Michigan

By: D.B., P3
 * Michigan **

———————————————————————————————————————————————————  Michigan was first discovered about 1618 and governed by the French. The first permanent settlement was established in 1668. Great Britain took possession of the territory in 1763. After the Revolutionary War, the United States acquired most of the region. Michigan was the 26th state admitted on January 26, 1837. The capital is Lansing. Prior to becoming a state Michigan was know as the “Michigan Territory”. The apple blossom was adopted as the state flower on April 28, 1897. Michigan designated the robin as the state bird in 1931 and the white pine as official state tree in 1955. Michigan is the leader in the production of motor vehicles and parts.
 * HISTORY **

Michigan’s motto is “Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam, Circumspice” (If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you). The name Michigan is based on the Chippewa Indian word "meicigama" meaning //great water//, and refers to the Great Lake. Thirty-two counties in Michigan also have names that came from Native American languages. Michigan’s nicknames are “The Wolverine State” and “The Great Lakes State”.

The state of Michigan borders four of the five Great Lakes. It is divided into Upper and Lower Peninsulas by the Straits of Mackinac, which connect lakes Michigan and Huron. The Mackinac Bridge, which is one the world’s longest suspension bridges connects the two parts of the state. The Sault Ste. Marie Canal connects lakes Superior and Huron. Michigan has over 10,000 inland lakes and over 3,000 miles of Great Lake shoreline, which makes it a prime area for commercial and sport fishing.

I chose to visit Michigan because my favorite college football team is the Michigan Wolverines. I have always wanted to see the Great Lakes. We are staying at a hotel in Detroit so we will be able to do a lot of sightseeing downtown. While in Michigan we plan to visit Michigan University in Ann Arbor, the Detroit Zoo, the Henry Ford Museum, Lake Huron and go to a Detroit Red Wings hockey game at the Joe Louis Arena. I'm very excited to visit Michigan. I think it will be a great trip!

——————————————————————————————————————————————————— I will be 13 today, finally a teenager! The first thing I will do is open my birthday presents! Then we will drive to Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI). My mom wants to leave at 2:30 am to allow enough time to get there, check-in and go through security. She says it will take us about 1 hour and 30 minutes to get to the airport. We are planning to eat breakfast in the food court at the airport. Our flight will depart at 6:15 am and will arrive in Detroit at 8:00 am. Upon arrival we will pick-up our rental car at 8:30 and drive to the hotel, which is located in downtown Detroit. We will do some sightseeing and have lunch until it’s time to check-in at 3:00 pm. Then we’ll unpack and leave for dinner around 6:00. After dinner we plan to go back to the room for the evening and watch a movie.
 * ITINERARY **
 * Day 1: DEC. 24, Baltimore-Detroit **

Today is Christmas! Mom brought a few of our presents along for us to open. I’m very excited I hope I get an ipod touch. We plan to have a nice breakfast at one of the restaurants in the Renaissance Center. Then we’ll do some sightseeing downtown because a lot of the places will be closed for Christmas. We’ll have lunch at one of the local restaurants. Later that evening we plan to go to Laffrey’s Steak House, which is suppose to have the best steaks and seafood in town. After grabbing a quick breakfast at Starbuck’s (I love their Cappuccinos), we will visit the GM Showroom at the GM Renaissance Center. There General Motors’ vehicles are showcased. They include production models, vintage and concept vehicles. After that we plan on having lunch at one of the location restaurants and doing more sightseeing downtown. Later that evening at 7:00 pm we are going to a Detroit Red Wings hockey game. They are playing the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Joe Louis Arena. I’m so excited to go, I love ice hockey! ** Day 4: DEC. 27, Dearborn ** Today we are having breakfast at the hotel and then visiting the Henry Ford Museum. That should be really cool! Some of the exhibits they have on display are: Automobile in American Life, Dymaxion House, Heros of the Sky, Goldenrod, and Presidential Limos. We’ll probably have lunch at the museum since we a plan on spending most of the day there. After dinner we will go to the Greenfield Village Holiday Nights, which is open from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm. Mom really wants to go there. They have candle-lit paths, live entertainment, costumed presenters, carriage and Model T rides, holiday shops, Santa and live reindeer, ice skating, and fireworks. ** Day 5: DEC. 28, Dundee ** We’re having breakfast at Starbuck’s again and then we are going to Splash Universe Indoor Waterpark for the day. It’s about an hour ad 10 minutes to the water park. They have lots Water slides, a Lazy River and an Arcade! We are planning to eat lunch there at the Treehouse Pub and Grub Restaurant. After breakfast we are driving to Ann Arbor and spending the day there. It will take us about 45 minutes to get there. Our plans are to visit Michigan University. I want to go to the stadium and see where the Michigan Wolverines play football. They’re my favorite college team. I wish they were still playing, so I could see a game. That would be awesome! We also plan to visit the Crisler Center were they play basketball and do some sightseeing. We’ll probably drive back to Detroit and have dinner. Later mom said maybe we could go to Laser Quest, which is in Madison Heights about 20 minutes from the hotel. We plan to get up early, have breakfast and drive to Lake Huron for the day. Lake Huron is the second largest of the Great Lakes. It will take us about an hour and 15 minutes to get there. We will be traveling very close to the border of Ontario, Canada. I wanted to drive into Canada, but mom says we can’t because we need to have a passport. We intend to spend the day sightseeing and we will probably eat dinner there and drive back to the hotel later that evening. ** Day 8: DEC. 31, Detroit ** Today is New Year’s Eve. We are having breakfast at the hotel and then visiting the Detroit Zoo. Our plans are to have lunch at the zoo and spend the entire day there. That should be really fun. My sister and I love seeing all the different animals. My favorite is the penguins! Later will be go for dinner and go downtown to watch the fireworks and celebrate New Year’s Eve. Having breakfast at the hotel today. We are planning to go to the Hockeytown Café to watch the college football bowl games. Later will go for dinner and get our stuff packed from the trip home. ** Day 10: JAN. 2, Detroit – Baltimore ** We will check out of the hotel around 7:00 am and drive to the Detroit Wayne County Airport (DWT). It will take us approximately 30 minutes to get there. The rental car needs to be returned by 8:00 am. We should have plenty of time. After returning the rental car we have to check-in, go through security and then we’ll eat breakfast in the food court at the airport. Our flight departs from Detroit at 10:20 am and we are scheduled to arrive in Baltimore at 12:03 pm. Then we will drive home.
 * Day 2: DEC. 25, Detroit **
 * Day 3: DEC. 26, Detroit **
 * Day 6: DEC. 29, Ann Arbor – Madison Heights **
 * Day 7: Dec. 30, Lake Huron **
 * Day 9: JAN. 1, Detroit **



