I have a few notes about timing and logistics on Saturday the 20th...
There will be a lot of us this year and it is difficult and impractical to travel as one large group. Make notes of the various meeting times and locations, as plan to meet up with the group at the next event if you get separated. Be sure to bring a cell phone charger and/or a GPS if you aren’t familiar with the area.
For those of you who are new to the GTG or who haven’t attended in a while, the COBO Center gets absolutely packed by about noon on the first day of the show. Much later than that and it starts to get difficult to navigate the crowds and see the cars. Be sure to prioritize the vehicles and manufacturers that you’re most interested in seeing and visit them early in the day. We’ll plan on congregating at the Joe Louis statue in the COBO lobby at 12:30 and hit the road for Buddy’s at 12:45.
Because the last tour of the Ford factor starts at 3:00 PM, we need to make sure that we’re there and ready to go by 2:45. Lunch is at Buddy’s Pizza a few blocks away, so getting from one place to the other should be pretty easy. Our reservation for Buddy’s is at 1:15 PM, which should allow for enough time to eat and get to the Ford complex by 2:45. Nonetheless, restaurants can be slow, so please review the menu and decide what you want to eat soon after arrival.
There are no specific plans for the evening after our visit to Ford. Our natural tendency is to congregate in the hotel’s common areas (or the private hospitality suite if we’re granted access) for games, drinks and socializing. All are welcome, even those of you who aren’t staying at the hotel.
Questions? Please ask!
PS: I’ve updated a lot of information in the first post.