Dearborn, Michigan

On our way to another conference in Toronto, we stopped over outside of Detroit in Dearborn, Michigan - where the Ford headquarters are.  We stayed at the historic Dearborn Inn, which Henry Ford designed, and is now managed by Marriott, and went to the Henry Ford Museum.   There are tons of Ford factories, offices, test tracks and museums all over...but man, do they need to pave their roads!  They were full of potholes everywhere.  Poor Detroit/Dearborn.  Hopefully they can pave someday soon.  

Brian and I had been to the museum before, but it has been over 20 years for me...and they had changed quite a bit.  It was fun to walk around and look at all of the neat cars, trains, airplanes and other equipment.

 

 This is the original oscar myer hotdog mobile.

  This is the actual bus - not a replica - of the bus in Montgomery Alabama where Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus.  Grant is sitting in her actual seat.  Never mind his face...

 

  The kids are showing me their "old timey faces" imitating old photos where everyone looked so serious while sitting in the train yard.

 

 

 

 I'm officially old enough to have a section in the museum made to my generation/childhood...the 80's.  They had a section for each decade and man this one took me back.  They had a whole 80's bedroom with 80's stuff everywhere.  80's toys, tv's and computers.  My sister Jan looooooved the Cure and was gaga for Robert Smith.  Her huge 8 foot poster of him used to freak me out a little.  So, yes, even the cure poster took me back!  Grant has always been fascinated by the 80's...not by anything Brian and I have done - he just loves the 80's style and music.  Haha.  No joke - he saved up his own money to buy the Michael Jackson Thriller CD.  It's takes me back 30 years!

 After the museum we headed over to the fancy hotel.  We just love old historic resort type hotels.  They have fancy lobby's and deep swimming pools.  There must be some reason they don't build basic hotel pools 12 feet deep anymore...but they are the best!  Not sure why - but swimming in deep water is WAY more fun.  

 

  Deep end swimming fun...  We had a good ole time!

 

 

We ate at a local pizza place that had super yummy deep dish pizza, and then we found the Marriott version of heaven...the concierge level.  The check in lady said she upgraded us to the concierge level and we said thanks, but we weren't sure what that meant.  Our room looked like a normal room, but then we saw others in our wing going into this room, only accessible from the concierge hallway we were in.   Then we realized what was up - there is a special hangout room for concierge/executive level guests with lots of free drinks, snacks, cake, fruit, coffee, tea, soda etc.  in a nice lounge with a couch/tv/chairs, and it was all complimentary.  We enjoyed our nice drinks and dessert before heading to our room and definitely stopped for the breakfast on our way out the next morning!  Concierge level is the best!  It's like a magic porthole to a place with free treats and drinks!  We weren't sure why she upgraded us when we were just cashing in hotel points, but we sure loved it!  Maybe those 20 plus nights in a Marriott this year are paying off...