On the Road

Tuesday began with a trip to the Museum of Science and Industry. Among the many holdings in their collection, what stood out to me the most was the U-Boat. They actually have an intact captured U-boat. The Navy captured it in 1944, just two days before D-Day. Eventually it was transported to Chicago and is currently on display in the museum. Later that night I had the chance to go to see my first White Sox Game in Chicago. My brother in law and I went to watch the game. We got seats several rows back right behind home plate. We stayed for a full nine innings. We didn’t get to see the game end because the game ran 14 innings. By the time we got back to the house after nearly an hour on the L Train, the game was still tied. Yesterday morning I left Chicago for California. My first stop was to get breakfast at a restaurant in Chicago, the White Palace Grill. I first heard about the restaurant on the Food Network show: “Diners Drive-ins and Dives.” It more than met expectations and I would recommend it to anyone who is staying any length of time in Chicago.

Getting out of Chicago proved a challenge. Illinois does an excellent job of posting signs for the route. However, it was still difficult navigating the streets of the Chicago the suburbs the route runs through. Eventually I found my way back to the route and went west. My first stop came in Joliet at the Rt. 66 visitors’ center. The thing that must be understood about Route 66 is that it has appeal beyond just American motorists. I met a couple of guys in Joliet who were driving the route on motorcycles, one was from Boston, one was from the U.K. I also saw people at the visitors’ center from France and Italy.

For the many small towns that I passed through and will pass through, their identities are inextricably linked to Route 66. These towns are very proud of their association with the route; whether it’s the Route 66 visitors center in Joliet, or the Illinois Rt. 66 Hall of Fame in Pontiac. Additionally, the locals, especially the older residents of the route are very knowledgeable about the Route. A person could talk to many of them for hours at a time, if one had the time to do so, about almost any subject, from license plates (in some places during WWII they were made of soy products, to save metal for the war) to architecture along the route (such as a police station in Illinois that was shaped like a handgun).

I ended my day in Springfield, IL. I was able to visit Abraham Lincoln’s home in Springfield and his tomb. The house is in an old neighborhood in downtown Springfield that has been very well preserved. The house is very plain, nothing overly special about it, aside from its famous owner. The tomb on the other hand was very impressive. For dinner, I had the chance to visit a Route 66 icon in the Cozy Dog Drive-in. The restarant is owned by the Waldmire Family who are themselves fixtures on the Route. The food was decent, though the fries were very good. However, much of the restaurant is the atmosphere. The place just exudes Route 66.

Later today I’ll be visiting the largest pre-Columbian native site in the United States and attending a Cardinals game in St. Louis. Hopefully there will be another update forthcoming this evening.