Going Places!

It has been an interesting flurry of events since I last checked in for a flight and a journal entry. Two weeks ago kicked off with a friend's birthday celebration on Friday and hanging out with my cousins from Westerville, DE, and KY over the weekend. It was certainly great to catch up. A super busy, and eventful work week followed. More to come on that when I know what's what. This past weekend we went to Detroit for the North American Auto Show. The heavy snow on Friday delayed our arrival by car but we did make it in time to see our great friend perform improv at GoComedy in Ferndale. This is a must see show. We then discovered Valentine Spirits, drug our scooter friends to super gay Soho, and then went to an after hours party with some new friends from the bar. Needless to say, we weren't the first ones to arrive at Cobo center on Saturday morning. 

The show was fantastic despite the fact that several manufacturers recycled last years displays. I'm looking at you Lincoln and Nissan. Some others did too, but I would expect the bigger players to make everything shiny and new. While Nissan did show some nice stuff, the only innovative design in the Lincoln display was their Shinola boutique. I need the orange bike! Overall, two very different cars turned my head. The Porsche 911 Targa actually spun it around. While the automatic roof isn't quite as impressive in person, the return to that classic Targa style with the metal bar is magnificent. There aren't really any ugly 911s but this one stands out. It makes me want to trade in the 996 C4 tomorrow! Too bad it's out of my price range this year? The best part of this display was some white trash dude walking by, commenting to his family that Porsche has lost its style because they've been, "making the same damn car for 40 years." Oh how sad and sheltered his life must be. 

The second car is dubbed an urban utility vehicle and caught me 100% off guard. When Mini super sized their classic tiny Cooper, I was angry because they were trying to duplicate the mini experience in an American size. I thought they should stick with what they knew. When Porsche, despite my love for them, started making big sedans and SUVs, I turned my head in disgust. Fiat took a different approach. They wanted a bigger car but didn't try to replicate the style or appearance of the very successful 500, a car which now outsells the Mini Cooper. Instead they used a proven, shared, European urban platform. It is essentially a tall hatch called the 500L. It probably should have been given a unique name of its own, but I'm utterly in love with the quirky style, versatility, and size. It offers more rear leg room and head room than a full size Cadillac! While the comfort and power aren't anything to write home about, this may be our next camping, scooter rallying, buzz around the city car. I can't believe it barely caught my attention before Detroit. The fancy blinged out orange version with the retro wheels actually caught my eye first. If the drive and ride are acceptable, I might actually replace our beloved Ertha. She is a little long in the tooth at 3-1/2 years old. 

I finished the weekend with a wake in Cleveland for a dear friend's brother and then visited my family for MLK day. The parents are prepping for their first big vacation, ever, so I had to educate them on packing, flying, etc. Our lives are so very different. I might have also found time to make an offer on a vacation home yesterday. The intent is for my daughter to live there until she finishes school. It's 100% right for us but unfortunately 160% priced relative to unremodeled mid-century comps in the area. We'll see what they think of our generously realistic offer and we'll continue the hunt if they don't bite. My only concern is that it's way cooler than my primary residence. Too bad it's not close enough to live in on a regular basis. There's more big potential news on the horizon, but it will have to wait. While this is my personal journal, without any readers, some things must be kept under wraps! Now off to Dallas for a 4 day work week!