I will never understand why some people consider the non-coastal western states as " the midwest"
I think half of midwesterners and half of the east coast population says Idaho or Colorado or New Mexico are the midwest, never understood why, the rest of the country calls them different regions but at least puts them in their own categories like "southwest" or "mountain states" or something
Nobody does outside that one moron anon. Rt 66 does start in Chicago and go through 3 midwestern states, so most probably he's just a lazy frick and decided to lump southwest and Texas in with the midwest.
But why? Because no one ever told him it's boring as shit. I've done it. And I've taken several other awesome routes. This is easily the worst route you can take. 95 percent of the drive is completely devoid of anything. The few cities along the route are all terrible. St Louis, Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Albuquerque are crime-ridden hellscapes. The only worthwhile stop on the entire route is the Grand Canyon and you can still do that on any other route if your destination is southern California.
>Because no one ever told him it's boring as shit.
Well yeah. But the route is famous nonetheless.
In fact I saw a European travel youtuber chatting with the owner of a diner on the route saying that most of their customers were overseas tourists.
I've driven across country on 6 different routes. The route you picked is the worst by far. First all, you should do the trip in June. From Chicago, you want to go across to Rapid City and hit the badlands, mount rushmore and especially the Devil's Tower. Then hit Cody Wyoming and do Yellowstone. Then Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons. Then stay in Lava Hot Springs Idaho and do some tubing on the creek. You can hit Zion National Park, Las Vegas and then do southern California. Don't stay in LA. Stay in Orange County, somewhere like Irvine, Newport Beach or San Clemente,
But why? Because no one ever told him it's boring as shit. I've done it. And I've taken several other awesome routes. This is easily the worst route you can take. 95 percent of the drive is completely devoid of anything. The few cities along the route are all terrible. St Louis, Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Albuquerque are crime-ridden hellscapes. The only worthwhile stop on the entire route is the Grand Canyon and you can still do that on any other route if your destination is southern California.
I've also done it, and while I didn't have great times I will say overall the Route 66 was a worthwhile drive. If nothing else it puts into perspective how things change from one side of the country to the other in an easy to see way.
Take your time, do proper stoppage and some side excursions, don't get your hopes up too high for it being a wild and fun ride, and make sure you have some good music or something for parts of it.
I can only speak from some parts between Springfield MO, to Flagstaff, AZ. I haven't driven the full length before. I assume you want to see some non-traditional things, because that's usually the only reason to take Route 66. I also assume you are not in a rush and are willing to divert from the route a little bit, since Route 66 is SLOW
>Springfield, MO
Original and largest Bass Pro shop - indoor aquarium and firing range
Eat at Lambert's Cafe >Joplin, MO
See the part of town destroyed in the 2011 tornado (26th St)
Eat at Hackett's Hot Wings downtown >Galena, KS
Galena mining museum >Baxter Springs, KS
Rainbow bridge >Picher, OK
See the ghost mining town, look at the chat piles >Quapaw, OK/Miami, OK
Indian casinos >Tulsa, OK
Philbrook Museum >Cushing, OK
Massive oil storage/oil transport areas >OKC
Lots to do here, see the OKC Bombing Memorial >Winslow, AZ
Meteor Crater
The Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona is beautiful. Also, if you liked Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul you can visit a bunch of the filming locations in Albuquerque.
Thanks, I'll take a closer look into these.
Coming from Europe I've always had unlimited data+calls on contract for 20€ a month. Roaming seems to be super expensive in USA. Should I just buy a local pre paid SIM and share internet from one device or go old school with paper maps.
Imagine coming from Europe to the US to drive for 2 weeks straight across the flattest most mind numbingly boring stretch of road in the whole country and not doing Yellowstone, Yosemite, The Rockies, the national parks in Utah, Route 1, Vegas, Montana, Washington State, Oregon, NYC, Washington DC, The Smokies or really anything worth stopping for.
Coming from Europe I've always had unlimited data+calls on contract for 20€ a month. Roaming seems to be super expensive in USA. Should I just buy a local pre paid SIM and share internet from one device or go old school with paper maps.
Just go to walmart or 711, get a prepaid T mobile sim and it will work with most europoor phones.
Telling someone to take a cross country road trip so they can visit a Bass Pro shop in Springfield Missouri maybe the worst advice I've ever read on this website. You could only say something like that if you've never driven out West and seen the National Parks. Arguing which is more fun is so silly that it really doesn't merit a response.
