Vic & Suzanne dined in a trolly diner.

Larger than the Duesenberg, twice the horsepower of a Roll-Royce and more costly than both put together. The 1931 Bugatti type 41 Royale was the ultimate automobile making its owners feel like a king.

Clearly, we had set a major touring task to accomplish in six hours. Impossible, in fact, as most of us had stopped fully appreciating the novelty of it all after four hours. Then it was back to hotel where all club members apparently agreed not to trouble the little kids in the swimming pool and went to see if the lounge was open yet. The restaurant at the hotel supplied good suppers for us. The next morning was an easy ride back, arriving about twenty minutes early, the perfect ending for those who had to walk to the other train terminal to get home.

In 1936 the Oscar Meyer Company began to promote their hot dogs on the streets of Chicago. This 1952 model is the original prototype.

The automotive art displayed on the corridor walls of the first and second floors are worth the careful viewing as in an art museum. The model years stretch from the early 1900’s to the mid-1970’s. Vehicles are illustrated in very nicely printed posters and in luxurious settings. There is one MGTD poster, though no one had time during our trip to study the collection carefully looking for more. And the hotel itself is notable in that it is painted pink and is apparently referred to locally as the Pink Palace. The inn and the multiple large public interest sites including the Automotive Hall of Fame and the River Rouge Ford Assembly Plant will make likely destinations of a future Amtrak Road Trip.

~~ Jake & Ann Snyder