3 Fun Things to do in Northwest Indiana: Cool Car… No Boundaries

Nobody loves promoting Restaurants, Events, and Fun Things to do more than Jim Jano. So when Griegers asked this hyper-creative guy to write a monthly blog about cruising Valpo and Northwest Indiana… Jano had 2 conditions….“ Give me a cool car, and no boundaries”

As a fan of cool cars, outdoor dining, and cruising, I couldn’t be more excited to spend the day exploring Northwest Indiana.  It was the perfect day- 80 degrees, sunny, and not a cloud in the sky. I wondered what kind of car or truck my sponsor, Griegers Motors, would pick for my adventure. Would it be a powerful and rugged Ram Truck. Maybe I would cruise in style…. a luxurious Chrysler 300. Then there’s the iconic American muscle car, the Dodge Challenger. Is there anything as cool as the sound of a throating Hemi cruising Valpo’s downtown square?

As I sat at the intersection on US 30, I could see Justin Carlson polishing a new Jeep Wrangler in front of the family owned dealership. Justin is Griegers’s Internet Manager, but if you ask Justin what he does, he’ll proudly say, “whatever I can”. I think he’s right. He’s the ultimate advocate. He is the ambassador you see at Valpo’s downtown events. The guy handing out candy at Halloween, giving out popcorn at Popcorn Fest, or volunteering at a Dave Rodgers charity event. Justin bleeds Griegers red.

As I pulled up, Justin smiled, tossed me the keys to the Jeep Wrangler and asked me if I was ready for a day I would never forget. Yes please! I liked where this is going. But before taking off on my adventure, Justin insisted he show off everything this all-new Jeep had to offer. This was getting cool.

The Wrangler is the quintessential Jeep. Yeah! Sounds pretentious, until you watch the famous Jeep segment on the History Channel. If you haven’t seen the story of the Jeep, do it! Some people say the Jeep was America’s secret weapon for winning WWII. I would say it’s the secret weapon for impressing my friends in Lake County, where owning an American vehicle is synonymous with patriotism.

Justin was born to be a car guy. His presentation was as polished as the Jeeps authentic chrome grill. Justin informed me that I would be driving the all-new 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL. He told me the new JL was designed to honor the Wranglers heritage and off-road capability, while improving passenger space, comfort, and modern conveniences. I couldn’t help but think of what Ernie Pyle once said of the Jeep, just before being killed during World War II.

 “It does everything. It goes everywhere. It’s as faithful as a dog, strong as a mule, and as agile as a goat. It constantly carries twice what it was designed for, and keeps on going.”  -Ernie Pyle

No Boundaries.   I was surprised that the Jeep had so many modern conveniences. Even the dashboard was ultra-cool, including a 7″ monitor. Justin described it as a “Uconnect touchscreen infotainment”. The new Jeep has it all, including Apple CarPlay, Automatic climate control, and a removable roof. Yep, this Jeep was pretty cool!

I was excited to get out on the road. I took all the backroads to Hobart, traveling through Crown Point, Schererville, and Merrillville. I arrived at my friend’s house in Hobart in record time… 2 hours. It usually takes 15 minutes. Darn! Nobody home. I assumed everyone was probably at the beach. I decided I would check out the dunes, and why not? I was in the ultimate convertible. I figured I would explore Ogden Dunes and Dune Acres. The Jeep is clearly the vehicle of choice in beach communities. The Wrangler is not just the quintessential Jeep; it’s the quintessential summer vehicle. I found it interesting that everyone waves at you when you’re in a Jeep….they say it’s “a Jeep thing.”

Driving back through Porter and Chesterton, I really fought off the urge to take this bad boy off-road and put the 3.6 liter-V6 to the test. Although this is the legendary 4×4 that started it all, I don’t think my sponsors at Griegers Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram would appreciate bringing the Jeep back full of mud. I took a short cut back to Valpo via New Buffalo. After all, my condition was, cool car… no boundaries!

I ended my journey in the Vale of Paradise, in Valpo’s quaint downtown square, where I would dine el fresco. I got lucky and found parking right in front of Restaurante don Quijote. Carlos, the owner and Valpo’s most celebrated Chef, smirked as I drove up. I made sure I called him in advance so he could see how cool I looked pulling up. Carlos joined me at my table. I ordered my typical favorites: croquetas, Spanish mushrooms, and manchego cheese. Carlos surprised me with some paella. Amazing! Nobody does paella better!  As we dined, I shared with Carlos my assignment to write a monthly blog series for Griegers. Always the promoter, Carlos wanted to be certain his restaurant received its share of publicity, so he asked me to mention in my blog that he’ll give anyone a $25 Dinner for Two Certificate to anyone that takes a test drive at Griegers during the month of August. If you want to experience your best day ever, I would take him up on the offer, especially if it’s in a new Jeep….  and no boundaries!

Cool Car….No Boundaries. Your Blog for Fun things to do in Northwest Indiana.

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Tags: 300, Apple CarPlay, cars, Challenger, Chrysler, Crown Point, dealer, Dodge, Grieger's, Hobart, Jano, Jeep, Merrillville, No Boundaries, Northwest Indiana, Ogden Dunes, Ram, Schererville, Valparaiso, Valpo, Wrangler
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