, MO >Original and largest Bass Pro shop - indoor aquarium and firing range
It's just the same as any other Bass Pro albeit a little larger, but a lot of that is the boat showroom. If you can't make it to the Bass Pro Pyramid in Memphis then maybe it's worth a stop... if you have time. It's just a store. >Eat at Lambert's Cafe
I liked it but it's not in Springfield. Casper's or Pappy's Place are right in town not far off old 66.
If you're REALLY into kitsch you can go to the Precious Moments chapel in Carthage MO
Depending when you visit Tulsa, the new Gilcrease Museum will be open (huge Native and American West art collection). If you stay overnight in Tulsa stay in a downtown hotel and time it up to be on a First Friday, all the art collectors come out and do a bunch of shit. Woody Guthrie/Bob Dylan Center probably also appeal to you if you're doing a Route 66 trip.
Eat at Frontier restaurant in Albuquerque. Budget a few hundred bucks for stopping at the dumbass roadside attraction stuff you'll see in NM+AZ. Not much is really worth it but it's part of the experience.
There are obsessives who try to stick to The Original Pavement as much as they can, imho that's a waste of time but you do you. It can be worthwhile to stick to state highways instead of doing the I-44+I-40 interstate, you'll see more that way.
ABQ anon here, also check out the billy the kid museum, I've heard good things about it. Old town ABQ is touristy if you like that crap too.
Skip the turquoise museum though, it's a good museum but overpriced.
>Frontier restaurant in Albuquerque
This, it's an ABQ institution. It is right by UNM campus, on route 66. The sweet rolls are good.
While you are there, check out astro zombies if you like nerdy stuff
The Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona is beautiful. Also, if you liked Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul you can visit a bunch of the filming locations in Albuquerque.
it was sort of the old highway smuck that had alot of eye towards 'le open road. I don't think its as bad as people point out, but thats just me as someone who likes to see the mountains and deserts..
Because when cars had a MPG of <20 w/ no AC, and there was basically 2 highways to east and west, R66 was basically the only way year round to get from East to West coast. Towns popped up all along it to support the transportation of goods, people, and gas stations. Some towns were simply around supporting truckers+motels+filling up and servicing cars. This led to a bunch of retiree's from WW2 setting up quirky mom and pop stuff to attract visitors. Towns would have small quirks to keep people coming in.
When the oil crisis shit hit and cars started getting higher gas mileage and boomers began to die, along with the rise of cheaper air travel, R66 really died. You can't even drive the original Route 66 anymore as much of it past Amarillo is unkept or just paved over with the original being an emergency access road. Most anyone driving it is just doing it because their parents said it was cool, but outside a very few small things like The "historic section of Route 66" in flagstaff and a few other towns, it's just a big nothing.
I drive around that area at 100 miles an hour all the time. There's no cops hardly on these long straight roads in the desert except on the interstate and state highways. There's not usually really anybody. You can see 10 miles into the distance and drive for a half hour without seeing another car. And there's always tweakers on bikes or just roaming through the desert like Jesus and doing other weird shit out here and cops don't do a goddamn thing.
Stop in Albuquerque (but not on central please, you'll die) and see our cheap cigarettes and see an isotopes game.
Or visit our reservations for cheap cigarettes.
We also have petroglyphs a little ways away. Tijeras has good hiking
last Tulsa rec, there's not much to do in that neighborhood but absolutely go out of your way to the Oral Roberts University campus to gawk at the cool architecture. If you stay downtown you'll see a lot of art deco stuff which is cool but not all that unique
Going up in the St. Louis Arch seems like a gimmick but it's worth it and it isn't a long stop unless it's crowded. The elevator tub things that take you up to the top are very unique.
How can I prevent myself from feeling depression while cycling through the deserted sections of Route 66?
Goddamn system won't allow me to post a fricking google maps link. What kind of dumbfrick wrote these SighSee codes? The pic is around Barstow
>while cycling through the deserted sections of Route 66?
By praying you aren't going to fricking die. Why the frick would you attempt to cycle through that, it's a legit death trap lmao.
See
Because when cars had a MPG of <20 w/ no AC, and there was basically 2 highways to east and west, R66 was basically the only way year round to get from East to West coast. Towns popped up all along it to support the transportation of goods, people, and gas stations. Some towns were simply around supporting truckers+motels+filling up and servicing cars. This led to a bunch of retiree's from WW2 setting up quirky mom and pop stuff to attract visitors. Towns would have small quirks to keep people coming in.
