Especially in Michigan: 48 Hours in the Great Lakes State
Jul 11, 2021, 9:58 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,642
Especially in Michigan: 48 Hours in the Great Lakes State
The GF and I are off this week to Central Michigan to visit her Grandmother north of Lansing. The trip came together fairly last minute and was sandwiched between the 4th of July weekend and our trip to Table Rock Lake in Missouri. Since the GF had the entire week after the 4th off she flew up early Wednesday morning and I followed her up Thursday evening.
My parents were in Dallas so my dad could have a routine heart procedure so after swinging by their hotel and dropping Gumbo off with the GF’s parents I was off to DFW to catch my flight. Since we were returning on an American Eagle flight I dropped the car at the Terminal B garage and headed for security. Unfortunately, a miscommunication with the Fly Delta app left me with my TSA PreCheck not being applied to my boarding pass. I must admit that I forgot how to go through security as a non-PreCheck passenger, leaving me to be the guy that needed multiple reminders on where to go and what to remove. However, there were no lines at the Terminal B security checkpoint and within 5 minutes I was on the SkyLink train to Terminal D and the American Express Centurion Lounge.
Terminal B parking
Tight fit in the garage
Freight elevator to departures?
Off to the SkyLink and the Centurion Lounge
Finally!
From what I had read on FT, the AmEx lounge at DFW had been dealing with some serious crowding issues in recent weeks so I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at the lounge and found no line/wait out front. However, that feeling quickly disappeared when I entered the lounge area. The Centurion Lounge was packed to the brim with the buffet line stretching past the bar. I managed to find a high top seat overlooking the international check-in area for Qatar and Emirates and headed off in search of a beverage at the bar. While I was standing in line I ran into a fellow FT’er and friend that I first met on my trip to the Caymans back in 2019. We spent the next hour catching up/chatting as I waited for the line to go down. However, with T-30 until boarding and no signs of the line shortening, I cut my losses and headed for the SkyLink and the Sky Club in Terminal E to grab a quick bite before my flight.
A packed Centurion Lunge buffet line
Off to the Sky Club
My ride to Detroit waiting at E14
I arrived at the Terminal E Sky Club with T-10 until boarding and managed to grab a quick snack from the pre-packaged options on the buffet. A half of a chicken salad sandwich and some cheese cubes were going to have to hold me over for a bit. While the DL Sky Club was pleasant, I found it to be extremely dark inside. However, the staff more than made up for this in the attentiveness of their service. Upon receiving the notification on the DL app that my flight was boarding I headed off for the short walk to gate E14.
Delta Air Lines
DL 2122
DFW-DTW (Dallas/Fort Worth International - Detroit Metro/Wayne County International)
Seat: 11A (Comfort+)
A320-200 (N355NW)
Scheduled: 6:32p-10:15p
Actual: 6:26p-9:53p
DFW Sky Club
Sky Club dinner of champions
Fingers crossed that this seat map holds
Off to the gate
One of my main drivers besides time and my displeasure with American Airlines was trying out the DL A220. Unfortunately, a last minute aircraft swap landed me on an ex-Northwest A320 for my flight to Detroit. Though I had initially booked an exit row seat on the A220, with the swap I decided to buy up to Comfort+ to try and get some extra space. Arriving at the gate they were already on final boarding and even though I was one of the last folks on the plane I still managed to find space for my carry-on. Upon boarding, I settled into my seat and was lucky enough to have the entire row to myself which allowed me to spread out a bit.
Winner winner, chicken dinner!
Pushback was a few minutes early and after a short taxi we took off to the South before making a sweeping right turn passing over Dallas Love Field, the Park Cities, and Lewisville Lake. The time flew by as I watched a few ESPN 30 for 30’s and before long, we were descending into Detroit as the last rays of sun disappeared behind the horizon.
