Well, I started my Winter exercise bike-riding regimen this morning. There were no excuses about a cold basement today, so off I marched at the crack of dawn. I did a handful of half-hearted stretches then climbed aboard. All was going well until the furnace kicked on then I stopped so I wouldn’t get overheated. (Good excuse!) I used to run oscillating fans in the basement in the Winter when I rode my exercise bike but I decided against it, hoping it would motivate me to pedal faster, get the miles done and head back upstairs. While I could never hope to accomplish the feat nor have one-quarter of the stamina of the riders in the Tour de France, I do hope to get some good cardiovascular activity going and keep my legs strong so I am able to hit the ground running when weather permits and I start walking again. So today, while the bike became my wheels of choice over a car, not far away Henry Ford’s creation puts Detroit into a favorable light during the North American International Auto Show which press previews began this morning. I was surprised to hear the NAIAS is already in its 25th year as an international auto show … wherever did the years go? I know from working for decades in the City, the regular downtown Detroit workers regarded the auto show as an annual annoyance. The attorneys, especially, would grumble about it because they could not find a restaurant to eat, especially during auto show preview week, and parking became a real pain, even if you were a prepaid parking garage tenant. We used to have to ask the Buhl Building parking garage to block off a certain amount of parking spaces if clients or other counsel were expected at our office, otherwise the parking was at a premium and they often could not find a place to park. If our attorneys left the office for a few hours, the garage attendants would put a barrier across their vacated spot because parking spaces were that dear. The auto show is indeed Detroit’s jewel, especially the Charity Preview Night this coming Friday evening, and the event will not even pale in comparison to all the glitz and glam of last night’s Golden Globe Awards festivities. At least people can see the revitalized Cobo Hall and our beautiful auto show and witness Detroit in a different light then the barrage of blight and bankruptcy photos that tarnish our fair City.