possible road trip #2 - Cedar Point

[noelbotevera]

Thinking about a Cedar Point road trip for a week of June 2016. The plan is basically a day to get there, three days (maybe squeeze in half a day) at the park, then 2 (or 1 and a half) in Cleveland. Originally, I planned to squeeze in a trip to Detroit. Is it possible?

In the park, not really sure what I should do first. I could catch Valravn.

[jeffandnicole]

Thinking about a Cedar Point road trip for a week of June 2016. The plan is basically a day to get there, three days (maybe squeeze in half a day) at the park, then 2 (or 1 and a half) in Cleveland. Originally, I planned to squeeze in a trip to Detroit. Is it possible?

In the park, not really sure what I should do first. I could catch Valravn.

It depends how much of a roller coaster junkie you are.  If it was me, one day would be good, although I probably wouldn't get on everything.  So, let's say 2 days at the most.  I think you could use that extra day (and a half) to squeeze in Detroit, depending what you want to do there.  For me, I wouldn't mind seeing a baseball game there, but outside of that I'm sorta lost on what else I could do there.

When in the Cleveland area, if you like A Christmas Story, check out the house where they filmed some of the movie.  It's a $10/person tour, and I almost didn't do it, but turned out I loved it and the entire story behind it.  What's also real nice is that they don't really have the original items used in the movie, so they allow you to pick up and take pictures with some of your favorite items from the movie while in the house!

Football fan?  You can check out the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH, rather than visiting Detroit.

[noelbotevera]

I find Detroit an interesting place to visit, as the city seems really abandoned. My dad likes cities that are dying (Atlantic City NJ for example), and myself.

Cleveland also has this large market that my dad wants to go to. Considering we're going during the summer season, we migth see a large variety of fruits and vegetables.

[Pete from Boston]

I find Detroit an interesting place to visit, as the city seems really abandoned. My dad likes cities that are dying (Atlantic City NJ for example), and myself.

It is heartwarming to hear that your dad likes you in addition to cities that are dying!

Cleveland also has this large market that my dad wants to go to. Considering we're going during the summer season, we migth see a large variety of fruits and vegetables.

June is very early for anything but leafy greens, asparagus, rhubarb, and leftover winter crops (roots, etc.).  And anything grown in a greenhouse.  But the market is supposed to be full of other interesting foodstuffs.  I'm looking forward to checking it out next time I go to Cleveland.

There is of course the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.  Never been, but people speak highly of it. 

Pittsburgh is conceivably on your way.  Lots to do there.  I look forward to catching a game at PNC Park next time I am out that way in summer.

[noelbotevera]

I find Detroit an interesting place to visit, as the city seems really abandoned. My dad likes cities that are dying (Atlantic City NJ for example), and myself.

It is heartwarming to hear that your dad likes you in addition to cities that are dying!

Cleveland also has this large market that my dad wants to go to. Considering we're going during the summer season, we migth see a large variety of fruits and vegetables.

June is very early for anything but leafy greens, asparagus, rhubarb, and leftover winter crops (roots, etc.).  And anything grown in a greenhouse.  But the market is supposed to be full of other interesting foodstuffs.  I'm looking forward to checking it out next time I go to Cleveland.

There is of course the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.  Never been, but people speak highly of it. 

Pittsburgh is conceivably on your way.  Lots to do there.  I look forward to catching a game at PNC Park next time I am out that way in summer.

Detroit...once magical, now dead.

With Cleveland, I could do those things. Also, maybe the waterfront is interesting.

Pittsburgh I'm not going through because of the steeper toll rates on the Turnpike. Don't have an E-ZPass so I'll just use I-80. I might go back that way on the return trip though.

[rawmustard]

Detroit...once magical, now dead.

Detroit is actually back on the rebound. Sure, things aren't at the level of the auto industry's peak, but to declare the Motor City "dead" is nothing short of great exaggeration. Greektown (the neighborhood, not just the casino) has many good dining options, Belle Isle is a nice park to look around, and even a drive along Outer Drive can be pleasant. A visit to Slow's is recommended if you like barbecue.

[Rothman]

Detroit...once magical, now dead.

Detroit is actually back on the rebound. Sure, things aren't at the level of the auto industry's peak, but to declare the Motor City "dead" is nothing short of great exaggeration. Greektown (the neighborhood, not just the casino) has many good dining options, Belle Isle is a nice park to look around, and even a drive along Outer Drive can be pleasant. A visit to Slow's is recommended if you like barbecue.

