Auto show season is the best time of year for automotive journalists, as there is no better way to be informed about the product than to be able to be present at the shows where new models are launched and current models are displayed in every possible iteration.

Auto Shows are also an excellent time to touch base with manufacturer contacts, catch up with our colleagues, and make new friends. Admittedly, this auto show season has been a little strange with the auto industry bailout crisis and concerns about the nation's economic situation, but those worries seem to skip away when standing next to old and new friends watching somebody like Ed Peper (General Motors, North America vice president) pull the silk off a fabulous new Corvette concept.

I must express enormous gratitude to Bridgestone for once again including me among their sponsored journalists at the Chicago Auto Show. It was a great show. Very little Earth-shattering "news" but it was good to be there in the Windy City, which for the first time in 10 years, was not covered under three feet of snow. I came back with lots of fodder for several good articles, from the new Transformers Autobot cars from General Motors, to Ford announcing its 2010 Transit Connect compact commercial van, to the GMC Acadia winning the Bark Buckle-Up Dog Friendly award, to the winners of the Bridgestone Safety Scholars video awards, and the IntelliChoice Best Overall Value Awards. The Tweets were flying fast and furiously! More on all these subjects to come in the near future. We even had a facebook meetup of automotive journalists in the Lobby of the Swissotel!

It's always a great atmosphere there, because Chicago icon Paul Brian works so hard to create a great show personality, and the organizers plan so much excellent media hospitality. The usual giant "Cars and Stars" media event sponsored by XM radio moved this year to Buddy Guy's Legends http://buddyguys.com/ for awesome blues music in a much more intimate venue. I was thankful to have the opportunity to dance the dirty blues with Thom Cannell, the good old-fashioned swing with Ken Gross, and get my groove on with Jim McCraw, some of the best-dancing and finest gentlemen I know in the industry. I talked briefly with Scott Monty at Ford, shook hands with all my favorite GM people, and ate a delicious steak dinner at Gibsons courtesy of Suzuki.

Unfortunately, on Thursday, I made a mistake reading my ticket departure time, and arrived about 10 minutes too late to board my flight out. As a result, I spent six anxious hours at the airport watching my standby status on the next four flights to Los Angeles...just as I was making backup plans to camp at the airport overnight, the counterperson called my name for the last seat on the last fight to Los Angeles. What a relief that was, but by the time I picked up my car and got home, it was 3am before I could finally climb into bed.

Media days are over and the show is now open to the public to attend and view the many cars until February 21 from 10 am to 10 pm; and on February 22 from 10 am to 8 pm at Chicago's McCormick Place, 2301 South Martin Luther King Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60616. Ticket prices are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors 62 and older and children age 7-12; children age 0-6 are free. Attendees can buy tickets online at DriveChicago.com.

Thanks to Bridgestone, visitors to the 2009 Chicago Auto Show have had the opportunity to get autographs from IndyCar Series stars Marco Andretti and Milka Duno, gather car care tips from auto expert Trisha Hessinger, and meet a couple of the Chicago area's most popular radio personalities, John Howell and Cisco Cotto from WIND radio. Also, the show has had lots of other friendly activities for families, including a short Jeep driving track, Boy Scouts Pinewood Derby, Chicago Storm autograph session, hourly character appearances from Legoland and Brookfield Zoo, and even a special appearance from Dora the Explorer!

If you're planning to attend within the next few days, you'll definitely want to know about the remaining activities and special appearances which can be found here at the official chicagoautoshow.com Web site. Support the economy: Attend the show and find a car to buy!

Every year, the Chicago Auto Show is a great experience! And yes, my usually gray hair has lots of pink streaks--it was fun to put a few more in just for the show!

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brandys  - Auto Show a Benefit to SAAD Sufferers, says scient |02-5-2009 This just came in from show producer, Paul Brian: Dear Brandy, Professor Vinny Boombatz of the Dangerfield Institute has presented Chicago Auto Show officials with a study that implies that seven of the displays now staged in McCormick Place can positively impact those with Seasonal Automotive Affective Disorder (SAAD). "We have found that the lighting in these displays have the proper spectral wavelength to help bring about a positive physiological phenomenon known as 'a smile,'" said Boombatz. "The most amazing thing is that the displays are inside a building where it is a constant 72 degrees with no snow, rain, slush, ice--or even the heartbreak of Psoriasis--to negatively interfere with a show patron's ability to receive this positive homeopathic phenomenon." Show officials were pleased with the findings of Dr. Boombatz' study, further noting the plentiful covered and underground parking at McCormick Place and in the huge Millennium Park lots near McCormick Place. "He's one of the giants of the industry," said Mark Scarpelli, chairman of the 2009 Chicago Auto Show. "While we wish his study had been released prior to the opening of our show, we're thrilled that during our show's closing weekend, patrons will still be able to take advantage of the benefits of 'The Bright Lights' in our displays, and not even have to deal with tough conditions to get here." Some media may try--in the interests of an attempted ratings boost--to employ the tired, weary practice of warning viewers and listeners of impending doom, replete with advisories to buy water, food, bread and praying the Rosary based on a couple inches of snow. "Aren't we Chicagoans?" said Scarpelli. "Aren't we made of tougher stuff? Aren't we the ones who first said, 'It ain't over 'til we say it's over?' We say heck yeah, we are! And now we have the findings of a renowned scientist to further motivate people to visit the auto show and help them cure this terrible condition. And who knows, if they happen to see a shiny new car or truck they like while they're here, that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, either, would it?" Professor Boombatz concluded, "I generally take public transportation to the auto show, but for those who don't, the McCormick Place lots get plowed as if they were on the Mayor's list of favorites!" The Chicago Auto Show is open Friday until 10 p.m., and will open Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m. and close at 10 p.m. Saturday night and 8 p.m. on Sunday, the show's final day. For advance ticket sales, celebrity and sports star appearances times, and more information, please visit www.ChicagoAutoShow.com. Paul Brian Director of Communications, Chicago Auto Show ReplyQuote 0 0

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