Unlike past March Breaks, we had no travel plans, largely because of the Disney World trip in January.
The first half of March Break saw me doing as little as possible. Yup, I was King of Loafing. I did a few things here and there, but not much.
We did some things as a family, such as, going to the park, going for drive in the 'country', going to play basketball in the school yard and a trip to the Detroit Science Center.
Played some video games with boys - Corbin earned two rental video games.
All in all, not a bad March Break so far.
Posted by Adam
Showing posts with label Detroit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Detroit. Show all posts
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Sunday, 1 February 2009
One Night With No Kids
With Tina's mom in town, Tina and I decided to spend Saturday night in the Detroit area to have some together time with no kids.
We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in Belleville, Michigan. It wasn't that far shopping or from Windsor.
After checking in to the hotel, we drove out to the Ruby Tuesdays at Michigan and S Canton Center Road. Then we stopped by Lowes and Target before returning to the hotel.
The next morning, we grabbed breakfast at the awesome breakfast bar and then hung out in our room until 11 AM or so. We packed up and headed over to IKEA to do some browsing and shopping. We purchased a simple desk for Corbin and a few other things. Then we drove around eventually ending up in Auburn Hills.
We had a late lunch/early supper at Olive Garden before heading over to Great Lakes Crossing for some more browsing and shopping. Then it was back home.
An excellent and relaxing weekend. Thanks Bev (who watched Corbin) and Lauralie (who took Jeremy for the weekend).
Posted by Adam
We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in Belleville, Michigan. It wasn't that far shopping or from Windsor.
After checking in to the hotel, we drove out to the Ruby Tuesdays at Michigan and S Canton Center Road. Then we stopped by Lowes and Target before returning to the hotel.
The next morning, we grabbed breakfast at the awesome breakfast bar and then hung out in our room until 11 AM or so. We packed up and headed over to IKEA to do some browsing and shopping. We purchased a simple desk for Corbin and a few other things. Then we drove around eventually ending up in Auburn Hills.
We had a late lunch/early supper at Olive Garden before heading over to Great Lakes Crossing for some more browsing and shopping. Then it was back home.
An excellent and relaxing weekend. Thanks Bev (who watched Corbin) and Lauralie (who took Jeremy for the weekend).
Posted by Adam
Friday, 16 January 2009
Disney World - Day 6 - Home Sweet Home
Back to A Cold Reality
The Disney Magical Express was on time and the driver loaded our bags. The bus was full and we made one stop before heading to Orlando International Airport. The driver was a hoot. Making jokes and telling funny stories.
The airport was busy but the check in at Spirit Air was light. I used the self-service machine to get our boarding passes and luggage tags before handing our luggage to one of the staff. Then it was up to departures and getting through security. Fortunately, airport staff directed us to the family line and we proceeded quickly through the area - though I did have to take off my belt. Really?
A fast tram ride to our airside terminal and then a period of waiting. Our flight was pushed back about 45 minutes - it was late from Puerto Rico. But when it arrived at the gate, staff emptied and boarded the plane very quickly. Then the pilot was gunning it to the runway to avoid waiting to take-off.
The flight was uneventful. Those of us with a NintendoDS played it, while others read books or did crossword puzzles. There were no clouds between Orlando and Detroit, thereby offering an amazing view of the lit up cities below. The descent into Detroit was wild but smooth.
We had to walk a good distance before making our way down to the baggage claim section. While the rest of the gang waited for our bags, I put on my leather coat and readied myself for the extreme cold outside, hoping that our van would start with no problems.
It was freezing cold outside. I quickly found the van and turned key. No hesitation. Started right away. Turned on the heat and fans to full and left the garage. Tina had the luggage ready. As I parked the van she came out and I got the rest of the luggage. None of us could believe how cold it was.
No problem through Canadian customs. We grabbed a couple of pizzas at Little Caesar's for a very late supper. Guinea the Guinea Pig was happy to see us.
It was nice to be home after an amazing vacation. Thank you Babcia.
Posted by Adam
The Disney Magical Express was on time and the driver loaded our bags. The bus was full and we made one stop before heading to Orlando International Airport. The driver was a hoot. Making jokes and telling funny stories.
