Uranium Cafe closes

The Uranium Cafe, a Route 66 landmark in Grants, N.M., with a classic neon sign, closed about a month ago, according to a Grants/Cibola County Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman. The latest incarnation of the restaurant lasted about a year. It called itself Five Brothers Uranium Cafe. The previous owner for a number of years sold … Continue reading Uranium Cafe closes

Lincoln to promote obscure 66 alignment

Geoff Ladd, chief of Logan County (Ill.) tourism, said the agency will be promoting a 1926-30 alignment of Route 66 and a second, more obscure alignment through Lincoln, reports the Lincoln Courier. A second alignment, which was used for only 10 months in 1928, means the Logan County Courthouse and still more local businesses can … Continue reading Lincoln to promote obscure 66 alignment

Chain-weary diners seeking out indie restaurants

BusinessWeek reports that many diners are increasingly seeking independent restaurants when they go out to eat. Here's why: Consumers tired of the chains' clinical atmospheres, indifferent service, and mass-produced products are returning to small specialty stores where they can find unique products and know the face behind the counter. In a sense, it's something of … Continue reading Chain-weary diners seeking out indie restaurants

Afterthought

A new restaurant has opened on the Manchester alignment of Route 66 in St. Louis, called the After Diner. The Riverfront Times' restaurant reviewer went there, and gave it a tepid reaction. Some restaurant reviewers are food snobs and should be taken with a grain of salt. However, the complaints are troubling enough that Route … Continue reading Afterthought

Rendezvous at the Rock

Check this out. Emily, aka Redforkhippie, was at the Rock Cafe in Stroud, Okla., this week and ran into Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire there. He was giving way copies of this drawing he created. Pictured is the Rock Cafe, along with Waldmire's tan Volkswagen minibus and Fillmore, the VW minibus that appeared in the … Continue reading Rendezvous at the Rock

Memories of the Wide-A-Wake Cafe

KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City did a bang-up job talking to people about their recollections of the long-gone 24-hour restaurant at Route 66 and U.S. 77 in Edmond, Okla., the Wide-A-Wake Cafe. The link to the video is the top item on the search here. A photo from the cafe can be found here. The restaurant … Continue reading Memories of the Wide-A-Wake Cafe

Small-town moments

Yet Another Small Town Moment, which wryly tells of a family's experiences since moving from Los Angeles to small-town Oklahoma, has long been one of my favorite blogs. Recently, OKDad and his family took a trip on Route 66 in western Oklahoma. Their experiences are recounted here: Spring Breakin' on Route 66 Spring Breakin' on … Continue reading Small-town moments

Antiques kicks on 66

Gail Pennington of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tells of her best picks of antique stores and restaurants from St. Louis to Springfield, Ill., along the Mother Road.

Red Oak II reopens this summer

Partly buried in this Carthage (Mo.) Press article about a Japanese television crew filming Route 66 sights is intriguing news about the languishing Red Oak II complex northeast of town. The visit to Red Oak II comes at an exciting time as renovation work nears completion on the Black Hen Restaurant, which will reopen this … Continue reading Red Oak II reopens this summer

Java stop

Travis Good had some interesting news from the Route 66 town of Dwight, Ill., that he posted to the Route 66 yahoogroup: Ron was showing me a new business in Dwight across the street from the Becker gas station. It looks like a big billboard with a mural on it. It turns out that it … Continue reading Java stop