Nearly five months after its groundbreaking ceremony, Pops -- an unusual gas station that will lure tourists with a 66-foot-tall soda bottle lit with LEDs out front, a collection of 12,000 soda bottles inside, and an elaborate, futuristic canopy cantilevered over the gas pumps -- is beginning to rise from the red Oklahoma dirt in … Continue reading Popping up
Category: Restaurants
A street is hoppin’ in Joplin
Joplin (Mo.) Globe columnist Mike Pound reports that Broadway in Joplin, which is part of an old alignment of Route 66, seems to be undergoing a traffic resurgence. The restaurants along the street are busier, and a promising lunch-only place called the Cobblestone Cafe has opened there. The cafe, which has been open for three … Continue reading A street is hoppin’ in Joplin
Still the same, and that’s good
Columnist Amanda St. Amand of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes a very nice column about Scotty's Route 66 Bar & Grill in Hamel, Ill. If anything, the historic establishment has become even more welcoming to Route 66 travelers since Pat and Jim Allen, formerly of California, bought it a few years ago. But the main … Continue reading Still the same, and that’s good
Tri-County Restaurant is shut down
A spokeswoman at the Franklin County Health Department just confirmed to me that the historic Tri-County Restaurant on old Route 66 in Villa Ridge, Mo., was shut down in the past few days because of health violations. A reader alerted me today that the restaurant had closed. One Route 66 Association of Missouri member that … Continue reading Tri-County Restaurant is shut down
Try the French silk pie
The Country Dove Gifts and Tea Room along Route 66 in Elk City, Okla., is known far and wide for its French silk pie. The Daily Oklahoman went there to investigate. The owners did reveal a few things about the pie: "The French silk pie recipe is from a cookbook, I think it was originally … Continue reading Try the French silk pie
Barney’s Beanery booms
Pasadena Weekly has an interesting article about the Barney's Beanery restaurant on Route 66 in Pasadena, Calif. -- one of three such eateries in Los Angeles. Even though the first Barney's opened in the 1920s, the two other locations opened since David Houston and Avi Fattal purchased it in 1999. The article provides tidbits on … Continue reading Barney’s Beanery booms
Bring an appetite
A Taste of Route 66, described as a "self-paced dining tour," is scheduled for Saturday in the Pomona, Calif., area. There will be four stops, and a lot of prizes will be given to participants. The fee is $16 in advance or $19 on the day of the event. It starts at the Pomona Elks … Continue reading Bring an appetite
It’s Oprah’s world
Atlanta Journal-Constitution television critic Jill Vejnoska has an irreverent take on Oprah Winfrey's big summer road trip, which will be unspooling on Oprah's show over the next few weeks. Here's an excerpt: She promised to give the car to somebody when they’ve finished showing us this whole “Big Adventure” thing, which, presumably will be many, … Continue reading It’s Oprah’s world
Oprah’s Route 66 pit stop
Well, I finally found it. There's a kazillion links to surf on Oprah Winfrey's Web site, but I found one about her and her friend Gayle's stop at Mr. D'z on Route 66 in Kingman, Ariz., during "Oprah and Gayle's Big Adventure." Here's a photo of Oprah giving a toast with a mug of Mr. … Continue reading Oprah’s Route 66 pit stop
Oprah stops at Mr. D’z
Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner is a 1950s-themed restaurant in Kingman, Ariz. It's well-known in Route 66 circles. One day in May, Mr. D'z had an unexpected patron -- Oprah Winfrey. The Queen of Daytime TV downed a hamburger (she gave it a hearty thumbs-up) and a root beer and let her film crew do … Continue reading Oprah stops at Mr. D’z