——————————————————————————————————————————————————— ** TRAVEL PLANS ** Depart: 6:15 am Baltimore, MD (BWI) to Arrive: 8:00 am Detroit, MI (DTW) Northwest Airlines Flight 7153 Total Travel Time: 1 hr. 45 mins. Depart: 10:20 am Detroit, MI (DTW) to Arrive: 12:03 pm Baltimore, MD (BWI) Northwest Airlines Flight 7314 Total Travel Time: 1 hr. 43 mins.
 * FLIGHT **
 * Thu., Dec. 24, 2009 BWI to DTW **
 * Sat., Jan. 2, 2010 DTW to BWI **

Flight: 4 Round-Trip Tickets including taxes and fees Enterprise Rent a Car Intermediate Car Call For Car Company Shuttle
 * Total: $2,288.80**
 * CAR RENTAL **
 * Pick-up: ** Thu., Dec. 24, 8:30 am
 * Location: ** Detriot Wayne County (DTW)
 * Drop-off: ** Sat., Jan. 2, 8:00 am

Rate: 1 week @ $212.77 2 extra days @ $30.39 Subtotal $273.55 Taxes and Fees $61.23
 * Total: $334.78**



——————————————————————————————————————————————————— Renaissance Center Detroit, MI 48243 313-568-8000 Cost per night: $159.50 per person (Includes taxes and fees)
 * ACCOMMODATIONS **
 * Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center **
 * Total: $1,435.50**

The Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center soars 73 floors above the Detroit River. The hotel is located on the newly revitalized Riverwalk, with jogging paths, bike rentals facilities, carousels, fountains and festivals. Comercia Park, Forld Field, Fox Theatre and the Joe Louis Arena are conveniently located near the hotel. • Non-Smoking • Restaurant On Site • High-Speed Internet • Room Service • Fitness Facility • Dry Cleaning/Laundry • Business and Convention Center • Meeting Rooms • Executive Floor • Interior Corridors • Wheelchair Accessible
 * Hotel Amenities **
 * Dining Options **
 * Corner Market ** – Hotel Gift Shop serving light menu items and sundry items
 * 42 Degrees North ** – Creative local cuisine complimented by a locally themed interior décor
 * Volt ** – Featuring the 5 10 20 Menu offering items that are available in that amount of minutes
 * Room Service **



——————————————————————————————————————————————————— 1. Stop mail and newspaper 2. Clean house 3. Pack suitcases 4. Make sure we have tickets 5. Unplug TV and other electronic devices 6. Fill car up with gas 7. Take dog and food to grandparents 8. Let the neighbors know about trip (how long and when we’ll be back) 9. Load car 10. Make sure house is locked
 * PRE-TRIP PLANNING **[[image:checklist.jpg width="572" height="328" align="right" caption="http://uxbooth.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2009/03/checklist.jpg"]]

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 * ESTIMATED COSTS **


 * Total Estimated Cost: $6,909.08**

[|MichiganGraph.pdf]

——————————————————————————————————————————————————— Detroit Marriott – [|www.detroitmarriott.com] Detroit Zoo – [|www.detroitzoo.org] GM Renaissance Center – [|www.gmrencen.com] Henry Ford Museum – [|www.hfmgv.org] Hockeytown Café – [|www.hockeytowncafe.com] Michigan History – [|www.usgennet.org/usa/mi/state/mihis.htm] Travelocity – [|www.travelocity.com] Ticketmaster – [|www.ticketmaster.com] Splash Universe Waterpark – [|www.splashuniverse.com] State Symbols – [|www.statesymbolsusa.org] World Book Online – [|www.worldbookonline/michigan.com]
 * TRAVEL INFORMATION RESOURCES **