{field trip} NAIAS 2013

We're lucky to have many wonderful field trip type opportunities in our area. Detroit, struggling ghost town that it is, still draws crowds to many events each year, not to mention a wide variety of stage shows. The North American International Auto Show is just one such event, spanning two weeks in the second half of January, and every year we try to make the trek to join the crowds.

In years past the show included non sequiters like circus performers and vocal acts, but since the economic fall-out car companies limited themselves to hot chicks in spikey shoes. This year, for some reason, even those were short supply, and most of the cars on display were the same standards you would find on show-room floors. Without the usual strange prototypes and cars of the future we decided that this year was somewhat lacking. But there are always things to enjoy, like studying well-labeled engines of all kinds, or watching engines at work, or seeing the skeleton of a car on its side. We also made a music video, tried getting the feel of being a tire, designed our buttons and had them made, and ate candied almonds.

Some favorite moments from the show? We spotted some of our favorite period actors from Greenfield Village giving tours in the Ford display, which made at least Jon and myself strangely happy. For Calvin the highlight was probably riding the monorail to The Detroit Beer Company for lunch, and I'd venture to say that, with the show's slim pickings, my dad's favorite moment was the delicious beer and pizza he had for lunch.