Community Corner

A Couple of (Car) Free-Spirited Women Sponsor 'Holidaze On The Bus'

Since 2010, Melissa Damaschke and Julie Funke have been blogging about navigating southeast Michigan without a car. Their first sponsored event Saturday is a bus shopping trip to Royal Oak and Ferndale businesses.

Whether by bicycle or bus, Melissa Damaschke of Ferndale and Julie Funke of Berkley have discovered they don’t need no stinking car (or the fuel bills) to experience southeast Michigan.

Since 2010, they have been blogging about their experiences while navigating Detroit’s metro transit system, via bike and bus, “sober and not sober,” Damanschke and Funke wrote on their Facebook page, 2 Women 4 Wheels.

They say, ahem, “we built this city on walk and roll.”

Find out what's happening in Ferndalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

So when you take part in 2 Women 4 Wheels’ first sponsored event – “Holidaze On The Bus,” a shopping tour of Royal Oak and Ferndale – be sure to bring along a fun, ready-for-anything attitude, along with $6 in bus fare ($1 bills only) that will get you from here to there and back home again in a few fast Detroit minutes.

If you’re game, RSVP on Facebook.

Find out what's happening in Ferndalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Here’s Saturday’s schedule:

10:15 am.: Meet at 13th and Woodward. Park in the out-lot of the shopping plaza or leave your bikes there. Please don’t bring your bikes on the bus, as there’s limited service on the weekend, as well as limited space on the bike racks.

10:21 a.m.: Board the SMART 460 route heading southbound to Royal Oak.

10:35 a.m.: Arrive in Royal Oak, with shopping stops at the Royal Oak Farmers Market; Bean & Leaf for a hot drink and snack; Write Impressions; and Cloverleaf Wine and/or Franklin Wine & Gifts.

12:56 p.m.: Take the SMART 460 southbound, arriving at Ninth and Woodward.

1:06 p.m.: Arrive in Ferndale, with stops at Woodward Avenue Brewers for a drink and quick lunch; Rustbelt Market; Naka; Ferndale Bike Shop; and Pinwheel Bakery for another snack, or perhaps a treat to come home.

3:36 p.m.: Ready to call it a day? Return to Ninth and Woodward and hop on the SMART 460 northbound to 13th and Woodward.

3:56 p.m.: The SMART 450 departs Ninth and Woodward northbound to 13th and Woodward.



Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here