for something like this yours is the second result. And what I think is now lake Mead is drying up. they say it’s due to drought. The longest river in the world I think the Nile is drying up and the longest river in Italy is drying up all due to climate change which they say is due to greenhouse gases. I live even closer perhaps to Woodward than you. I don’t mind it so much but I could do without it too. To me it’s just the same as like auto racing it just seems wasteful. How much worse will things have to get before people give up on this kind of unnecessary usage of gasoline? Or do people think we will switch over to all electric cars?
You have my sympathy. Don’t forget the various auto part supplier “sponsors” that take over parking lots along the route and invite guests - customers. I do like seeing a well-restored car - but it seems that nowadays anything with a motor and wheels gets added to the cruise.
On the other hand: Edward Hines Parkway (aka Hines Drive) is, well, a parkway that mostly follows alongside of a river and goes through several Detroit suburbs. During the summer it is usually SHUT DOWN TO VEHICLES on Saturdays and people go hiking, picnicing, horseback riding, and bicycle riding on it. It is a great thing to see the songbirds come out and sit by the roads. (Watching the people go by?)
One weekend I was bicycling along and was suddenly passed by a Curved Dash Oldsmobile. An antique (and I do mean antique) car club had received permission to cruise Hines that Saturday. A memorable day - wish I had my camera along.
Breckenridge CO only used to be bad during Christmas and spring break. It’s now wall to wall people year round. the population of the county quadruples during any holiday. It’s nuts.
IMHO, a lot of it has to do with COVID. A lot of people didn’t get their vacations and had to cancel. Again, and again. And, with so many second home owners up here, many are saying, “well, I’ll just work from my condo in the mountains” Losing a lot of local worker housing with that.
I’m a 30 year local. So, half my life. I shouldn’t complain. I work from home now, so mostly don’t contribute to traffic.
It’s crazy, we depend on it. But if I was interested in politics, I would run on a platform basically saying “Stay away”. Enough is enough.
