RSS
Home
The Woodward Dream Cruise – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
This was my fifth year attending the Woodward Dream Cruise, and this was the second year that my wife and I took our 1972 Dodge Demon 340 to the fabled road. Like prior years, we were up bright and early, with the car loaded up with the tent and chairs the night before, and by 8:45am we were cruising up and down Woodward Ave. For those who haven’t been out there that early, it’s a nice break from ‘the norm’ as you are actually able to cruise since it’s too early for the minivans and normal traffic to clutter up the event. After spending some time cruising, we parked at our usual spot near 10 mile. While the sparse early traffic was a nice surprise, it was accompanied by free parking this year at our lot, and that area gives you a good look at the Cruise without as much of the crowd as you’ll find around 13 mile. The downside to this area is that there are fewer organized little car shows, but we prefer the thinner crowds, so it has been our hangout for the Dream Cruise for the last five years. We spent most of the day watching in the shade of our 10x10 party tent, and the gallery at the bottom of the post will show you a sampling of what the Dream Cruise has to offer. This is just my short review of the 2009 Woodward Dream Cruise, beginning with the Ugly and ending with the Good, with the minor inconveniences in the middle.
The Ugly
One thing that I found particularly disturbing was the number of vulgar religious displays. I’m not making any sort of objection to their right to voice their opinions on the subject, but the vehicles traveling up and down Woodward, plastered with disturbing medical and religious images are out of line and the “Christians” who parade around the Cruise like that should be ashamed of themselves. On top of that, the corners between 11 and 13 mile were packed full of brainwashed children handing out “Christian” information about abortion and frankly, I find the entire “educate by forced shock” practice to be disgusting and everyone involved should be embarrassed to show their faces in public…especially those who use their children to push their ideals, but again…this is all just my opinion on the subject. One other thing that bothered me was the number of ignorant motorcycle owners squeezing between cars in traffic and riding on the sidewalks. It’s not that hard to get off of Woodward and the side streets can bypass the Cruise traffic easily, so there is no excuse for how some of the motorcyclists handle themselves. I don’t know why the police don’t do anything about it, but on at least one occasion we watched a guy ride a sport bike against traffic on the sidewalk, with police in eyeshot, and they didn’t do anything about it…but they were plenty quick to nail the guy in the Vette who chirped second.
The Bad
The heat was a little rough, especially for those traveling on foot and a few cars that I saw overheating, but that’s to be expected every year…it is the middle of August. One thing that I would have liked to see more of is burnouts. I know that it’s against the law and whatnot, but I’ve seen a bunch in past years, and the only two that I saw this year were by a car that looked an awful lot like mine. In any case, burnouts weren’t legal in past years and they still happened and if anything, I saw less police activity this year compared to last. I was lucky enough to see a Royal Oak officer in a green unmarked Bonneville pull over a newer Corvette, seemingly for chirping the tires, and that Green Bonneville was around all day. One of the key issues with the event in past years was the number of non-cruiser traffic cluttering up the road during the cruise. The non-cruiser traffic seemed to be pretty thick this year, and I don’t understand why some of the spectators can’t be happy with watching from the curb, as doing so would thin the traffic and make the Dream Cruise better for everyone. My wife and I are big Mopar enthusiasts, and in past years we haven’t made it to the Mopar display, but this year we talked about it and we were going to make sure to check out the Mopar brand area. Around 1pm, we decided to leave the shade and comfort of our tent and begin the walk to 13 mile, not really considering how long 3 miles of walking on a hot day might seem. My wife was wearing heels, and by the time we got to the Mopar display we had fought through 3 miles of crowd, and her feet were killing her. We then took some pictures and headed back…and in the end we should have just idled through the traffic like everyone else.
The Good
I love the Dream Cruise. I know that some locals complain about the traffic and such, but there are ways around it, and it’s great for the local economy. I know people from all over the country who come to the area to attend the Dream Cruise, and the area needs all of the help it can get. The Cruise has everything from motorcycles to antique cars, to high priced exotics to some of the best looking muscle cars in the country. The weather was the best I’ve seen while attending, with no rain all day, but it was hot and humid…but that’s still better than rain. The turnout looked to be pretty good to me, although I don’t know that any official attendance numbers exist, the show was as fun to watch as it was any other year I’ve been there, and you could actually cruise the Avenue until almost noon when it became the Woodward Dream Parking Lot. In the end, the downsides to the Dream Cruise are far overshadowed by the fun to be had at the event.
Those who haven’t been to the Woodward Dream Cruise, it’s definitely something to behold. The incredible number of classic cars cruising the streets, accompanied by modified modern vehicles makes it the greatest rolling car show I’ve ever been a part of and whether you have a classic car or not, the Woodward Dream Cruise is a great event for any automotive enthusiast. However, if you’re someone who doesn’t own a car that belongs in a rolling car show, do everyone else a favor; park the minivan and enjoy from the sidewalk.
Click here for more pictures of the 2009 Woodward Dream Cruise, check out the gallery from HighHorsepower Photography.
Related Articles:
Comments
