Historic St. Louis restaurant closes, flees to suburb

Romine's, a famed fried-chicken restaurant on the Riverview Drive alignment of Route 66 of St. Louis since 1931, is closing because of crime and declining sales, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Security was hired to patrol the parking lot and cameras were installed on the outside of the building, but that was not enough to … Continue reading Historic St. Louis restaurant closes, flees to suburb

Wilmington honors a Route 66 booster

The Route 66 town of Wilmington, Ill., honored Angelo Aggelopoulos as the grand marshal of the town's Christmas parade and led the countdown to light the Christmas tree, reported the Kankakee Daily Journal. As far as I'm concerned, the honors are warranted because of this: Tour buses visiting stops along the famous U.S. Route 66 … Continue reading Wilmington honors a Route 66 booster

Route 66 photographer profiled

Melissa Lea, a jewelry designer and Route 66 photographer, earns an extended feature article about her life and times (so far) from her hometown newspaper, the Bedford (Ind.) Times-Mail. If you want to see her work, Melissa's Web site is here.

Signs, signs, everywhere signs

Not that I'm complaining. Illinois is frequently cited as the best-signed state for those who want to follow old Route 66. I've driven the Mother Road from the shores of Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River, and you don't even need a map except for the rare spot where a sign is stolen. Even the … Continue reading Signs, signs, everywhere signs

Elvis no longer eats here

For most of its 22 years, the big neon sign of the landmark Metro Diner at 3001 E. 11th St. (aka Route 66) in Tulsa greeted diners with this on its marquee: "ELVIS EATS HERE." Elvis will have to find someplace else to dine. On Sunday, the Metro closed its doors for good. It soon … Continue reading Elvis no longer eats here

Running on the route

Rod Harsh at Route 66 TV Online was kind enough to send me pictures from yesterday's Route 66 Half-Marathon, which starts at the Kansas-Missouri state line and goes 13.1 miles on old Route 66 to the Kansas-Oklahoma line. The photo above is taken at the historic Rainbow Bridge near Riverton, Kan. Scott Nelson of Eisler … Continue reading Running on the route

Dark side of the road

The music isn't all that catchy, nor uplifting. But this music video shot by Giuseppe Cristiano for J Crist's composition "Route 66" seems to evoke the dread and depression of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, even though sharp-eyed roadies will recognize sights from modern-day Route 66.

Roadside miniatures on display at Corvette museum

Artist David Malcolm Rose has created remarkably detailed miniatures of decaying filling stations, motels and cafes, many of which are inspired by what's seen on Route 66.  The series is called "The Lost Highway," and you can see photos of the works here. Rose's work will be exhibited at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling … Continue reading Roadside miniatures on display at Corvette museum

Music video shot on Route 66

With my curiosity up because of yesterday's post about musician Melissa McClelland and her recent foray on the Mother Road, I surfed over to her MySpace site. There, I found out that the footage for her music video for "Passenger 24" was shot on Route 66. Here it is: Keep your eyes peeled; you'll see … Continue reading Music video shot on Route 66

Bad news for a Route 66 town

The Route 66 town of Elkhart, Ill., learned this week that its only school -- an elementary one -- would be shut down after the end of the school year, according to the Lincoln Courier. The school has just 66 students and has been suffering from poor finances. The students will be sent to Mount … Continue reading Bad news for a Route 66 town