Taxiing DFW
Dallas Love Field (And our House)
Lewisville Lake
Snack/beverage service
Sunset
Cloud surfing on approach to DTW
After landing in Detroit at the far end of the A Concourse, I took the tram to the central concourse where, thanks to the early arrival of the flight, I managed to sneak into the Sky Club for the last 20 minutes before closing. After grabbing a few bites of hummus and pita along with a cup of coffee, I headed off through the LED tunnel that had seen better days to the B Concourse to catch my flight to Lansing. Though we were well past the boarding time when I arrived, the flight hadn’t started boarding upon my arrival. Thanfully, the DL staff used the slight delay to gate check our carry-ons that wouldn’t fit on the CRJ. Before long, we were boarding for our quick 30 minute hop over to Lansing.
DTW Sky Club Entrance
DTW Sky Club
DTW Sky Club
DTW Sky Club late night buffet
DTW Sky Club late night buffet
“Dinner 2.0”
Light Tunnel
Tight legroom on the CRJ-200
Another empty row
Endeavor Air DBA Delta Connection
DL 2122
DTW-LAN (Detroit Metro/Wayne County International - Lansing Capital International)
Seat: 5A (Economy)
CRJ-200 (N8933B)
Scheduled: 10:56p-11:36p
Actual: 10:54p-11:35p
Once again, my row went out completely empty which made the cramped legroom on the CRJ much more bearable. After a short flight we arrived in Lansing and given the small size of the airport as well as having no checked bags I was curbside in less than 5 minutes from arrival at the gate. The GF picked me up in our Hyundai Kona Go-Kart rental car, shortly after arrival and within 20 minutes we had made it to her grandmother’s house which would be our lodging for the weekend.
Waiting on our gate checked bags
My parents were in Dallas so my dad could have a routine heart procedure so after swinging by their hotel and dropping Gumbo off with the GF’s parents I was off to DFW to catch my flight. Since we were returning on an American Eagle flight I dropped the car at the Terminal B garage and headed for security. Unfortunately, a miscommunication with the Fly Delta app left me with my TSA PreCheck not being applied to my boarding pass. I must admit that I forgot how to go through security as a non-PreCheck passenger, leaving me to be the guy that needed multiple reminders on where to go and what to remove. However, there were no lines at the Terminal B security checkpoint and within 5 minutes I was on the SkyLink train to Terminal D and the American Express Centurion Lounge.
Terminal B parking
Tight fit in the garage
Freight elevator to departures?
Off to the SkyLink and the Centurion Lounge
Finally!
From what I had read on FT, the AmEx lounge at DFW had been dealing with some serious crowding issues in recent weeks so I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at the lounge and found no line/wait out front. However, that feeling quickly disappeared when I entered the lounge area. The Centurion Lounge was packed to the brim with the buffet line stretching past the bar. I managed to find a high top seat overlooking the international check-in area for Qatar and Emirates and headed off in search of a beverage at the bar. While I was standing in line I ran into a fellow FT’er and friend that I first met on my trip to the Caymans back in 2019. We spent the next hour catching up/chatting as I waited for the line to go down. However, with T-30 until boarding and no signs of the line shortening, I cut my losses and headed for the SkyLink and the Sky Club in Terminal E to grab a quick bite before my flight.
A packed Centurion Lunge buffet line
Off to the Sky Club
My ride to Detroit waiting at E14
I arrived at the Terminal E Sky Club with T-10 until boarding and managed to grab a quick snack from the pre-packaged options on the buffet. A half of a chicken salad sandwich and some cheese cubes were going to have to hold me over for a bit. While the DL Sky Club was pleasant, I found it to be extremely dark inside. However, the staff more than made up for this in the attentiveness of their service. Upon receiving the notification on the DL app that my flight was boarding I headed off for the short walk to gate E14.