The airport was busy but the check in at Spirit Air was light. I used the self-service machine to get our boarding passes and luggage tags before handing our luggage to one of the staff. Then it was up to departures and getting through security. Fortunately, airport staff directed us to the family line and we proceeded quickly through the area - though I did have to take off my belt. Really?
A fast tram ride to our airside terminal and then a period of waiting. Our flight was pushed back about 45 minutes - it was late from Puerto Rico. But when it arrived at the gate, staff emptied and boarded the plane very quickly. Then the pilot was gunning it to the runway to avoid waiting to take-off.
The flight was uneventful. Those of us with a NintendoDS played it, while others read books or did crossword puzzles. There were no clouds between Orlando and Detroit, thereby offering an amazing view of the lit up cities below. The descent into Detroit was wild but smooth.
We had to walk a good distance before making our way down to the baggage claim section. While the rest of the gang waited for our bags, I put on my leather coat and readied myself for the extreme cold outside, hoping that our van would start with no problems.
It was freezing cold outside. I quickly found the van and turned key. No hesitation. Started right away. Turned on the heat and fans to full and left the garage. Tina had the luggage ready. As I parked the van she came out and I got the rest of the luggage. None of us could believe how cold it was.
No problem through Canadian customs. We grabbed a couple of pizzas at Little Caesar's for a very late supper. Guinea the Guinea Pig was happy to see us.
It was nice to be home after an amazing vacation. Thank you Babcia.
Posted by Adam
Sunday, 14 December 2008
Family Time in Detroit
I decided that the family needed to get out of the house. So we travelled over to the Detroit Science Center.
It took about 20 minutes to get through US Customs at the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel. The drive from the tunnel to the Science Center was about 5 minutes. This was Tina's first time and she could not believe how short the drive was.
We parked in the Wayne State University parking garage and walked over to the center. It wasn't too busy - which was a good thing. We bought tickets to the IMAX movie "Santa Versus The Snowman".
We wondered around and tried every exhibit it seems. Tina liked the fact that the facility was not too large. We grabbed a bite to eat in the cafeteria and then checked out more exhibits.
The movie was at 3:00 pm, so we worked our way down to the IMAX theatre and grabbed some seats. The beginning of the movie was very intense in that your stomach started churning. The boys loved the movie and Jeremy had no motion sickness issues.
It was back to Windsor, with not much of a wait at Canadian Customs.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the time out of the house.
Posted by Adam
It took about 20 minutes to get through US Customs at the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel. The drive from the tunnel to the Science Center was about 5 minutes. This was Tina's first time and she could not believe how short the drive was.
We parked in the Wayne State University parking garage and walked over to the center. It wasn't too busy - which was a good thing. We bought tickets to the IMAX movie "Santa Versus The Snowman".
We wondered around and tried every exhibit it seems. Tina liked the fact that the facility was not too large. We grabbed a bite to eat in the cafeteria and then checked out more exhibits.
The movie was at 3:00 pm, so we worked our way down to the IMAX theatre and grabbed some seats. The beginning of the movie was very intense in that your stomach started churning. The boys loved the movie and Jeremy had no motion sickness issues.
It was back to Windsor, with not much of a wait at Canadian Customs.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the time out of the house.
Posted by Adam
Saturday, 28 June 2008
A pancake, Swedish Furniture, Bullseye and Simple Fresh Dining
Tina and I decided to take advantage of having Bev in town to head over the border to do some shopping and enjoy some good food in Detroit without the boys. Jeremy was at Lorelie's, so Bev got to spend some time with Corbin.
We headed out of the house around 8:30. The bridge was full but we didn't have to wait too long when two more booths opened. I asked the bridge personnel if I could scoot over and she said yes. So what could have been a 45 minute wait turned out to be a 15 minute wait. Welcome to America.
Fifteen minutes later were pulled into to the IHOP at Middlebelt and I-96. The parking lot had lots of vehicles so we were expecting to wait. But we were fooled - we had a table in no time. Tina ordered the carrot cake pancake, scrambled eggs, hash brown and bacon combo. I ordered the same save for blueberry pancakes. The breakfast was fresh and hot. And the coffee carafe meant that we had a good supply of hot coffee.