They've pumped some money into the downtown area, but the fact of the matter is that half the city (east Detroit) is indeed dead.  I enjoyed my recent visit there, but the "nice" area of Detroit did seem to be quite cramped within the sea of destitution.

[noelbotevera]

I have an idea for dining: make a quick stop at Delgrosso's Amusement Park for their famous pizza. This route I might take if we use the Turnpike. If anyone knows how far it is to a Turnpike exit, I might tell my dad about it.

Also, I get to get a glance at their waterpark expansion.

EDIT: 44 miles...hmm, that's not good, but I could head down there via I-80 -> (US 220 to transition) I-99...thank god it's near I-99.

[thenetwork]

Detroit is not a bad place to check out.  If you like 60s music, the Motown Museum is a must see, as is the Henry Ford Museum and the Detroit Zoo.

Cleveland has the Rock Hall, and Little Italy is a great place for dining.

Another option near Cedar Point is the Lake Erie Islands:  South Bass/Put-In-Bay and Kelley's Islands are the most popular.  Ferry service, along with bike or golf cart rentals on the islands are reasonable, and it's always a fun party atmosphere.

And SR-2 is your best friend vs. the Turnpike -- even on the 2-lane sections from Toledo.

[Max Rockatansky]

If you are going to Detroit keep in mind the city is incredibly dangerous outside of downtown.  Don't bother with the Packard Plant the new owners hired a security force to keep people away and for good reason since the building probably is at risk of falling in on itself in places..  A good alternate is to go see the Michigan Central Station since it's being repaired.  Downtown is really worth seeing especially if you can double down with a Tiger's game.  Belle Isle isn't a bad place to check out on a nice day since it has great views of downtown, the Ambassador Bridge.

But as many cool buildings and history the city has....the downside is big.  Incidentally since you mentioned your Dad likes dying cities, this ain't the one to play around in.  Take it from someone who was born in Detroit and lived a significant part of their life there, watch your back and stay near the car outside downtown.  You'll be okay in the downtown area but outside you basically are entering lawless territory.  Don't forget Detroit still has the highest violent crime rate in the nation, one of the highest rates of poverty and the police take an hour on average to respond.  We're talking a city that has gone from 1.8 million people to 700,000 since the 1950s for a reason, don't ever underestimate the place.  You ought to take a trip out west if you guys are into urban decay since Nevada, California and Arizona will provide you a much safer exploration experience via the copious amounts of mining and rail ghost towns.  Some heavy hitters that come to mind would be Virginia City, Goldfield, Rhyolite, anything on CA 49, Bodie, Calico, the Mojave section of US 66, Oatman, Jerome, Tombstone and Bisbee.

Detroit...once magical, now dead.

Detroit is actually back on the rebound. Sure, things aren't at the level of the auto industry's peak, but to declare the Motor City "dead" is nothing short of great exaggeration. Greektown (the neighborhood, not just the casino) has many good dining options, Belle Isle is a nice park to look around, and even a drive along Outer Drive can be pleasant. A visit to Slow's is recommended if you like barbecue.

People in Michigan have been saying this since I was born.  I understand, given that it's my birth place I would really love to see the city revive one day but the city has let everyone down so many times.  There is no city in this country that has more corruption, is more self delusional about the current state of affairs and more outright dangerous than Detroit.  A lot of things led to the downfall of the city but the one thing that's holding it back more than anything else is total denial that it needs to be fixed.  Thankfully the city went bankrupt which will put more eyes on how the city is run but given the whole fiasco with how the state of Michigan has handled recent crisis events like the Flint water supply it's probably better to remain skeptical.  I don't know....maybe it's a place one day that I'll be proud to take my kids to, I seem to remember New York had a similar crime problem until people stepped in to do something about.  I suppose anything is possible but don't kid yourself, the situation is about as grim as it can be Detroit and will be for a long time.

Incidentally it was good to hear Meijer's opened a store on 8 Mile and Woodward.  I believe that was the first major retailer in the entirety of the city since Target pulled out of the same neighborhood.  Even still, it's not like anyone is chomping at the bit to open anything on Grand River, Michigan or Jefferson. 

[noelbotevera]

Alright, so I think this trip has been rescheduled to next year.

But still, I can't wait.