Delta Air Lines
DL 2122
DFW-DTW (Dallas/Fort Worth International - Detroit Metro/Wayne County International)
Seat: 11A (Comfort+)
A320-200 (N355NW)
Scheduled: 6:32p-10:15p
Actual: 6:26p-9:53p
DFW Sky Club
Sky Club dinner of champions
Fingers crossed that this seat map holds
Off to the gate
One of my main drivers besides time and my displeasure with American Airlines was trying out the DL A220. Unfortunately, a last minute aircraft swap landed me on an ex-Northwest A320 for my flight to Detroit. Though I had initially booked an exit row seat on the A220, with the swap I decided to buy up to Comfort+ to try and get some extra space. Arriving at the gate they were already on final boarding and even though I was one of the last folks on the plane I still managed to find space for my carry-on. Upon boarding, I settled into my seat and was lucky enough to have the entire row to myself which allowed me to spread out a bit.
Winner winner, chicken dinner!
Pushback was a few minutes early and after a short taxi we took off to the South before making a sweeping right turn passing over Dallas Love Field, the Park Cities, and Lewisville Lake. The time flew by as I watched a few ESPN 30 for 30’s and before long, we were descending into Detroit as the last rays of sun disappeared behind the horizon.
Taxiing DFW
Dallas Love Field (And our House)
Lewisville Lake
Snack/beverage service
Sunset
Cloud surfing on approach to DTW
After landing in Detroit at the far end of the A Concourse, I took the tram to the central concourse where, thanks to the early arrival of the flight, I managed to sneak into the Sky Club for the last 20 minutes before closing. After grabbing a few bites of hummus and pita along with a cup of coffee, I headed off through the LED tunnel that had seen better days to the B Concourse to catch my flight to Lansing. Though we were well past the boarding time when I arrived, the flight hadn’t started boarding upon my arrival. Thanfully, the DL staff used the slight delay to gate check our carry-ons that wouldn’t fit on the CRJ. Before long, we were boarding for our quick 30 minute hop over to Lansing.
DTW Sky Club Entrance
DTW Sky Club
DTW Sky Club
DTW Sky Club late night buffet
DTW Sky Club late night buffet
“Dinner 2.0”
Light Tunnel
Tight legroom on the CRJ-200
Another empty row
Endeavor Air DBA Delta Connection
DL 2122
DTW-LAN (Detroit Metro/Wayne County International - Lansing Capital International)
Seat: 5A (Economy)
CRJ-200 (N8933B)
Scheduled: 10:56p-11:36p
Actual: 10:54p-11:35p
Once again, my row went out completely empty which made the cramped legroom on the CRJ much more bearable. After a short flight we arrived in Lansing and given the small size of the airport as well as having no checked bags I was curbside in less than 5 minutes from arrival at the gate. The GF picked me up in our Hyundai Kona Go-Kart rental car, shortly after arrival and within 20 minutes we had made it to her grandmother’s house which would be our lodging for the weekend.
Waiting on our gate checked bags
Last edited by wakesetter93; Jul 11, 2021 at 10:09 pm
Jul 12, 2021, 10:16 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,642
Jul 14, 2021, 10:48 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,642
Exploring Downtown DeWitt, Lansing and Michigan State University
Unfortunately, for the first day of our trip I was stuck working. The GF and her grandmother spent the morning exploring some local markets and I managed to break away after lunch to meet them in Downtown DeWitt, a bedroom community just north of Lansing where her grandmother lived. Since she flew up a few days before me and rented the car, we were unable to use my EE status with National and she was stuck with the most gutless Hyundai Kona golf cart I’ve ever driven. Thankfully we wouldn’t have to do much driving on this trip.
Downtown DeWitt is rather small but pleasant, rows of shops extend about a block and a half in each direction with a small park at one end. We walked around and explored a few shops before I had to peel away and find a coffee shop to take a quick meeting. Afterwards, we met back up at a local ice cream parlor where they made homemade waffle cones. We grabbed a couple of cones and took a stroll around the park before heading into town.
Our gutless rental car
Downtown DeWitt
Looking Glass Brewing
My boardroom for the afternoon
Yum!
After exploring DeWitt we headed over to East Lansing to explore the campus of Michigan State University. The GF’s parents moved here when she was 3 to attend Graduate School so she grew up on the campus. It was fun getting to explore the campus and even see the student family apartments where she lived (though after 25 years they had been abandoned and were falling into disrepair).
