100 Things to Do On Route 66 Before You Die

Recently a publisher, on recommendation of Jim Ross, approached me with an intriguing proposal – write a book about Route 66 that is in essence a bucket list. The challenge fascinated me. How do you whittle down America’s longest attraction, a 2,000 mile corridor of fascinating museums, quirky folk art parks, historic sites, renovated motels, […]

Lighting of the green at the Boots Motel!

We’ve been watching the restoration of the Boots Court Motel in Joplin, Missouri for years, from the “Save the Boots Motel campaign”,  until they reopened in 2012 and we got to visit and check it out in June 2011. This latest, and possibly the last piece of the  renovation not only highlights what a great […]

Ohio House Motel Chicago – a survivor

Distinguished by its fabulous diamond shaped exterior, the Ohio House is a fabulous example of mid-century architecture right in the middle of downtown Chicago. Other architectural points of interest include the matching suspended sign, held up by a geometric metal grid which is itself reflected in the pattern block fence that runs along Ohio Street. […]

Mamaroneck Motel, New York

One of our favorite parts of Mid-Century travel is finding those fabulous out of the way motels for an affordable price. One of our biggest challenges on our trip back east was finding something near New York City. We knew we wanted to stay close by – because we were spending the day in Manhattan. […]

Phoenicia Lodge is retro fun in the Catskills

Phoenicia Lodge has been on our  Mid-Century Motel directory for a long time – so when we planned a trip through upstate New York, we knew we had to stop and meet up with Brian and Sara who have lovingly restored and cultivated a fabulous Lodge in the gorgeous Catskills! The town of Phoenicia is […]

Retro Roadtrip: The Blue Swallow, Tucumcari, NM

We have had the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, NM in our Motel Directory for a long time.It’s as much of an icon along Route 66 as the WigWam Motels. Owner Lillian Redman, a legend along Route 66 ran the motel from 1958 to 1997.  By a stroke of luck, owners over the years after […]

Retro Roadtrip: The Sunset Motel

This motel came as a recommendation from two different readers, Jim Ross and Jerry McClanahan with the EZ66 guide.  We added it to our stays along Route 66 in New Mexico. This little motel is a bargain, clean, updated (good or bad depending on whether preservation is a priority or modern comforts) and family owned […]

Ghost Towns of Route 66 – Glenrio and Endee

While traveling the mother road (also known as Route 66) over spring break, we were fortunate enough to find out about a side road – well, it used to be Route 66 proper, but as Sally said in the movie “Cars”, “The town got bypassed just to save ten minutes of driving.” and that couldn’t […]

A linear time capsule of epic proportions

By Jim Hinckley It is a time capsule of epic proportions with an overlay of Disneyland and America’s longest attraction for a legion of international enthusiasts. It is iconic Route 66, America’s most famous highway. From Chicago to Santa Monica this Route 66 renaissance is serving as a catalyst for the refurbishment and restoration of […]

Raising Retro Kids: Pedal Cars

Pedal car history goes back to the 1890’s when toy makers took their cue from real cars on the road. At the turn of the century, the cost meant  that these cars were playthings for only wealthy families especially with many families reeling from the financial devastation of The Great Depression. No pedal cars were […]