madtechie2718 ([info]madtechie2718) wrote in [info]penguicon,
@ 2008-03-26 13:32:00
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Penguicon Travel
I'm heading out to my first Penguicon, from the UK, arriving in DTW on the 15th April (I'm on a free ticket, it's all I could get).

I'm going to stay overnight close by the airport to get over the jetlag (which always hammers me really badly, so crawling off the plane and into an airport hotel is about all I'm good for) and then head to Troy the following day - I'm guessing that a rental car is about the only reasonable way and there isn't much public transport - is that about right?

Interestingly, I see that SF author Peter F Hamilton is making one of his rare tours of the US and is signing in Borders Detroit on the 16th - pity he's going to just miss the con!

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[info]phecda
2008-03-26 02:00 pm UTC (link)
Depending on how mobile you want to be, a taxi may be a good option, too. And my guess is that you would be able to hitch a ride back to the airport. I don't know your budget, but with the exchange rate the way it is, a car may be a good option. You can get a car for less than $50 a day, and you'd be able to do things like hit the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn -- well worth it if you're a technology geek. Compared with London, traffic is very light, but more unpredictible so far as driving styles are concerned (e.g., don't expect people to move over into the slower lanes.) Other than that, drive with the traffic. :-)

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[info]atdt1991
2008-03-26 02:31 pm UTC (link)
Agreed - airport hotels are quite close. I would call the nearby hotels and ask if they offer a shuttle, you might be able to save a day's money as far as rental car goes. Ultimately, though, if you're going to Penguicon from the hotel, I'd either get someone to give you a ride or rent a car, because anything else is going to be particularly expensive.

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[info]sethb
2008-03-26 02:49 pm UTC (link)
For two or three days, renting a car is definitely cheaper than taking taxis both ways. One-way taxi (and a ride back) could go either way, depending on how good a deal you get on the rental.

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[info]que_sara_sara
2008-03-26 03:19 pm UTC (link)
Depending on when you really wanted to head to Troy I'll be driving up there from my home down by the airport on Thursday and I could give you a ride up there.

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Penguicon Travel
[info]dober_woman
2008-03-26 04:44 pm UTC (link)
I would be more than happy to pick you up on the 16th and take you to the hotel in Troy. Just let me know if you are interested.

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[info]matt_arnold
2008-03-26 10:42 pm UTC (link)
Hey everybody, I apologize profusely for the posts I deleted. Rest assured, it was not intended to indicate that you had done anything wrong. I'm trying to keep the 2009 hotel contract and guests of honor under wraps, both to focus attention on this year, and to have some exciting surprises to be unveiled at Closing Ceremonies. Thanks very much for the enthusiasm you showed! 2009 is going to be great!

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[info]shekkara
2008-03-27 02:33 am UTC (link)
You are right. Public transportation is not really an option in the Metro-Detroit area. (If this were NYC that would be different.)

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Research....
[info]jadawin
2008-03-28 06:22 pm UTC (link)
So, I was curious. What WOULD it cost? How WOULD you get there?

Well, lessee what the con hotels have to say...

Embassy Suites says (at
http://embassysuites1.hilton.com/en_US/es/hotel/DTTTRES-Embassy-Suites-Detroit-Troy-Auburn-Hills-Michigan/directions.do)
that the distance is 32 miles, and 'typical minimum charge' for a taxi would be $155, and $175 for a limo.

Strangely enough, the con Hotel, the Troy Hilton (at http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/DETNHHF-Hilton-Detroit-Troy-Auburn-Hills-Michigan/directions.do) has different info: 35 miles, 80 for a taxi and $35 for Bus Service. It of course has no details

Hmph, hotels. Lessee, what else comes up. Checker Sedans is an interesting concept: http://checkersedan.hudsonltd.net/res lets you make a reservation and get pricing...it SEEMS like they're saying they'd charge $80 for the round trip, up to 4 people, but of course, the driver expects a $16 dollar tip (it's included in the price if you need a van because of excess luggage)

http://www.metroairport.com/transportation/ is somewhat canonical. It says $65 for a taxi to Troy, $78 for Checker but One Way (meep), and has a link to public transportation, mentioning that the airport has a SMART terminal, and pointing one to http://www.smartbus.org/smart/home. Hrm, okay, public transportation, I enjoy this game. Mornington Crescent it's not, but...

so I started plotting it, then, sigh, the SMART system told me it was Google Transit enabled. Man, THAT'S no fun. It's about a 3 hour bus trip to get you somewhere relatively close. :)

http://www.google.com/transit?ie=UTF8&ll=42.452848,-83.192596&spn=0.481294,0.933838 and go FROM: DTW, TO: 5500 Crooks Rd, Troy, MI 48098 (Hilton Detroit/Troy)

It ends in 'walk', but SMART has a 'dial-a-ride' service that generally shows up within the hour, in Troy. So, technically, it's doable. :) And then you can spend the Con finding someone to save you from the return trip. :) Probably a total of $5 that way ($1 or $2 for the fare and/or 50 cents for the transfer, and $2 for the Dial-a-Ride).

Whee! That was fun. NEXT!







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Lift offer
[info]hoboslobo
2008-03-29 12:13 pm UTC (link)
I am getting flashbacks to last year when I asked the same questions.

I am also travelling from the UK, and will arrive on the 16th. I would be happy to give you a lift as I am getting a hire car.

Bo

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