MSU Campus
Red Cedar River
Spartan Stadium
Spartan Stadium
Spartan Stadium
Spartan Stadium
Library
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Yackeley Hall
Baseball Field
Landon Hall
Spartan Village Student Housing
After exploring campus we were off to find a place for dinner. TripAdvisor was less than helpful but after some Google searching we found Lansing Brewing Company. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, the wait was over an hour so we went down the street to the Soup Spoon Cafe. The restaurant was more upscale than the name suggested but the food was decent at best.
After dinner, we headed back to DeWitt and checked out Looking Glass Brewing before calling it a night. We had an early wake up call as we were off to see Holland and Grand Rapids the next day.
Downtown DeWitt is rather small but pleasant, rows of shops extend about a block and a half in each direction with a small park at one end. We walked around and explored a few shops before I had to peel away and find a coffee shop to take a quick meeting. Afterwards, we met back up at a local ice cream parlor where they made homemade waffle cones. We grabbed a couple of cones and took a stroll around the park before heading into town.
Our gutless rental car
Downtown DeWitt
Looking Glass Brewing
My boardroom for the afternoon
Yum!
After exploring DeWitt we headed over to East Lansing to explore the campus of Michigan State University. The GF’s parents moved here when she was 3 to attend Graduate School so she grew up on the campus. It was fun getting to explore the campus and even see the student family apartments where she lived (though after 25 years they had been abandoned and were falling into disrepair).
MSU Campus
Red Cedar River
Spartan Stadium
Spartan Stadium
Spartan Stadium
Spartan Stadium
Library
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Yackeley Hall
Baseball Field
Landon Hall
Spartan Village Student Housing
After exploring campus we were off to find a place for dinner. TripAdvisor was less than helpful but after some Google searching we found Lansing Brewing Company. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, the wait was over an hour so we went down the street to the Soup Spoon Cafe. The restaurant was more upscale than the name suggested but the food was decent at best.
After dinner, we headed back to DeWitt and checked out Looking Glass Brewing before calling it a night. We had an early wake up call as we were off to see Holland and Grand Rapids the next day.
Jul 19, 2021, 8:54 am
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
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Posts: 4,642
Spent the last 4 days in Missouri for the MasterCraft Boats reunion and managed to destroy my phone, so a slight delay on the rest of this TR while I get that sorted out.
Jul 19, 2021, 11:39 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,642
Will do, thanks! I see that you're a fellow Geaux Tigers like myself
LOL.
Jul 20, 2021, 10:51 pm
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
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Posts: 4,642
While I enjoyed Holland, I was blown away by Grand Rapids. An awesome downtown area and it gives me the feel of an Austin 20 years ago. The GF and I are already talking about going back for a weekend just in Grand Rapids and maybe catch an MSU game.
Last edited by wakesetter93; Jul 20, 2021 at 11:01 pm
Jul 21, 2021, 1:05 pm
#13
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Let me check my Logbook
Programs: Southwest Rapid Rewards; AAdvantage; Alaska Mileage Plan; Wyndham Rewards; Choice Hotels
Posts: 2,350
Too bad you couldn't see the Tulip Time Parade in Holland. I marched in the Tulip Time Parade in Holland back in 1979. Marched 5 miles in the rain playing saxophone along with others in the Marching Band of the High School I went to back then.
Jul 21, 2021, 2:56 pm
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Titanium, UA Gold (*G), DL Silver, Makers Mark Ambassador
Posts: 4,642
I'm off to the Apple Store to get my phone screen replaced so hopefully the next part is coming soon.
Jul 21, 2021, 7:13 pm
#15
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: St. Paul, MN
Programs: Delta Platinum Medallion, IHG Gold, HH Silver
Posts: 448
Great report and photos. My wife and I were just passing through Grand Rapids, MI this past weekend - which I know is not far from Lansing. Looks like you had a great trip!