Crowne Plaza Amsterdam - South

The Shepards’ Not-So-Grand Tour: Detroit...

Liked: We never saw it because ourvoland was delayed a full day.
Disliked: The Shepards’ Not-So-Grand Tour: Detroit EditionAh yes, another grand adventure has begun! The Shepards are on their way to Amsterdam to frolic among the tulips. Or so we thought. Reality check: we are still in Detroit—once the steel mill capital of the world, now the unexpected layover capital of our trip.We kicked things off bright and early at 9 AM Memphis time on 4/2, full of optimism and completely unaware of the cosmic forces conspiring against us. Our first obstacle? A plane from China, casually delayed by five hours. When we finally boarded, the aircraft promptly developed a maintenance issue (naturally), and after a dramatic hunt for a replacement part, the crew nearly timed out. But wait, there’s more! Just as we thought we might get going, the heavens opened, rain poured, and a lightning strike on the tarmac triggered another 15-minute delay. Oh, and did we mention Canadian airspace suddenly shut down? Because of course, it did.Four hours later, we were gifted food vouchers worth a grand $12, which, in airport economics, is just enough to almost afford a side of fries. Along with this royal bounty, we received a hotel voucher and had to navigate the “pick a place, any place” list to find ourselves at a Comfort Inn. The cherry on top? We had to rebook our own flight to Amsterdam because, apparently, that’s our job now.Fast forward a few hours: The hotel shuttle ferried us back and forth, giving us just enough time for a quick shower and a whisper of sleep before the next round of airport antics. But first, a pit stop at the Comfort Inn’s flooded breakfast area, where two inches of standing water greeted us like an avant-garde foot spa. The cook, ever the optimist, kindly directed us through a “mostly non-slip” pathway to get a single cup of coffee—because nothing says “bon voyage” like a morning obstacle course.Then came the Airport Gauntlet.