Back on I-96 then I-275, we arrived at the already busy IKEA Canton at Haggerty and Ford. The store opens at 10:00 AM. We arrived at 10:15 and people were already loading their vehicles with furniture. Aye carumba.
We browsed, made some mental notes for the future and noted the location of the furniture we wanted to buy. In the Marketplace, we picked up some hangars, a magnet board for Jeremy and few other odds and ends.
In the warehouse, we picked up three pieces of furniture: A MALM 4-drawer chest (medium brown, $99US vs $129CDN) for Jeremy´s room, a Stockholm coffee table (golden-brown $179US vs $279 CDN) for the living room and a bookcase, Expedit (birch effect, $89US vs $99CDN), to be used on its side, for the front door.
Tina was not sure if we should buy the furniture, but I said it is cheaper in the US and we will still be ahead after paying GST and PST. So we headed to the checkout, handed over the credit card and loaded up the van.
We drove down to the new Target in South Canton. There we bought shirts and shorts for the boys, a DVD and a few other things. At Old Navy, Tina bought a few things for the boys. We were done shopping. It was time to eat, again. Our choice was Ruby Tuesdays, just down the road from the Target. Tina and I ordered burgers. They were hot and tasty.
It was time to make our way back to Canada, but first we had to fill the van with some duty-free gasoline. Both sides of the bridge were busy. It took us about 20 minutes to get through Canadian Customs. We declared our purchases in full and, much to our surprise, we were free to go. Tina was shocked.
On our way back home, we stopped at Tim Hortons to get a coffee for Bev. It was a ´thank you´ for watching Corbin. It was a good day for all.
Posted by Adam
We headed out of the house around 8:30. The bridge was full but we didn't have to wait too long when two more booths opened. I asked the bridge personnel if I could scoot over and she said yes. So what could have been a 45 minute wait turned out to be a 15 minute wait. Welcome to America.
Fifteen minutes later were pulled into to the IHOP at Middlebelt and I-96. The parking lot had lots of vehicles so we were expecting to wait. But we were fooled - we had a table in no time. Tina ordered the carrot cake pancake, scrambled eggs, hash brown and bacon combo. I ordered the same save for blueberry pancakes. The breakfast was fresh and hot. And the coffee carafe meant that we had a good supply of hot coffee.
Back on I-96 then I-275, we arrived at the already busy IKEA Canton at Haggerty and Ford. The store opens at 10:00 AM. We arrived at 10:15 and people were already loading their vehicles with furniture. Aye carumba.
We browsed, made some mental notes for the future and noted the location of the furniture we wanted to buy. In the Marketplace, we picked up some hangars, a magnet board for Jeremy and few other odds and ends.
In the warehouse, we picked up three pieces of furniture: A MALM 4-drawer chest (medium brown, $99US vs $129CDN) for Jeremy´s room, a Stockholm coffee table (golden-brown $179US vs $279 CDN) for the living room and a bookcase, Expedit (birch effect, $89US vs $99CDN), to be used on its side, for the front door.
Tina was not sure if we should buy the furniture, but I said it is cheaper in the US and we will still be ahead after paying GST and PST. So we headed to the checkout, handed over the credit card and loaded up the van.
We drove down to the new Target in South Canton. There we bought shirts and shorts for the boys, a DVD and a few other things. At Old Navy, Tina bought a few things for the boys. We were done shopping. It was time to eat, again. Our choice was Ruby Tuesdays, just down the road from the Target. Tina and I ordered burgers. They were hot and tasty.
It was time to make our way back to Canada, but first we had to fill the van with some duty-free gasoline. Both sides of the bridge were busy. It took us about 20 minutes to get through Canadian Customs. We declared our purchases in full and, much to our surprise, we were free to go. Tina was shocked.
On our way back home, we stopped at Tim Hortons to get a coffee for Bev. It was a ´thank you´ for watching Corbin. It was a good day for all.
Posted by Adam
Monday, 19 May 2008
Victoria Day Weekend
The only plans we had this weekend was to go shopping in Detroit on Saturday. And we did that.
