<p>OP’s friend could be really annoying, wanting to go to every rest stop, and talking non-stop, or worst yet, a front seat driver.</p>
<p>Road trip!!! I wanna go!</p>
<p>I went to Cranbrook an eon ago. Arlyce is still there. I had her as a teacher in one of her first years.</p>
<p>Toledo has a nice art museum with a special glass section because of Libbey Glass. I wouldn’t make a trip to see Toledo, though the history is interesting in an odd way. According to the actual laws - Northwest Ordinances, etc. - the boundary of Michigan and Ohio was supposed to be lower than it is. Ohio took the land and since it was a state and Michigan a territory not much could be done … except for a tiny little “war” in which I think 1 guy died. But then to appease Michigan, they robbed the remaining territory - then Wisconsin Territory - by taking the Upper Peninsula and giving it to Michigan in exchange for giving Toledo to Ohio. This was considered a really bad deal for Michigan but it couldn’t be helped and the mess held up Michigan’s entry into the union for almost 20 years. (Territories were supposed to become states automatically on reaching a certain population but they also had to be “approved” and …). Then they discovered iron ore in the UP.</p>
<p>As a further part of the mess, Indiana stole a big chunk because it was supposed to just run to the bottom of Lake Michigan - and so Illinois did even better and grabbed more. Totally illegal but what can you do?</p>
<p>Man, first people are knocking Detroit , now you’re knocking my town Toledo! 
joking.</p>
<p>True, not a ton to see in Toledo - believe me, I know! But our art museum is quite nice and again, right off 75.</p>
<p>I am just knocking OP’s driving partner.</p>
<p>I love Spaghetti Warehouse in Toledo. I also love the science center there and the Toledo zoo.</p>
<p>Haven’t been in a few years but we used to drive between Chicago and Pittsburgh several times a year. Very boring for the most part!
For breakfast in Pittsburgh - one of the Pamela’s. [Pamela’s</a> Diner! | Welcome to (P&G) Pamela’s Diner<a href=“I%20prefer%20the%20Shadyside%20location.”>/url</a> Something to see - Phipps Conservatory behind Carnegie Mellon. [url=<a href=“http://phipps.conservatory.org/]Pittsburgh”>http://phipps.conservatory.org/]Pittsburgh</a> Attractions | Phipps Conservatory](<a href=“http://www.pamelasdiner.com/]Pamela’s”>http://www.pamelasdiner.com/) For dinner - up on Mt. Washington for the view, maybe Monterey Bay. The Incline is OK for the experience if you’ve never been on one, but you can get the great view from the top without riding it.
Try Vermilion Ohio, between Cleveland and Sandusky - charming little waterfront town with a great French restaurant that opens at 5:00 <a href=“http://www.chezfrancois.com/-[/url]”>http://www.chezfrancois.com/-</a> we once stopped there for an early supper.</p>
<p>You’ll be going right past Ann Arbor so you could stop and see the campus and have a meal at Zingerman’s which is a destination in itself. [Zingerman’s</a> Deli | Sandwiches, cheeses, meat, oils, vinegars, olives, breads, chocolates and more](<a href=“http://www.zingermansdeli.com/]Zingerman’s”>http://www.zingermansdeli.com/)</p>
<p>Only going past Ann Arbor if she decides to take 23 instead of 75. Which would mean that she does not go past Detroit.</p>
<p>The couple of restaurants I mentioned:
[Tony</a> Packos - Hungarian Hot Dogs, Chili, Pickles, & Peppers](<a href=“http://www.tonypacko.com/]Tony”>http://www.tonypacko.com/)</p>
<p>[Melt</a> Bar and Grilled |](<a href=“http://meltbarandgrilled.com/]Melt”>http://meltbarandgrilled.com/)</p>
<p>I would check the DOT websites before I go and check out where there is construction. Toledo is usually in a state of repair, there was construction on I-23 north around Brighton Michigan but I don’t know if that is done. Construction in Michigan has been better than it used to be but Toledo has been a mess. </p>
<p>There is no way I would go up 75 through Detroit to get to Flint. Sorry but the drivers are crazy, the route is confusing and the scenery is urban blight. 23 is boring, nice easy boring driving. </p>
<p>When I get to Toledo on my way north I want to be to my destination. By then I can see the end and want to get there. </p>
<p>I guess I’m showing my curmudgeonly ways lol!</p>
<p>We will all be looking for a detailed report after your trip. ;)</p>
<p>Don’t forget to get gas before you leave Pittsburgh. Really. Can’t emphasize that enough!!</p>
<p>I just drove 75 from Toledo through Detroit (to 94) and there was no construction. There is some construction on 23 near the Mich-Ohio border right now - down to one lane each way for a few miles. None of it too bad though. Really, are there any construction free roads this time of year???! (that said, you WILL find construction on the Ohio Turnpike - bank on that and more than one section of it!)</p>
<p>
There’s no way I’d take other than the direct and easy I-75 through Detroit. I’ve done it hundreds of times. US23 through Ann Arbor would be way longer and slower and it’s another hour from AA to get back to where you would have been with I-75. You might call it urban blight but I’d rather look at buildings and city than nothing.</p>
<p>I am going to suggest a COMPLETELY different route.</p>
<p>Take a look at I-81 North to Syracuse, NY, west on I-90 to Niagra Falls, into Canada through to Sarnia, Ontario/Port Huron, Michigan and then west on I-69 to Flint.</p>
<p>Per google maps the US route on I-80 west and US-23 North is 606 miles. The route I suggested is 623 miles. Do your overnight stop in Niagra-on-the-Lake.</p>
<p>NOTE - you will need passports to enter and leave Canada.</p>
<p>^^^ GREAT idea. The view from the BlueWater bridge crossing from Sarnia into Port Huron is BEAUTIFUL! </p>
<p>You could always go one way there and another way back - two trips for the price of one!</p>
