Relax, enjoy a five-hour natter-'n-noggin and travel with as much leg room as in an MG. And if the train should stop or be delayed, the party will be that much longer. This year the destination agreed on by the committee (that means no one we talked to objected) is the NAIAS (North American International Auto Show) or Detroit Auto Show to us locals.

We will leave on Friday, January 16 2004 from the Amtrak station at Canal and Jackson. The best train is No. 352, departing at 2:10 P.M for an 8:07 P.M. arrival in Dearborn, Michigan. The preferred return train on Sunday, January 18 is No. 353, leaving Dearborn 11:16 A.M. and arriving back in Chicago at 3:45 P.M. There are other trains to meet special schedules, but the train selected might get us to Dearborn before the hotel restaurant closes at 10 P.M. Full round-trip fare is about $61 per person. Reserve online at www.amtrak.com or phone Amtrak at 1-800-USA-RAIL.

The hotel is the Best Western-Greenfield Inn in Dearborn. All the corridors of the three-storey building are covered in automobile-related art. There is a restaurant, lounge, swimming pool and free chocolate chip cookies at the desk. The price is $79 per night plus 14% tax (6% state and 8% room). Reserve at 313-271-1600. Identify yourself as a member of the Chicagoland MG Club. The hotel will provide free shuttle service to and from the train station.

Admission price to the Detroit Auto Show is approximately $10. The cab fare should be about $7 each way.