Here's a short-but-sweet new video of the great neon sign at the Supai Motel, along Route 66 in Seligman, Ariz. https://youtu.be/V7BistQ0xv4 The video was created by Andrew Wood, a professor at San Jose State University and a longtime roadie. He owns the Motel Americana website, and published "City Ubiquitous," in which Route 66 played a … Continue reading Shimmering in the night
Programming note
If you see a few funky things on Route 66 News in the coming days, there's probably good reason for it. Route 66 News is moving from WordPress.com to a hosted site using the WordPress.org platform. It should be a fairly seamless transition, and you shouldn't have to update your route66news.com bookmarks. News coverage of … Continue reading Programming note
Sad end to The Java Stop
One of the eye-catching businesses along Route 66 in Dwight, Ill., in recent years was The Java Stop coffee stand, which used two rail containers stacked on top of each other and a fancy paint job. The Java Stop was so striking that an architectural firm honored it for its design. However, Java Stop was … Continue reading Sad end to The Java Stop
Historic Joplin pawnshop closes
A pawn shop in Joplin, Mo., closed for good. But it wasn't just any pawn shop. It was the Ben Milgrim Pawnshop, which had operated near the Mother Road for 78 years, acording to the Joplin Globe. The contents of the business were being auctioned today at Joplin's Jack Lawton Webb Convention Center. The auction company, … Continue reading Historic Joplin pawnshop closes
The end and the beginning
As the final hours of 2011 wind down, let's take a look at the two symbolic end points of Route 66. The first is Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park in Chicago: https://vimeo.com/11493912 The second is the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica: https://vimeo.com/10918229 Either could be the beginning or end of Route 66, depending on … Continue reading The end and the beginning
A tour of John’s Modern Cabins
This well-produced video gives you a tour and a history of the abandoned and fast-decaying John's Modern Cabins, located near Arlington, Mo., off old Route 66. https://youtu.be/wQBIbvEOdrM The video was produced by Texas-based Synergy Media. Most of the historical information about John's Modern Cabins was gathered by Emily and me a decade ago. The story … Continue reading A tour of John’s Modern Cabins
Manning’s Coffee sign being restored
The historic Manning's Coffee Store rooftop sign in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles is being restored, reported the Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch. Manning's Coffee went out of business in the 1960s, and the sign's neon lighting hasn't functioned for many years. Las Cazuelas restaurant now occupies the building. The area is part of the … Continue reading Manning’s Coffee sign being restored
A drive over the Lake Overholser Bridge
This YouTube poster drove his old Mustang over the recently restored Lake Overholser Bridge, which carries old Route 66 in Oklahoma City: https://youtu.be/j-EAXNUuaDo?t=3m1s The 1924 bridge was reopened to traffic in October after a $4 million repair project. NOTE: Skip ahead to the 3:00 mark to see the relevant footage. I tried to embed it … Continue reading A drive over the Lake Overholser Bridge
Cookin’ from Scratch will appear on Travel Channel show
The Cookin' from Scratch restaurant off Route 66 in Doolittle, Mo., will be featured in an episode of the Travel Channel's "Truck Stop Missouri," according to The Rolla Daily News. According to the newspaper: A segment on the Doolittle restaurant’s recent Route 66 Burger Challenge was filmed last week [...] and a followup session was … Continue reading Cookin’ from Scratch will appear on Travel Channel show
Woody Guthrie Archives will move to Tulsa
The Woody Guthrie Archives, based in New York, will move to his home state of Oklahoma and the Route 66 city of Tulsa by 2013, according a story late Tuesday by the New York Times. The Tulsa-based George Kaiser Family Foundation bought the musician's archives from the Guthrie family for about $3 million and will … Continue reading Woody Guthrie Archives will move to Tulsa