I want to cover Mean Streak first and never ride it again, it's horrible. I'll also get season passes and fast lane so I can do more stuff.

[Rothman]

Alright, so I think this trip has been rescheduled to next year.

But still, I can't wait.

I want to cover Mean Streak first and never ride it again, it's horrible. I'll also get season passes and fast lane so I can do more stuff.

Why would you get a season pass if you're only going there once in a season?

[rawmustard]

Incidentally it was good to hear Meijer's opened a store on 8 Mile and Woodward.  I believe that was the first major retailer in the entirety of the city since Target pulled out of the same neighborhood.  Even still, it's not like anyone is chomping at the bit to open anything on Grand River, Michigan or Jefferson. 

Actually, Meijer opened a store on Grand River at McNichols. It should probably come as no surprise that the Detroit stores aren't open 24/7 as is normal throughout the rest of the chain.

[noelbotevera]

Alright, so I think this trip has been rescheduled to next year.

But still, I can't wait.

I want to cover Mean Streak first and never ride it again, it's horrible. I'll also get season passes and fast lane so I can do more stuff.

Why would you get a season pass if you're only going there once in a season?

Cheaper than the tickets. I can have unlimited visits and skip the lines without having to buy more tickets. Sparing the math, since this is two/three days, and with a family of five buying online, 225 * 3 = 675. 34 * 6 = 204. Cheaper to do the season pass route, saves money. Also, I don't have to do the double park ticket and can just show the passes when we enter Soak City.

[Rothman]

Alright, so I think this trip has been rescheduled to next year.

But still, I can't wait.

I want to cover Mean Streak first and never ride it again, it's horrible. I'll also get season passes and fast lane so I can do more stuff.

Why would you get a season pass if you're only going there once in a season?

Cheaper than the tickets. I can have unlimited visits and skip the lines without having to buy more tickets. Sparing the math, since this is two/three days, and with a family of five buying online, 225 * 3 = 675. 34 * 6 = 204. Cheaper to do the season pass route, saves money. Also, I don't have to do the double park ticket and can just show the passes when we enter Soak City.

Excellent.  Don't know if I mentioned this before, but Cedar Point runs a hotel down the road from the park where you can still get early entry in if you stay there.

[thenetwork]

Alright, so I think this trip has been rescheduled to next year.

But still, I can't wait.

I want to cover Mean Streak first and never ride it again, it's horrible. I'll also get season passes and fast lane so I can do more stuff.

Why would you get a season pass if you're only going there once in a season?

Cheaper than the tickets. I can have unlimited visits and skip the lines without having to buy more tickets. Sparing the math, since this is two/three days, and with a family of five buying online, 225 * 3 = 675. 34 * 6 = 204. Cheaper to do the season pass route, saves money. Also, I don't have to do the double park ticket and can just show the passes when we enter Soak City.

Excellent.  Don't know if I mentioned this before, but Cedar Point runs a hotel down the road from the park where you can still get early entry in if you stay there.

The Detroit-area Groupon site was offering CP one-day tickets for $44 a few weeks ago.  At-the-gate prices this season were quoted at $66. 

[Brandon]

Incidentally it was good to hear Meijer's opened a store on 8 Mile and Woodward.  I believe that was the first major retailer in the entirety of the city since Target pulled out of the same neighborhood.  Even still, it's not like anyone is chomping at the bit to open anything on Grand River, Michigan or Jefferson. 

Beg to differ with you.  Meijer has also opened a store at 6 Mile (McNichols) and Grand River.

[Max Rockatansky]

Incidentally it was good to hear Meijer's opened a store on 8 Mile and Woodward.  I believe that was the first major retailer in the entirety of the city since Target pulled out of the same neighborhood.  Even still, it's not like anyone is chomping at the bit to open anything on Grand River, Michigan or Jefferson. 

Beg to differ with you.  Meijer has also opened a store at 6 Mile (McNichols) and Grand River.

Must have happened have the 8 Mile and Woodward store.  I want to say that first store was 2012 or 2013?  I guess it makes sense at Grand River and 6 Mile since it's almost at the city line at Redford Township.

[noelbotevera]

Excusing the bump, but is the $22/34 for 6 payments for season passes mean that 6 people pay it, and $204 relates to 1 person, or does it mean that a season pass costs $204 unless 6 people buy it?

Ride and Slide is $90, and with 5 people that's $450. Unless 6 people pay $22/$34, then that's a total of $204.