DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit Tigers Opening Day is almost here. They take on the Chicago White Sox just after 1 p.m. at Comerica Park on Friday.
With about 200,000 people expected to flood downtown, knowing how to navigate and find parking is crucial.
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From downtown to Corktown, establishments like Nemo's anticipate an Opening Day that'll draw nice size crowds and baseball fans fulfilling tradition.
Jeff Bourgeois and his wife, Ann, enjoyed the day over food at Nemo's with friends, one of whom they say flies in from Maryland every year for the past 40 years to mark the occasion.
It seems Tigers baseball is in their blood.
"I got married in 1984, the year the Tigers won the last World Series, and the day after my wedding, we went to the Tigers game," he recalled.
For Bourgeois, the tradition started some 50 years ago when he said he took his youngest brother to his first Opening Day at Tigers Stadium. Years later, he said his brother returned the favor by taking Bourgeois to his first ever Opening Day at Comerica Park.
"It's such an exciting time. It's one of our favorite days 'cause you actually get a lot of people that are traditionalists and have been coming for generations," Tara Garrity, Nemo's general manager, said.
She said the establishment will once again offer a shuttle for fans attending the game.
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You can park at Nemo's and get a ride to and from Comerica Park up to an hour after the game.
"The shuttle tomorrow starts at 11 a.m. It's $5 per person round trip, 16 and under are free," Garrity explained.
The bar said they've been getting calls all day.
Anyone looking to park closer can park in city-owned garages, private lots or metered street parking. But police said beware of scammers.
"Outside of a meter, no one will ever ask you for cash to park on a public street. So if there is metered parking, which you would need to get here extremely early to occupy one of those spots,"Detroit Deputy Chief Franklin Hayes said during a news conference.
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You can also take public transit like the Detroit Department if Transportation bus for $2 bucks, the QLINE or the Detroit People Mover.
