Do you recognize this church? It's not on Route 66, but close. Perhaps this climactic scene will jog your memory: https://youtu.be/l4YUbYU6LmQ?t=1m47s The place where Dustin Hoffman repeatedly screams "Elaine!" at a just-married Katharine Ross in the 1967 movie "The Graduate" actually is the La Verne United Methodist Church of La Verne, California, which sits about … Continue reading Route 66’s close link to “The Graduate” movie
23,000 attend Birthplace of Route 66 Festival
About 23,000 people visited downtown Springfield, Missouri, during the past weekend's Birthplace of Route 66 Festival, only in its fifth year of existence. About 5,000 also attended the Route 66 parade during the festival, according to city officials cited Sunday by KSPR-TV in Springfield. More than 400 entries were in the parade. Business owners, including … Continue reading 23,000 attend Birthplace of Route 66 Festival
Palms Motel in Needles is for sale
The Palms Motel of Needles, California, a historic property on Route 66 that features individual cabins amid towering palm trees, is for sale for $429,900, according to a recent listing on several real-estate sites. The property was listed on Trulia.com about a week ago. It's also on Zillow. According to the listing, the 16 units … Continue reading Palms Motel in Needles is for sale
Clifton’s Cafeteria reopens Sept. 17
The historic Clifton's Cafeteria of downtown Los Angeles will reopen Sept. 17 after a $10 million, multiyear remodeling, reported Los Angeles Magazine. A few days ago, the restaurant's reopening appeared imminent because of a job fair last week. Now, there's a date. The magazine was allowed in the building to take photographs for a sneak … Continue reading Clifton’s Cafeteria reopens Sept. 17
Painted Desert Inn may serve ice cream, baked goods
The historic Painted Desert Inn in the Petrified Forest National Park in eastern Arizona soon may partly go back to its original purpose as an eating place if the National Park Service has its way. For the first time in 75 years, the park is asking for bids from concessionaires, according to the Arizona Journal. … Continue reading Painted Desert Inn may serve ice cream, baked goods
Lebanon Park Board approves funding for Route 66 park
The Park Board of Lebanon, Missouri, approved nearly $400,000 in funding for a Route 66-themed area in Boswell Park after about an hour of debate, according to the print edition of the Lebanon Daily Record. That was about $100,000 less than a previous proposal floated about a month ago. About $323,000 of the funds will … Continue reading Lebanon Park Board approves funding for Route 66 park
Gutierrez-Hubbell House added to National Register
The Gutierrez-Hubbell House that's sat along a stretch of old Route 66 south of Albuquerque since the 1860s has been designated to the National Register of Historic Places, according to an email this week from the National Park Service. The listing was effective Aug. 3. The house, which now is a cultural center owned by … Continue reading Gutierrez-Hubbell House added to National Register
Clifton’s Cafeteria reopening appears imminent
For the past three years, the historic Clifton's Cafeteria in downtown Los Angeles has undergone a massive renovation. Preservationists and the restaurant's fans had long speculated on its reopening. A reopening date for Clifton's still hasn't been set. But the date it will throw open its doors appears much closer, thanks to a Craiglist ad … Continue reading Clifton’s Cafeteria reopening appears imminent
Springfield stations go whole hog on Route 66 coverage
To help publicize the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival in Springfield, Missouri, this coming weekend, reporters and crews from the television sister stations KY3 / KSPR in town did a trip on Route 66 to see what's there. Nice work if you can get it. KY3 went from Santa Monica to Springfield, and KSPR went … Continue reading Springfield stations go whole hog on Route 66 coverage
Cross-country driving a century ago
You have people who try to trace the paths of history. Then you have people who really try to re-create the entire experience from many decades ago. These images came a few days ago courtesy of Jim Hinckley of Kingman, Arizona, who explained in an email: In 1915, then 21-year old Edsel Ford and some … Continue reading Cross-country driving a century ago