June 25, 2012

Route 66 Still Attracts Travelers

Your tax dollars at work: there is federal money available for restoring businesses along the "mother road."

And you can still trace U.S. 66 when no one steals the signs. There are tips for driving it.

And then there was that television show with the two guys in the Corvette. Wounded veterans ...

I plan to hit the part around Joplin and Springfield, Mo., later this fall.

3 comments:

Darrell said...

The best burgers ever were made at Red's Giant Hamburg, on the west side of Springfield, MO where old Route 66 came into town. Red is long gone, I don't know if the building is still there. They should make a shrine of the place.

Red claimed to have invented the drive up window, using a WWII army suplus intercom and hand painted menu on a board illuminated by a bare light bulb. Though you could eat inside, the burgers somehow tasted better if they came out that window... Red's fries rocked too, crinkle cut and tossed in the bottom of the big white box/tray the burgers came in. He also had free root beer, which came in cups illustrated by a '50s Marilyn/Jane type blonde ice skating in a very short outfit. Like Ralph's visions of electric sex over the 'major award' lamp his father won in A Christmas Story, my imagination was fired by those root beer cups... Red's Giant Hamburg even has a wikipedia article, and some videos on Youtube.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red's_Giant_Hamburg

Chas S. Clifton said...

I've been through Springfield but never lingered, so I missed Red's. Too bad.

MC said...

You should try the Cozy Dog Drive In in Springfield IL if you get up that far.