Last nights First Look

[CreativeVision]

Spent last night at the Chicago First Look to Charity event and it was a blast. I should have eaten more food and drank more, but so hard to do when you really just want to sit in all the cars and take advantage of not having to wait in a line to get in them. GM's offering was very nice, and I am extremely impressed with the Acadia! I went into the show with the idea in my head that I was going to narrow down my search to about 3-5 'CARS' then test drive for a purchase in the next few months. My initial list consisted of all cars and wagons. I left the show scratching my head and hard pressed to find anything else that could beat the Acadia for the cost and what it offers for a family hauler. I'll go for test drives in the coming weeks to make a final decision.

Couple other notables...G8 looks just as good in person as the pictures we've seen here. Outlook was also nice on the outside, but the interior was drab in comparison to the Acadia. G6 GXP and Vue Redline are still long in the tooth, the Redline being worse. Plus the Vue now looks ALOT smaller than before?!? New Malibu looks good, but after sitting in an Aura I question how roomy it really is going to be. Aura did not have much reat seat room in my opinion (I'm 5'11", and like to stretch out while allowing someone of equal size to sit behind me). Not going to happen in an Aura. I was also disappointed by the VERY small trunk opening on the Aura...Pathetic! Good luck if you have a stroller or golf bag! I did not see the Hummer H4 anywhere...however 2 of the 11 Sema Lucernes were on display--the Purple one from SS brakes and the orange and black two-tone.

Only saw a few local celebs from NBC 5. Alison Rosati, Warner Saunders, Brant Miller were all within 5 feet of me waiting for the ceremonies to begin. Shaun Robinson of Access Hollywood Weekend Edition Fame was also on hand to help announce the winners of the 3 car give-aways. I didn't win any... There was another couple of NBC guys there, but their names elude me right now. Jesse White also was in attendance during the car give-away ceremony.

In total the event managed to acquire a little over 2.8 Million dollars to go to the 19 charities. A great reason to spend the $200 a ticket.

I took some pictures, but nothing really that we haven't all seen before here on the web. Same cars, same colors...

I would definitley go to this event again in the future...although I don't think I'll get the tickets as a Christmas gift again.

[Sixty8panther]

Holy $h!, charity or not $200 a ticket is TOO much!

[knightfan26917]

I would definitley go to this event again in the future...although I don't think I'll get the tickets as a Christmas gift again.

*grins*

Thought of you this morning on my way to work as a couple radio stations I listen to discussed that First Look For Charity event. Sounds like you had a good time ... thanks for the writeup!

Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker

PICS:lego.HO.model.MCinfo.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"I want a 2-tone Chevrolet" ... BJ Thomas ... '2-Car Garage'

[Autoholic217]

Holy $h!, charity or not $200 a ticket is TOO much!

I'm pretty sure NAIAS's was 400 a pop.

[Croc]

Holy $h!, charity or not $200 a ticket is TOO much!

??????

That seems quite reasonable, actually...I mean you're paying for the event plus a decent charity donation...otherwise too many people would pay for the event, eat the food, and donate nothing.

[aaaantoine]

I would imagine that a price tag like that also keeps the attendance down to a comfortable level.

That's the only thing that keeps me from suggesting $75 per ticket instead of $200.

[CreativeVision]

I'm pretty sure NAIAS's was 400 a pop.

That is correct...I thought my wife was nuts paying this much for my christmas gift(we usually try to budget much less for each other and save the big money for my son). Then I was doing some browsing on the web and saw the NAIAS charity event going for $400 a ticket and couldn't believe the deal we got. Funny how perception works like that! Almost like gas prices...we scoffed at $2.60 a gallon, but when it came down to $2.30 it was a steal. Even though we once scoffed at that price too in the days of paying $1.50 a gallon.

[RichW5]

I'm glad you and your wife enjoyed the "First Look". My wife and I did it for a few years along with some friends and had a good time, even though my wife doesn't like "car shows".

It sounds like you and you wife are smart enough to "budget" for something special, so $200 a ticket isn't bad. I wish my step-sons knew what the word "budget" meant. They piss away all their money and then come to "mommy" to pay their bills.

Most people that complain about the cost of "First Look" probably waste their money on trivial trash that doesn't leave them with the memory of sharing a special moment with someone you love.

Maybe we'll go next year, although my wife has promised the grandson a trip to Disney World or a Disney Cruise. Personally, I'd rather take him to "First Look", but at 5 years old, Disney is his #1 priority.