Illinois Route 66 - Braidwood

BRAIDWOOD, ILLINOIS. The classic Polk-a-Dot Drive-In began in 1956 as a school bus painted in polk-a-dots, with a mini-kitchen inside. The building followed in 1962. Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Betty Boop were performing outside when I stopped in for lunch. Pure 66. It's time for some Chili Cheese Fries!

     

ILLINOIS ROUTE 66. Old 66 runs alongside the railroad tracks and telephone poles through the Wilmington and Braidwood area, a good sign that you are on the right road. A lot of the early roads in the U.S. were built on these old established routes, so keep an eye out for telephone lines and listen for train whistles as you travel 66.

Illinois Route 66 - Wilmington

WILMINGTON, ILLINOIS. The tall fellow is the Launching Pad Drive-In Muffler Man, who put down his muffler and picked up a rocket ship after switching careers from auto parts to the restaurant business. He is 28 feet high, made of fiberglass, and never takes off his helmet. Opened in 1960 as a Dari Delite (that's a new one for me), the Launching Pad is a good lunch time stop if you get a late start when leaving Chicago. There is some 66 memorabilia to explore inside, and you just can't miss that giant space being outside.

Illinois Route 66 - Joliet

JOLIET, ILLINOIS. Joliet Jake and Elwood relax at the Route 66 museum in Joliet. I found some enthusiastic and knowledgeable 66'ers at the little museum, well worth the stop.

Illinois Route 66 - Joliet

 

JOLIET, ILLINOIS. More rooftop action in Joliet, this time at Dick's Towing. Dick has fixed up the place real nice, displaying the first car he ever towed up there on the roof. A framed first dollar bill would have been easier, but this is, after all, old Route 66.

Illinois Route 66 - Joliet

JOLIET, ILLINOIS. After a couple of visits to Interstate 55, old Route 66 settles in and continues for a stretch as Joliet road, into the town of Joliet itself. That's Joliet Jake and Elwood Blues atop the ice cream place, not far from the Joliet prison where Jake was released just in time for his movie debut.

Illinois Route 66 - Romeoville

Castle Car Wash - Chicago (2006)

The Spindle - Berwyn, Illinois (2006)

Henry's - Cicero, Illinois (2006)

Big Chicken at White Fence Farm - Romeoville, Illinois

ROMEOVILLE, ILLINOIS. The old Chicago suburbs of Cicero and Berwyn were a bit rundown and depressing, and I didn't pull over at any of the local 66 sites that I had seen and photographed before, such as the Cindy Lyn Motel or Castle Car Wash. I've also heard that the Spindle, the wonderfully appropriate piece of 66 art (8 cars stacked on a spike), is no longer at a nearby shopping center. Still, if it had not been so early, I would have stopped for sure at Henry's Drive-In, for a close look at the big neon sign and a 66 size hot dog.

     My first pull-over of the day was at White Fence Farm in Romeoville, to see the big chicken and to be able to report to the rest of the Romeo family that a town was indeed named after us. The restaurant has been serving regular size chicken dinners since the 1920's.

ILLINOIS ROUTE 66. One travels more to the south than west on Illinois 66, and I've often wondered why a road to Los Angeles would begin in Chicago. New York or some other major east coast city would have provided a true coast to coast route, and a more Southern, non-coastal city like Atlanta would have provided a much more direct road to Santa Monica. I'm sure, though, that at least one of the original planners benefited from the chosen route, as Cyrus Avery did by having 66 pass right by his roadside businesses in Tulsa!

CHICAGO. Heading west on Adams Street in Chicago to start my Route 66 adventure was an air-conditioned pleasure, after two full days of hoofing it around town in 97 degree heat. But the big cities of 66 were not designed with the 66 roadie in mind, and there was a detour on Adams after just a few blocks. I'm not sure which city street I followed around the construction, or even if I was still heading west, so finally making that left turn on Ogden was a relief.

Illinois Route 66 - Chicago

CHICAGO. I stumbled on Ed Debevic's restaurant just a couple of blocks from my hotel. It only goes back to 1984, but it has a nice Route 66 display inside and certainly looks the part outside.

Illinois Route 66 - Chicago

Chicago River Traffic Jam

A neighborhood bar in the big city, with likely 66 travelers inside

The "Bean" in Millennium Park

CHICAGO. You can cover the important sites and sounds of the city in two or three days of long walkabouts.

Illinois Route 66 - Chicago

CHICAGO. The Erie-Lasalle Body Shop on Erie Street, in business since 1934. A great looking neon sign always seems to accompany such older establishments.

Illinois Route 66 - Chicago

CHICAGO. I spent one serious afternoon in Chicago at the renowned Art Institute, but after that, sought out some of the more fun attractions scattered around the city. The Billy Goat Tavern, found on a dark underground street below Michigan Avenue, was the inspiration for the Cheezborger bits on Saturday Night Live. No Coke, Pepsi!

Illinois Route 66 - Chicago

CHICAGO. Excited 66 travelers posed for pictures en masse under the starting point sign on Adams Street, but dispersed so quickly to begin their trip that I could not find out who they were or where they were from!

Illinois Route 66 - Chicago

CHICAGO. This sign, near the corner of Adams Street & Michigan, is the popular but not so accurate starting point for current Route 66 adventures, as the old road heads west from here on a one-way street. The original starting point for 66 was one block south, on Jackson Blvd., which now runs east. (Look for an "End of 66" sign there.) In 1933, the start of 66 was moved a block east, to Lake Shore Dr., so those of us wishing a complete 66 experience must battle a bit more of Chicago's traffic to circle around on Lake Shore near Grant Park.