<p>Interesting suggestion UMDAD, but from the actual start and stop points that would be 12+ hours, so a little bit longer. Not a bad idea, and in fact, if we went farther west through NY state, we would be right in the area where my husband and I lived for awhile. Hmmm, I wonder what my driving partner would think of this idea?</p>
<p>If you cut through Canada, which I’ve done many times, make sure you wind your way up into the hills around Hamilton. That route is much shorter than going farther to Toronto to pick up 401W, plus you get to see the exit for the Wayne Gretzky Parkway in Brantford. Couple of caveats: traffic heading toward Toronto can be really slow on the QEW from Niagara in summer and there can be waits at the border coming into the US. Niagara Falls is most definitely worth a look if you’ve never seen it, particularly from the Canadian side. In contrast to an earlier post, I’m not a huge fan of Niagara-by-the-Lake. It’s cute with lots of wine-oriented stores - because they make wine there, particularly “Ice Wine” - but that’s about it for me.</p>
<p>If you’re at all adventurous and want to get off the biggest highways, you can cut through Corning, which has the great glass museum and is a cute town for a stop with nice restaurants - because of Corning Glass - and up toward Rochester. That road north is lightly traveled and the countryside is hilly and pretty. Much more interesting than the drive to Syracuse and no contact with suburban traffic. I’ve taken the “southern tier” route all the way across NY State many times. There is a small gap in the super-highway west of Binghamton - where it reduces to a multi-lane boulevard with some lights - but otherwise it’s a much less traveled, prettier version of an interstate. I’ve driven the side roads through NY to Batavia and picked up the Thruway there but there’s no great reason to do that unless you like looking at farms. It’s easy to stop outside Rochester or towards Buffalo, which is an hour or so, for the night, then go to the Falls and across to Sarnia. It’s a straight shot from Sarnia/Port Huron to Flint and the drive from the bridge is about as long as the drive to Detroit or from Detroit to Flint.</p>
<p>I doubt you’ll have my weirdest border wait at Sarnia: I was next in line when a bunch of police came out and blocked my car. We sat. And sat. And sat. And then a line of oddly shaped container trucks came up with a police escort. Nuclear waste. Lots of paperwork exchanged under police guard. We had to sit until they were long gone.</p>
<p>Completed construction at the BlueWater bridge seems to have somehow eased the wait to cross the border. We cross here several times a summer returning from our cottage - little wait so far this summer. But true, you never know when one car/incident throws everything off.</p>
<p>My favorite border crossing @ Niagra Falls is the Rainbow Bridge right in downtown - no trucks allowed. Once in Canada you are (almost) right on the QEW.</p>
<p>Lergnom is correct - QEW to the 403 to the 401 to the 402 to Sarnia.</p>
<p>As far as Niagra-on-the-Lake is concerned, I have always been very happy staying at the Prince of Wales Hotel and seeing one of the Shaw Festival stage productions.</p>
<p>We’ve driven a lot between NYC/Philadelphia and various points in Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota. Each route has advantages and disadvantages. I-80 tends to be fastest but also has the most harrowing truck traffic. To some extent, trucks tend to avoid the Pa. Turnpike and NY Thruway because of high tolls, funneling most of that traffic onto I-80. I-80 has long and relatively steep hills; some of the heavier trucks slow to a crawl on the uphill, and come barreling past you on the downhill. Yikes! You feel like you’re on a rollercoaster with vehicles 10 or 20 times your size about to run over you. On the other hand, the Pa. Turnpike also has lots of hills, and because it’s a much older road engineered to standards of an earlier era it also has a lot of tough curves, which means that even though there are fewer trucks, you still can get into tight spots with the trucks that are there. Both I-80 and the Pa. Turnpike also have a number of tunnels, which can be nerve-wracking if you’re even mildly claustrophobic, as I am. </p>
<p>The New York route is by far the easiest to drive because it’s generally pretty flat and straight between Syracuse and Buffalo-Niagara, and again in Ontario once you’ve climbed the Niagara Escarpment just west of Hamilton; but that also means it’s less scenic. Niagara Falls and really the whole Niagara region on the Canadian side more than compensate for that. There are some delightful little wineries and local fruitstands in this area (though the U.S. border agents will confiscate any fruit you try to bring back into the U.S.). There’s also the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and slightly further off the path, the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ont. If you have time to take in the sights and maybe a play, it can be a lot of fun. On the downside, those border crossings can be slow. And don’t forget ot bring a passport; it’s now required for entry into Canada and especially for re-entry into the U.S.</p>
<p>For many years the New York route was my preferred route. Lately, traveling mostly to the Philadelphia area, I’ve more often ended up on the Pa. Turnpike. For me the highlight here is Pittsburgh, a surprisingly charming and lively city with a lot of gritty character. I don’t know the city well, but it’s great fun to stop and take in a Pirates game in their very pleasant ballpark right across the river from downtown, and there seem to be plenty of interesting little ethnic eateries. Personally, I find Pittsburgh a much more interesting, livelier, and much more functional city than Cleveland, but I suppose that’s a matter of individual taste.</p>