When the oil crisis shit hit and cars started getting higher gas mileage and boomers began to die, along with the rise of cheaper air travel, R66 really died. You can't even drive the original Route 66 anymore as much of it past Amarillo is unkept or just paved over with the original being an emergency access road. Most anyone driving it is just doing it because their parents said it was cool, but outside a very few small things like The "historic section of Route 66" in flagstaff and a few other towns, it's just a big nothing.
t. Drove route 66
Most of Route 66 is just auxiliary, cops would pick your ass up in a second trying to actually cycle that.
I drive around that area at 100 miles an hour all the time. There's no cops hardly on these long straight roads in the desert except on the interstate and state highways. There's not usually really anybody. You can see 10 miles into the distance and drive for a half hour without seeing another car. And there's always tweakers on bikes or just roaming through the desert like Jesus and doing other weird shit out here and cops don't do a goddamn thing.
How can I prevent myself from feeling depression while cycling through the deserted sections of Route 66?
Goddamn system won't allow me to post a fricking google maps link. What kind of dumbfrick wrote these SighSee codes? The pic is around Barstow
, idk. I like being in places like that (albeit not on a bicycle). It clears my head. Sometimes I don't even listen to music I just think about things.
>I drive around that area at 100 miles an hour all the time.
Do the cops just not care? Does everyone drive that fast out there? Never been out west but I've heard similar stories on the more desolate stretches of Interstate, that even truckers will do 80 or 90.
>Do the cops just not care?
Possibly but the area is also just really big and empty. There's only 2 CHP offices, Barstow and Needles in that area of the Mojave a huge area that's as big as some states. So figure maybe 6 highway patrol cars are out at any time in a territory as big as West Virginia and they almost always camp out at the same spots. It's the same in other rural parts of the west. I've heard that they're supposed to run a patrol covering all country roads and state highways every 12 hours but I don't think they always do. And you can see for miles, I'll slow down if a car appears in the distance. And yes the locals drive beat up shitboxes at insane speeds, you'll get occasional tourists doing under the speed limit but locals will do 80 in a 55, you have to in order to get anywhere. The craziest thing to me is Utah the Mormon women will drive a minivan full of kids 90 mph all day long on 15.
Google Maps seems to be suggesting that place too. Always pops up in feeds when browsing Amarillo. Don't know whether that place is legit good or they are paying Google to promote themselves.
I've always wanted to go there, but wasn't able to when I was in Amarillo. I think it's really the only thing good about Amarillo though, one of the ugliest parts of the country I've ever seen. Even the Cadillac Ranch I thought was kinda disappointing.
I ate there back in October while driving through Amarillo and I enjoyed the food. Plus, if you’re from Europe the restaurant is a great example of kitschy Americana.
Gas Stations. Get yourself a cool camera and some 800T film. Don't hold back and lean into the neon at night. Post it to you insta with all the film shit tags and you will be swimming in the likes.
There's one dude who lives in some god forsaken place like Wichita or Tulsa who starts all these ridiculous threads trying to convince people to visit a Bass Pro shop off a freeway exit in Missouri rather than going out west. As someone who's driven across country many times on different routes, I can tell you whole heartedly that's he's full of shit. The Mid-west is the void. There is nothing worth seeing or doing in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, or Nebraska.
Basically nothing the fricking Midwest is a shit hole of losers. Just wait till you get to cali
I will never understand why some people consider the non-coastal western states as " the midwest"
I think half of midwesterners and half of the east coast population says Idaho or Colorado or New Mexico are the midwest, never understood why, the rest of the country calls them different regions but at least puts them in their own categories like "southwest" or "mountain states" or something
Midwest is code for "I need a car to enjoy that? ughhhhhh", I doubt most people here know how to drive let alone have a valid license
So basically everywhere except NYC? You need a car basically everywhere unless in the US. Especially in LA
Literally no one considers those states midwest go outside and touch grass instead of making up head canon
Nobody does outside that one moron anon. Rt 66 does start in Chicago and go through 3 midwestern states, so most probably he's just a lazy frick and decided to lump southwest and Texas in with the midwest.
>Because no one ever told him it's boring as shit.
Well yeah. But the route is famous nonetheless.
In fact I saw a European travel youtuber chatting with the owner of a diner on the route saying that most of their customers were overseas tourists.
The coasts have the smart people (except for gulf coast/flo rida) and everyone else are the moronic ones
>except for gulf coast
Yeah, don't ever come down here. We're full.
to add to this, I'd rather be around hillbilly confederates compared to pedophiles blacks and trannies that the east and west coast offers.
>driving
Pussy. Real men either walk, bike, or ride a horse cart like the pioneers.
