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| 1: Why
Route 66? |
| "Four things
contributed to the idea and planning of this driving adventure
through Illinois: Amy's family, public television, the
state capital of Springfield, and the Disney/Pixar movie,
Cars." |
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| 2: Learning
about the history of Route 66 |
| "All you really
need to know is that in the early 1900s, it was one of
the first roads that provided an all-weather highway to
the West, connecting Chicago with Los Angeles. Covering
2,448 miles, Route 66 passed through eight states and
three time zones." |
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| 3: Starting
in downtown Chicago... and Lou Mitchell's |
| "The original
start for Route 66 is located in downtown Chicago, but
you can't actually start your journey from there... but
you can finish it! This oddity is due to the implementation
of one-way streets, where the starting road now points
the wrong direction." |
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| 4: The
Spindle, Hofmann Tower, & Wishing Well Motel |
| "In Berwyn you'll
find a piece of public artwork called The Spindle, a 40-foot
spike with 8 cars skewered on top. The Wishing Well Motel
was built in 1941 originally as 10 cabins, but later converted
into one building with 19 rooms. " |
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| 5: Joliet
isn't that great |
| "Joliet was
kind of a funny place, in that they take themselves SO
seriously, but the rest of the world outside of the community
pretty much knows them for one thing... 2 riverboat casinos." |
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| 6: Launching
Pad, Riviera Restaurant, & Streetcar Diner |
| "The "Gemini
Giant" is a large fiberglass "muffler man" of the
1960's era... The Van Duyne Motel claims it's the "Best
Motel by a Dam Site"... Al Capone loved the Riviera! Don't
miss the neat diner restored out back." |
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| 7: Burma-Shave |
| "On the side
of the road in the small town of Godley we saw some old
Burma-Shave signs: DOES YOUR HUSBAND MISBEHAVE / GRUNT
AND GRUMBLE / RANT AND RAVE? / SHOOT THE BRUTE SOME /
BURMA-SHAVE" |
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| 8: Gardner's
Jail & Dwight's Non-Lighthouse |
| "Gardner does
have a tourist attraction... a 2-cell jailhouse that was
built in 1910... For those of you disappointed that this
trip doesn't feature any lighthouses, we came upon the
closest thing we could find in central Illinois... a really
tall windmill!" |
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| 9: Ambler-Beckler
Texaco & Old Route 66 |
| "The Ambler-Becker
Texaco Gas Station was built in 1933 and in service until
1998. Continuing to our next destination, we discovered
one of the coolest sections on our trip... an abandoned
piece of Route 66. " |
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| 10: Odell's
Subway |
| "This is Odell's
"subway", believe it or not. From 1926 to 1946, Route
66 was so congested that it became necessary to build
an underground passage to safely cross church goers and
school children. This tunnel was built under the road
in 1937." |
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| 11: John
and Lenore Weiss' Standard Oil Filling Station |
| "This station
was built in 1932 and fully revived just a few years ago.
It currently serves as an information center. It originally
operated until the 1960s selling gas, and then was later
used as a body shop until 1975." |
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| 12: Meramec
Caverns barn & stopover in Pontiac |
| "This was one
of the only two remaining painted Meramec Caverns barns
still in existence on Historic 66 in Illinois... What
was interesting was the view out our hotel window. It
literally was cornfields. Yup, this was central Illinois!
" |
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| 13: Rain
sends us to Chenoa |
| "Our first stop
was in the small town of Chenoa. The big point of interest
at this stopover was the Chenoa Pharmacy, built in 1889.
Walking around the store, you realize that it's really
old. Classic wood floors and custom cabinetry on the walls.
" |
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| 14: Memory
Lane in Lexington |
| "Now, I have
a lot of respect for Lexington because it's a small town,
but knows how to utilize what it was given in order to
market to tourists. Very creative and effective. For a
town founded in 1928, I was impressed." |
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| 15: Maple
Sirup at Funks Grove |
| "Yes, I spelled
it "sirup", not "syrup". Packed with great trees, the
founder and his descendants began making maple sirup and
sugar for personal use, which eventually grew into a big
business for them. When Route 66 rolled through the area,
it got huge." |
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| 16: Horseshoes
and Pig Hip |
| "Lincoln is
"the only town in the United States named for and by Abraham
Lincoln before he became president." So there... The Pig
Hip Restaurant, noted as being "the best U.S. Route 66
attraction where the original guy is still there."" |
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| 17: Arriving
in Springfield |
| "Stopped by
the Cozy Dog Drive In, famous for inventing the corn dog
on a stick. However, they sort of look at you funny if
you call it a "corn dog" while there. It must be referred
to as a "Cozy Dog" or else!" |
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| 18: White
Trash & Lincoln's Nose |
| "At the front
of the Tomb is a sculptured bust of Lincoln's head, which
is a duplicate of one found in Washington, D.C. Tradition
holds that if you rub Lincoln's nose, it will bring you
good luck... thus why the nose on this sculpture is so
discolored." |
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| 19: Disney's
America in Illinois? |
| "Lincoln Presidential
Museum and Library: Some thought that it was a little
too "showy" when it opened, as it uses the concept of
"edutainment". This is not a new idea, of course. Folks
like Walt Disney have applied these techniques for decades."
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| 20: White
Fence Farm and heading home |
| "The farm is
actually a restaurant, opened in the 1920s. And it's huge,
as it can seat 1,000 people at a time via the many rooms
found in the farm buildings. It actually was surprisingly
cozy." |
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