Woodward Dream Cruise lures visitors from afar

Most people hate traffic. Except during one weekend in August when people love it. They love it so much they stand around and look at it, they take pictures of it, heck, they even fly into town for it. Of course this is the Woodward Dream Cruise. The good news is that despite all the traffic, it's a nice little economic boost for Michigan and a way to celebrate our past as automotive giants.

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While some spectators watched the festivities from the air-conditioned comfort of their minivans and S.U.V.’s, many more braved the heat and sat in lawn chairs along the avenue. I worked my way through the crowd from 14 Mile Road to 13 Mile Road and spoke to a number of people. To my surprise, three of the first four couples I approached were from out of town.

Helen and Jim Senos reside in Mechanicsburg, Pa., and flew in for the cruise. Helen comes from a car-loving Detroit family, so she grew up breathing carbon monoxide. Her father, Tony Markus, was a Cadillac lover and bought a new one every year from 1957 to 1977.

Stories of Dream Cruises past reached Larry and Judy Shaffer in their St. Louis home, so they made the trip to Motown to see how many of those tales were true. Twice as nice as they thought, they said.

The Groves of Washington State got my long-distance award. They said they own seven classics, but left them all at home.

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