Took about 40 minutes to get through the tunnel and about 5 minutes to get to Fairlane Green at I-94 and Oakwood. After buying some clothes and household goods at Target and checking out Best Buy we headed down Ford Road towards Haggerty to check out where the IKEA is and what is around in the area.
We were also looking for a place to eat - plenty of Applebee's, McDonalds and Burger Kings. Eventually we found a Ruby Tuesdays at Canton Centre and Michigan Ave and enjoyed an excellent early supper. Tina had a steak, Jeremy had mac and cheese, Corbin had mini-burger and I had a rib and shrimp combo. The ribs were excellent - juicy and falling off the bone. Everyone enjoyed their meal and we headed back to Canada.
I filled the van up with some gas at the Ambassador Bridge. It was about a 10 minute wait at Canadian customs. We declared our purchase and were sent on our merry way home.
The rest of weekend was kind of a bust because of the uncertain weather. No gymnastics for Jeremy on Sunday because he was coughing and feeling under the weather. Tina and the boys went through the toys and boxed some up for Babcia's place and some for the garbage. I didn't do much on Sunday.
Monday, the weather was a wee bit better. Tina took the boys to Lacasse Park in Tecumseh and I cut the grass (which needs to replaced) and did some chores outside.
Not a bad weekend. Relaxing.
Posted by Adam
Took about 40 minutes to get through the tunnel and about 5 minutes to get to Fairlane Green at I-94 and Oakwood. After buying some clothes and household goods at Target and checking out Best Buy we headed down Ford Road towards Haggerty to check out where the IKEA is and what is around in the area.
We were also looking for a place to eat - plenty of Applebee's, McDonalds and Burger Kings. Eventually we found a Ruby Tuesdays at Canton Centre and Michigan Ave and enjoyed an excellent early supper. Tina had a steak, Jeremy had mac and cheese, Corbin had mini-burger and I had a rib and shrimp combo. The ribs were excellent - juicy and falling off the bone. Everyone enjoyed their meal and we headed back to Canada.
I filled the van up with some gas at the Ambassador Bridge. It was about a 10 minute wait at Canadian customs. We declared our purchase and were sent on our merry way home.
The rest of weekend was kind of a bust because of the uncertain weather. No gymnastics for Jeremy on Sunday because he was coughing and feeling under the weather. Tina and the boys went through the toys and boxed some up for Babcia's place and some for the garbage. I didn't do much on Sunday.
Monday, the weather was a wee bit better. Tina took the boys to Lacasse Park in Tecumseh and I cut the grass (which needs to replaced) and did some chores outside.
Not a bad weekend. Relaxing.
Posted by Adam
Tuesday, 28 August 2007
Rush - Snakes & Arrows Tour
When I heard that Rush was going on tour and that they were stopping Detroit, I vowed to get tickets this time. The last time I saw Rush live was on the Hold Your Fire tour back at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
So I got two tickets at the DTE Energy Music Theatre (an outdoor ampitheatre) in Clarkston, Michigan - northwest of Detroit, just off I-75. The tickets had been sitting patiently on the shelf in the office. I would check almost every day to make sure they were still there.
The day of the concert had arrived.
I rushed home (pun intended) to change into comfortable clothes since mother nature decided that today would be a good day for hot and humid weather. Tina was ready. Fortunately, my mom was staying with us, so we did not have to worry about arranging babysitting.
We left at 5:15 pm and arrived at the tunnel at 5:30 pm. About 45 minutes later, we finally were cleared through US Customs. A few slow spots on I-75. Traffic slowed to a crawl at Sashabaw Road, the turn off to DTE, but we just followed the traffic and parked the van in the grass lot.
We walked through the parking lots, showed our tickets and proceeded to our seats. This was our first time seeing a concert at DTE Energy Music Theatre - and only our second concert in Detroit since moving to Windsor. The atmosphere was crackling.
The audience was a mix of old geezers, drunk guys (and gals) and families - yup, we saw plenty of kids rocking it out with mom and dad. There were more women at the concert compared to back in the 90s and 80s. The place was full though. Tina ventured out to seek some refreshments and snacks.
