Grants soon will open Route 66 Neon Drive-Thru

The city of Grants, New Mexico, is opening a Route 66 Neon Drive-Thru -- a neon-outlined Route 66 shield motorists can drive their cars or pickups through. A ceremonial ribbon-cutting for the structure will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, according to a Facebook post by Grants Mainstreet Project Inc. Lemonade, watermelon and live music will be … Continue reading Grants soon will open Route 66 Neon Drive-Thru

Appellate court halts ART contruction

A federal appeals court on Monday put the brakes on construction of the $120 million Albuquerque Rapid Transit project, issuing a temporary restraining order. Construction was schedule to begin on ART as soon as Wednesday. The city of Albuquerque won a federal court battle late Friday when a judge refused to issue a restraining order against … Continue reading Appellate court halts ART contruction

What’s next for opponents of Albuquerque Rapid Transit?

Opponents of the $120 million Albuquerque Rapid Transit plan last week lost their courtroom bid to stop it, and construction likely will begin by Wednesday. However, ART foes still have a couple of arrows left in their quiver. --- ART opponents filed an appeal one day after the federal judge's ruling late Friday to turn down a preliminary … Continue reading What’s next for opponents of Albuquerque Rapid Transit?

Reports from the European Route 66 Festival

Author Jim Hinckley traveled earlier this month's to European Route 66 Festival near Ofterdingen, Germany, on behalf of the city of Kingman, Arizona, and to represent the Route 66: The Road Ahead Initiative. He promised a report about his experiences and impressions. You can read it below the fold in full -- which I encourage. But here's a summary … Continue reading Reports from the European Route 66 Festival

“The Leisure Seeker” film gets a Grade-A cast

The good news is the film version of Michael Zadoorian's Route 66 novel "The Leisure Seeker" will star Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren in the lead roles, and filming will begin later this year. The bad news is the film won't take place on Route 66. "The Leisure Seeker" is about John and Ella Robina, an elderly and ailing couple -- … Continue reading “The Leisure Seeker” film gets a Grade-A cast

Judge refuses to stop Albuquerque Rapid Transit construction

A judge late Friday refused to grant a preliminary injunction against construction of the nine-mile Albuquerque Rapid Transit bus system that would go down the heart of Central Avenue, aka Route 66. Construction on ART likely will begin by the middle of next week. The project will take at least 15 months to complete. U.S. … Continue reading Judge refuses to stop Albuquerque Rapid Transit construction

Albuquerque offers olive branch to Route 66 businesses

As Albuquerque and dozens of businesses awaited a judge's ruling this week on a lawsuit against the Albuquerque Rapid Transit plan, the city unveiled a new website touting the Route 66 corridor and gave details about a loan program for those affected businesses. The city launched ABQ66.com, which includes interactive listings of restaurants, retail, coffee shops, bars, entertainment, motels, … Continue reading Albuquerque offers olive branch to Route 66 businesses

Tulsa leaders take Route 66 tour to spark ideas

  The Tulsa City Council and other area leaders took a bus tour of Route 66 in Tulsa County to spark ideas for the corridor's revitalization. Voters recently passed the Vision Tulsa sales-tax initiative, which included a few million dollars for Route 66 investment, plus a new bus line along the 11th Street (aka Route … Continue reading Tulsa leaders take Route 66 tour to spark ideas

Little Richard nearly died on Route 66

WEHOville.com this week started a promising series, "Tales from Historic Route 66," about the Mother Road through West Hollywood, California. The first entry was about rock legend Little Richard, who nearly died in a West Hollywood car crash in 1985. Little Richard lived in Room 319 in the Continental Hyatt Hotel -- now the Andaz -- in the 1980s and '90s. He was … Continue reading Little Richard nearly died on Route 66

Former Cafe on the Route is up for sale

The historic building in Baxter Springs, Kansas, best-known as the former home of Cafe on the Route, apparently has been put up for sale, based on a slick video and website touting the property. The website's name uses property's address, 1101 Military Ave. Moment Media, based in nearby Miami, Oklahoma, produced this well-made video, including drone … Continue reading Former Cafe on the Route is up for sale