I've driven across country on 6 different routes. The route you picked is the worst by far. First all, you should do the trip in June. From Chicago, you want to go across to Rapid City and hit the badlands, mount rushmore and especially the Devil's Tower. Then hit Cody Wyoming and do Yellowstone. Then Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons. Then stay in Lava Hot Springs Idaho and do some tubing on the creek. You can hit Zion National Park, Las Vegas and then do southern California. Don't stay in LA. Stay in Orange County, somewhere like Irvine, Newport Beach or San Clemente,
OP want to drive thru Route 66, schizo. Read the thread
But why? Because no one ever told him it's boring as shit. I've done it. And I've taken several other awesome routes. This is easily the worst route you can take. 95 percent of the drive is completely devoid of anything. The few cities along the route are all terrible. St Louis, Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Albuquerque are crime-ridden hellscapes. The only worthwhile stop on the entire route is the Grand Canyon and you can still do that on any other route if your destination is southern California.
I've also done it, and while I didn't have great times I will say overall the Route 66 was a worthwhile drive. If nothing else it puts into perspective how things change from one side of the country to the other in an easy to see way.
Take your time, do proper stoppage and some side excursions, don't get your hopes up too high for it being a wild and fun ride, and make sure you have some good music or something for parts of it.
I can only speak from some parts between Springfield MO, to Flagstaff, AZ. I haven't driven the full length before. I assume you want to see some non-traditional things, because that's usually the only reason to take Route 66. I also assume you are not in a rush and are willing to divert from the route a little bit, since Route 66 is SLOW
>Springfield, MO
Original and largest Bass Pro shop - indoor aquarium and firing range
Eat at Lambert's Cafe
>Joplin, MO
See the part of town destroyed in the 2011 tornado (26th St)
Eat at Hackett's Hot Wings downtown
>Galena, KS
Galena mining museum
>Baxter Springs, KS
Rainbow bridge
>Picher, OK
See the ghost mining town, look at the chat piles
>Quapaw, OK/Miami, OK
Indian casinos
>Tulsa, OK
Philbrook Museum
>Cushing, OK
Massive oil storage/oil transport areas
>OKC
Lots to do here, see the OKC Bombing Memorial
>Winslow, AZ
Meteor Crater
Thanks, I'll take a closer look into these.
Coming from Europe I've always had unlimited data+calls on contract for 20€ a month. Roaming seems to be super expensive in USA. Should I just buy a local pre paid SIM and share internet from one device or go old school with paper maps.
Imagine coming from Europe to the US to drive for 2 weeks straight across the flattest most mind numbingly boring stretch of road in the whole country and not doing Yellowstone, Yosemite, The Rockies, the national parks in Utah, Route 1, Vegas, Montana, Washington State, Oregon, NYC, Washington DC, The Smokies or really anything worth stopping for.
>NOOO YOUR DEFINITION OF FUN ISN'T MINE!!!!
Just go to walmart or 711, get a prepaid T mobile sim and it will work with most europoor phones.
Telling someone to take a cross country road trip so they can visit a Bass Pro shop in Springfield Missouri maybe the worst advice I've ever read on this website. You could only say something like that if you've never driven out West and seen the National Parks. Arguing which is more fun is so silly that it really doesn't merit a response.
(You) go do it then. No one give a frick
, MO
>Original and largest Bass Pro shop - indoor aquarium and firing range
It's just the same as any other Bass Pro albeit a little larger, but a lot of that is the boat showroom. If you can't make it to the Bass Pro Pyramid in Memphis then maybe it's worth a stop... if you have time. It's just a store.
>Eat at Lambert's Cafe
I liked it but it's not in Springfield. Casper's or Pappy's Place are right in town not far off old 66.
These are all good recs
If you're REALLY into kitsch you can go to the Precious Moments chapel in Carthage MO
Depending when you visit Tulsa, the new Gilcrease Museum will be open (huge Native and American West art collection). If you stay overnight in Tulsa stay in a downtown hotel and time it up to be on a First Friday, all the art collectors come out and do a bunch of shit. Woody Guthrie/Bob Dylan Center probably also appeal to you if you're doing a Route 66 trip.
Eat at Frontier restaurant in Albuquerque. Budget a few hundred bucks for stopping at the dumbass roadside attraction stuff you'll see in NM+AZ. Not much is really worth it but it's part of the experience.
There are obsessives who try to stick to The Original Pavement as much as they can, imho that's a waste of time but you do you. It can be worthwhile to stick to state highways instead of doing the I-44+I-40 interstate, you'll see more that way.
Also go to Uranus Fudge Factory in Missouri
ABQ anon here, also check out the billy the kid museum, I've heard good things about it. Old town ABQ is touristy if you like that crap too.
