I saw this story, “Disappearing Fast: Route 66, Chicago-Los Angeles,” on the Los Angeles Times’ Daily Travel Deal Blog a few days ago, but didn’t plug it here because it contained some inaccuracies.
The story makes it sound like Route 66 is going to quickly disappear after the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program sunsets in 2010. It also says that budget motels on 66 “usually” don’t have Wi-Fi.
However, the Route 66 community has chimed in on the story’s comment section and has effectively refuted the dubious information. So the story is safe to peruse now. đ
Did you notice that the item’s writer is author of the Lonely Planet guide to Route 66? Lonely Planet has a reputation for being the guide for the adventurous, back road traveler.
Hi there,
I’m the author of the original blog posting. Thanks for your comments. I certainly didn’t mean to imply that Route 66 is going to disappear completely. However, it’s on the World Monuments Fund watch list for a reason, and I was saddened on my recent road trip to see how much had been lost in just the past decade. My intention was only to raise awareness, not to disparage preservation efforts.
I do disagree, however, that Wi-Fi is common at budget motels along Route 66, based on my most recent road trip in May 2007. However, perhaps we differ on our definition of budget motels? Or perhaps there is a regional variation between the western Route 66 states and those on the eastern part of the route? I would love to hear your tips for finding Wi-Fi hot spots along the Mother Road, as even when I travel I need to stay connected on a daily basis for work.
Thanks for chiming in, Sara.
In my travels of two-lane America in the past year and half or so (not just Route 66), it’s amazing how much Wi-Fi is popping up in what you’d think would be the most unlikely mom-and-pop motels. My observations aren’t scientific, but the rise in Wi-Fi in ALL motels has been dramatic in that span. It’s a way for budget motels to entice travelers to save a few bucks, yet still give them Internet access.
It’s easy to become discouraged when a historic property disappears (the NPS says it’s a rate of 7 percent of the total a year). But I’m more encouraged than discouraged right now. Sure, old Route 66 mainstays vanish; that’s somewhat inevitable. But new businesses are emerging that create new traditions and respect the highway’s history. Lucille’s Roadhouse in Weatherford, Okla; White Dog Hill in Clinton, Okla., and the soon-to-open POPS in Arcadia, Okla., and Boothill Saloon & Grill in Vega, Texas, are just a few examples of new businesses in the past 12 months or so.
Michael Wallis says that Route 66 is “a highway of commerce” and will continue to be so. What’s happening right now is proof, and will help keep that road’s spirit alive.
Sara, I don’t know if our definitions of budget motels are similar but I’ll try to give you enough of an idea of mine that you can decide. In my posting to your blog, you’ve seen some examples (Desert Hills, Cactus Inn, Blue Swallow) of my definition. The range of prices (taxes included) over the ten nights of sleeping around on Sixty-Six was $40-$81 and the $81 included a cooked to order breakfast delivered to my room. The next highest price was $58. Is there a regional difference? Don’t know. My most recent experience in California was in 2005 and internet connections certainly weren’t all that common then. Maybe they still aren’t but that’s about the time availability took a big upward swing. I know at least one place I stayed in 2005 has since added free wi-fi.
I really don’t have any tips for finding connections other than a willingness to move on. I don’t NEED a daily connection for a paying job but I usually have a serious WANT for one for my “hobby”. If I’m in a position where I intend to upload some photos with trimmings AND I feel that there might be a place down the road that meets my desires, I’ll drive on. Sometimes that works. Sometimes it doesn’t. I did recently hit an internet gap (that I wasn’t willing to pay to fill) in Missouri.
I occasionally do some traveling for business and my budget gets raised (sometimes quite a bit) on those trips. It seems strange but true that the higher the price is the more likely it is that the internet connection has its own fee. I guess if you’re already paying $150-$200 for a bed, another ten bucks for a few megabytes of data transfer won’t make much difference. But, for the motel owner whose clients are much more price conscious, a wireless router is a pretty inexpensive way to add an item to the amenities list and the incentive is there. Especially if it’s on the list of the motel down the road.
On the recent Rout 66 trip, there were a couple of places I intended to stay with or without internet. In fact, there were two occasions where, almost as a formality, I asked about a connection fully expecting a “no” but getting a “yes”. Not only did I get a “yes”, it was delivered with a look that said “what a silly question.”
My hunch is there isn’t too much difference in our “budget motel” definitions and, while a regional difference is certainly possible, I suspect our different experiences may have as much to do with luck as anything else.