Arrived in Detroit on Sunday on a Northwest Airlines flight with a big sigh of relief on the tail end of Hurricane Ike, a bumpy white knuckle flight arriving a bit travel weary to be greeted by the ever cheerful and soggy GM welcome committee.

BlogHer's annual conference begins July 18, 2008, and once again Ask Patty is a proud sponsor of BlogHer in Second Life. BlogHer is one of the top women's online networks and the number-one guide to blogs by women.

I had an opportunity to do a walk around and review the 2009 Pontiac Vibe with Dave Poniatowski, Pontiac Product Manager of the Vibe and Solstice. It was a bit of a change of pace from all the focus that was placed on the three new entrants (Solstice Coupe, G8 GXP, and G8 Sport Truck). Many of our readers have asked about the Vibe and Dave was kind enough to give me a personal tour at the New York Auto Show last week.

Are you looking for a new car seat for your infant, toddler or 4-8 year old child but overwhelmed by the choices and worried about how to properly install your car seat? Click the link to watch a video from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on how car seat features differ among various models: Jody DeVere

Greg Grimer of Voices in Business a new media firm specializing in sponsor-lead thought leadership productions, shared these great car travel safety tips with AskPatty readers recently and I thought these are good winter driving safety items to keep in YOUR trunk: Things to carry in your trunk *Duct Tape. Buy a good quality brand from a hardware store. Worth it’s weight in gold.

CNN found that 75% of people surveyed would rather go to the dentist than a car dealership. Most people do however love driving their new car off the dealership lot. Emotions run high when buying a new car. Never be afraid to walk away from a car deal if it doesn't feel right. On the other hand, if your questions have been answered and the deal feels right, take a deep breath, buy your car, and enjoy the drive out.

So, it has been raining cats and dogs in California this week and was lucky I had snagged myself some RainX wipers recently. Of course, they were in my garage as I drove in a torrential downpour (it was almost like a hurricane. Almost.) and used my three-year-old, stock wipers. Oops. Lesson learned the hard way. When I got back home, the first thing I did was install new wiper blades. Turns out you don’t need a special tool. You just pop ‘em off and pop ‘em on!

A great winter read for women who love memoirs and road trips is Eight Women, Two Model Ts, and the American West, where writer Joanne Wilke pieces together the journey her grandmother, great-aunt, and six of their female friends made in a couple of Model Ts. In 1924, the women headed out from Iowa on a sightseeing tour that took them to the Garden of the Gods in Colorado, the Great Salt Lake in Utah, Mount Rainier, the Pacific Ocean, and Yellowstone, to name just a few of the tourist attractions of the American West that the women reached during the nine-week trip.

Planning a long holiday drive? Car sickness a worry? Some of us get car sick at the thought of a long drive some get car sick more often than others, and for many different reasons. Some people get motion sickness every time they take a car ride, kids often get car sick due to all the holiday treats they are not used to eating on that long drive home, others get the dreaded stomach flu, pregnant women suffer with morning sickness, and some get queasy from various medications including chemotherapy treatments.

I am so happy and excited to report that the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on a voice vote, passed a bill that would require federal regulators to consider ways of diminishing blind zones in large SUVs and pickups, prevent vehicles from rolling away and making power windows safer.

Some great gas saving tips to help you save some cash on your Thanksgiving holiday drive:

Announcing CarBlabber. It's car reviews for women by women like you! Is your car sexy? What does your car mean to you? Do you love or hate your car? Is your car a fashion statement or a pile of junk? Ask Patty has just launched CarBlabber, where you can read and write reviews about your car. So what can you do at CarBlabber? *Create a personal car profile *Write car reviews of any car you’ve ever owned or driven or heck, even seen! * Connect with other women who love or hate the same cars as you