question for the 'michiganians'

[pedroh 21]

ok, here's the deal, in august we have a wedding party in grand rapids michigan.. was checkin the fares, and going straight to grand rapids is little bit more expensive from NC. so.. is it worth it saving 2 hours driving from detroit to grand rapids? is there a reason why I shouldn't drive from Detroit airport.. is there another airport around that i can fly and probly is not as small as grand rapids? the price difference is bout 100 bucks per person.. and Im kinda tight so I'd save 200 bucks.. lol

[Joel Halfwassen 0]

Any reason OTHER then it is Detroit?

Well...plus the price of gas. It might be as high as $35.00 per tank of gas. I suppose that would still save you $150.00 or so...still the convience of Grand Rapids...

Edited July 16, 2006 by Joel Halfwassen

[Fandango 1,439]

Totally off topic, but I loved the way D first pronounced Michigan....kinda like 'mitchigan'

[sparkofcreation 0]

It's Michiganders.

[de_sjiem 0]

Try Lansing... Priceline had it about 40 more per person I think than detroit and its only an hour from grand rapids.. and its not as scary of a city I think...

You also might not actually lose 2 - 2.5 hours driving from detroit, since flying to grand rapids from NC might take longer than flying to detroit, since detroit is a bigger airport... Detroit isn't sooo horrible if you dont get there around rush hour.. you might also want to think about flying to chicago, (which is about 3 hours from grand rapids.. depending on chicago traffic) dunno if that's cheaper or not but it would probably be quicker to fly to than detroit.. and you'd have more direct flights.. Good luck! Have fun in Grand Rapids

[Lovetoteach 53]

Yes detroit is scary in the rush hour. I went there last week trying to fing the Immigration Court. It was supposed to take 15 mins from our hotel but actually took an hour to get therebecause of the traffic. Ended up following a police car!!

Shona

[Kristin.l.m 0]

It's Michiganders.

The pronunciation depends upon who you ask... and which part of "the mitten" they call home (sorry, Yoopers)...

Lansing also has some "alternative" (read: lower fare) airlines. We've also had good luck with the bigger carriers through there, however, Delta in particular. Another option is Flint (gotta love the airports with fewer than a dozen gates), although it's an hour further east of Lansing. ATA goes in there, for example. Car rentals might also be cheaper through Lansing or Flint, and the traffic is a piece of cake at either location.

Detroit's not so bad once you've done it once or twice. Consider flying southwest if you can. I think some other low fare airlines go in there. The traffic around the new NWA terminal can be a bear but just pay attention to the signs and other cars and you'll be fine. Time of day really matters -- late at night is usually okay but during the day it can be awful. In terms of safety, just be smart and you shouldn't have any problems. The airport is actually in the 'burbs, not in the city proper.

Chicago's a good idea too. If you don't want to drive from the windy city, there's always Amtrak to Grand Rapids or someplace nearby. The train is less pleasant but if it's only for a few hours, bearable, and Amtrak is surprisingly affordable.

Good luck and enjoy your time in Michigan!

-Kristin

Oh, and it's not 2 hours from Detroit to Grand Rapids. It will take longer to drive it than that (3 ish?), even driving the "Michigan 10-over." Sorry.

-K

[pedroh 21]

its cool.. found a not so expensive flight straight to Grand Rapids incluiding hotel.. just had to pick the early morning flights.. lol