Above the City of Angels

Filmmaker and photographer Chris Pritchard made this dazzling time-lapse video with the city of Los Angeles as his canvas. Make sure to watch it on your computer in full-screen mode. Above LA from Chris Pritchard on Vimeo. (Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan)

Route 66 theme sparks increase in customers at restaurant

File this away under Mr. Obvious. But it's good to see what a Route 66 theme can do for a business, all other things being equal. A longtime restaurant in downtown Joliet, Illinois, has seen a sizable increase in the number of customers since changing to changing its name from the Joliet Restaurant to Joliet Route 66 Diner two … Continue reading Route 66 theme sparks increase in customers at restaurant

Family of owls holds up relighting of Whiting Bros. sign

The last Whiting Brothers gas station still in operation on Route 66 had hoped to relight the neon for its refurbished signs during a ceremony last weekend. However, a family of owls recently took up residence in one of the signs, delaying the neon installation at the station in Moriarty, New Mexico. Roger Holden at RETRO … Continue reading Family of owls holds up relighting of Whiting Bros. sign

Remnants of Club Cafe soon will disappear

The neon signs and building of the long-closed Club Cafe restaurant in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, likely will vanish by summer's end unless an unlikely savior is found, according to today's print edition of the Guadalupe County Communicator, based in Santa Rosa. Known since 1935 for its sourdough biscuits, New Mexican cuisine and its trademark … Continue reading Remnants of Club Cafe soon will disappear

Goodwill store in Tulsa erects Route 66-themed sign

The headquarters of Goodwill Industries of Tulsa has operated on Route 66 in southwest Tulsa for years. Yet it's invigorating to see a retro and Route 66-inspired sign go up at its new retail store in that area. Afton Station co-owner Laurel Kane posted a photo of the new sign on her blog. The front … Continue reading Goodwill store in Tulsa erects Route 66-themed sign

Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena on the market

The historic but shuttered Rialto Theatre of South Pasadena, California -- after sitting in limbo for many months -- finally will be put up for sale. According to a Facebook post Monday by Escott O. Norton of Friends of the Rialto: BIG NEWS! The Rialto will be going up for sale! It was announced today … Continue reading Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena on the market

Hi-Way Tavern being revived at old Edwardsville location

The Hi-Way Tavern and Cafe, which began on Route 66 in Edwardsville, Ill., in 1934, will be revived at its old site in a tavern and eventually will serve food again, reported the Edwardsville Intelligencer. The building at 463 E. Vandalia was occupied by Neumann's Bar and Restaurant for 25 years. However, the newly reverted … Continue reading Hi-Way Tavern being revived at old Edwardsville location

High school class makes superb film about Route 66

The film class of Jenks High School in Jenks, Oklahoma, uploaded this 10-minute film about Route 66 in the last few days. This well-edited clip features Tulsa-area Route 66 experts Marian Clark and Michael Wallis. https://youtu.be/zBYoEVIvuKs This sort of excellence isn't new for the Jenks High School film class. It won an Emmy award in 2012 for … Continue reading High school class makes superb film about Route 66

Nice neon addition, but is it vintage?

The Marty Rivers Building in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, recently touted the addition of a neon sign on its roof. The building is on East Hobson Avenue and North Water Street in Sapulpa (map here), which sits one block north of Dewey Avenue, aka Route 66. A short story about the sign in the Sapulpa Daily Herald … Continue reading Nice neon addition, but is it vintage?

East St. Louis bank building added to National Register

The Union Trust Bank Co. building in downtown East St. Louis, Illinois, recently was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The well-preserved structure at 200 Collinsville Ave. (map here) was listed May 27, according to an email last week from the National Park Service, which runs the National Register. The building was on … Continue reading East St. Louis bank building added to National Register