The concert started around 7:50 pm or so with Limelight - a great way to start the concert. They played some classics like Tom Sawyer, Spirit of Radio and Subdivisions, but they also played older tunes like Entre Nous, Passage to Bangkok and Natural Science. All three instrumentals from Snakes & Arrows were played. Neil's drum solo was outstanding. Seems he is improvising the first part of the solo, so it is subject to change if you see Rush several times on this tour. The concert ended with YYZ (so that would be five instrumentals).
Tina enjoyed the concert and commented on how good Rush sounds live. I told her that is one of their trademarks. I bought a tour book as a souvenir. We left the concert in a great mood with our ears ringing and arrived back in Canada just before midnight.
I was happy to see Rush and was even happier to see them with Tina.
Posted by Adam
So I got two tickets at the DTE Energy Music Theatre (an outdoor ampitheatre) in Clarkston, Michigan - northwest of Detroit, just off I-75. The tickets had been sitting patiently on the shelf in the office. I would check almost every day to make sure they were still there.
The day of the concert had arrived.
I rushed home (pun intended) to change into comfortable clothes since mother nature decided that today would be a good day for hot and humid weather. Tina was ready. Fortunately, my mom was staying with us, so we did not have to worry about arranging babysitting.
We left at 5:15 pm and arrived at the tunnel at 5:30 pm. About 45 minutes later, we finally were cleared through US Customs. A few slow spots on I-75. Traffic slowed to a crawl at Sashabaw Road, the turn off to DTE, but we just followed the traffic and parked the van in the grass lot.
We walked through the parking lots, showed our tickets and proceeded to our seats. This was our first time seeing a concert at DTE Energy Music Theatre - and only our second concert in Detroit since moving to Windsor. The atmosphere was crackling.
The audience was a mix of old geezers, drunk guys (and gals) and families - yup, we saw plenty of kids rocking it out with mom and dad. There were more women at the concert compared to back in the 90s and 80s. The place was full though. Tina ventured out to seek some refreshments and snacks.
The concert started around 7:50 pm or so with Limelight - a great way to start the concert. They played some classics like Tom Sawyer, Spirit of Radio and Subdivisions, but they also played older tunes like Entre Nous, Passage to Bangkok and Natural Science. All three instrumentals from Snakes & Arrows were played. Neil's drum solo was outstanding. Seems he is improvising the first part of the solo, so it is subject to change if you see Rush several times on this tour. The concert ended with YYZ (so that would be five instrumentals).
Tina enjoyed the concert and commented on how good Rush sounds live. I told her that is one of their trademarks. I bought a tour book as a souvenir. We left the concert in a great mood with our ears ringing and arrived back in Canada just before midnight.
I was happy to see Rush and was even happier to see them with Tina.
Posted by Adam
Saturday, 25 August 2007
Shopping In America
Today, we travelled to the Detroit suburb of Pontiac to do some back-to-school shopping. It took about 30 minutes to get through US Customs at the tunnel - about the minimum these days when travelling to the US. Another 30 or 40 minutes later, we had arrived at Target.
My mom bought some shirts and we picked up some clothes, shoes and school supplies for the boys and some treats that were on sale. Corbin started having a melt down so we left Target to grab a late lunch at the nearby Olive Garden.
The service was horrible. Our waitress was hardly pleasant and it took a long time for our food to arrive. Getting the bill took even longer. We won't be going back there any time soon.
Next stop was Great Lakes Crossing. We walked. We shopped. We bought a few things here and there. It was time to buy some cheap gas and head home.
Declared our purchases at Canadian Customs and encountered no problems. The boys behaved for the most part. It was a pleasant outing.
Posted by Adam
My mom bought some shirts and we picked up some clothes, shoes and school supplies for the boys and some treats that were on sale. Corbin started having a melt down so we left Target to grab a late lunch at the nearby Olive Garden.
The service was horrible. Our waitress was hardly pleasant and it took a long time for our food to arrive. Getting the bill took even longer. We won't be going back there any time soon.
Next stop was Great Lakes Crossing. We walked. We shopped. We bought a few things here and there. It was time to buy some cheap gas and head home.
Declared our purchases at Canadian Customs and encountered no problems. The boys behaved for the most part. It was a pleasant outing.
Posted by Adam
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