Skip the turquoise museum though, it's a good museum but overpriced.
>Frontier restaurant in Albuquerque
This, it's an ABQ institution. It is right by UNM campus, on route 66. The sweet rolls are good.
While you are there, check out astro zombies if you like nerdy stuff
The Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona is beautiful. Also, if you liked Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul you can visit a bunch of the filming locations in Albuquerque.
>route 66
Can anybody explain this old meme to me? Why is Route 66 famous and cool?
Cowboy and wild wild west subculture
Just plastic tourist bullshit, I assume?
As plastic as anime subculture so yes.
it was sort of the old highway smuck that had alot of eye towards 'le open road. I don't think its as bad as people point out, but thats just me as someone who likes to see the mountains and deserts..
Because when cars had a MPG of <20 w/ no AC, and there was basically 2 highways to east and west, R66 was basically the only way year round to get from East to West coast. Towns popped up all along it to support the transportation of goods, people, and gas stations. Some towns were simply around supporting truckers+motels+filling up and servicing cars. This led to a bunch of retiree's from WW2 setting up quirky mom and pop stuff to attract visitors. Towns would have small quirks to keep people coming in.
When the oil crisis shit hit and cars started getting higher gas mileage and boomers began to die, along with the rise of cheaper air travel, R66 really died. You can't even drive the original Route 66 anymore as much of it past Amarillo is unkept or just paved over with the original being an emergency access road. Most anyone driving it is just doing it because their parents said it was cool, but outside a very few small things like The "historic section of Route 66" in flagstaff and a few other towns, it's just a big nothing.
t. Drove route 66
Based effortposts
that's so cool
Stop in Albuquerque (but not on central please, you'll die) and see our cheap cigarettes and see an isotopes game.
Or visit our reservations for cheap cigarettes.
We also have petroglyphs a little ways away. Tijeras has good hiking
Cozy Dog Drive In
2935 South Sixth Street
Springfield, Illinois
last Tulsa rec, there's not much to do in that neighborhood but absolutely go out of your way to the Oral Roberts University campus to gawk at the cool architecture. If you stay downtown you'll see a lot of art deco stuff which is cool but not all that unique
Going up in the St. Louis Arch seems like a gimmick but it's worth it and it isn't a long stop unless it's crowded. The elevator tub things that take you up to the top are very unique.
forgot pic
How can I prevent myself from feeling depression while cycling through the deserted sections of Route 66?
Goddamn system won't allow me to post a fricking google maps link. What kind of dumbfrick wrote these SighSee codes? The pic is around Barstow
>while cycling through the deserted sections of Route 66?
By praying you aren't going to fricking die. Why the frick would you attempt to cycle through that, it's a legit death trap lmao.
See
Most of Route 66 is just auxiliary, cops would pick your ass up in a second trying to actually cycle that.
I drive around that area at 100 miles an hour all the time. There's no cops hardly on these long straight roads in the desert except on the interstate and state highways. There's not usually really anybody. You can see 10 miles into the distance and drive for a half hour without seeing another car. And there's always tweakers on bikes or just roaming through the desert like Jesus and doing other weird shit out here and cops don't do a goddamn thing.
Oh as far as the question from
, idk. I like being in places like that (albeit not on a bicycle). It clears my head. Sometimes I don't even listen to music I just think about things.
>I drive around that area at 100 miles an hour all the time.
Do the cops just not care? Does everyone drive that fast out there? Never been out west but I've heard similar stories on the more desolate stretches of Interstate, that even truckers will do 80 or 90.
>Do the cops just not care?
Possibly but the area is also just really big and empty. There's only 2 CHP offices, Barstow and Needles in that area of the Mojave a huge area that's as big as some states. So figure maybe 6 highway patrol cars are out at any time in a territory as big as West Virginia and they almost always camp out at the same spots. It's the same in other rural parts of the west. I've heard that they're supposed to run a patrol covering all country roads and state highways every 12 hours but I don't think they always do. And you can see for miles, I'll slow down if a car appears in the distance. And yes the locals drive beat up shitboxes at insane speeds, you'll get occasional tourists doing under the speed limit but locals will do 80 in a 55, you have to in order to get anywhere. The craziest thing to me is Utah the Mormon women will drive a minivan full of kids 90 mph all day long on 15.
Cycling through Route 66 is a legit endgame challenge for true travelers.
Eat at The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, TX. If you like steak you won’t be disappointed.
Google Maps seems to be suggesting that place too. Always pops up in feeds when browsing Amarillo. Don't know whether that place is legit good or they are paying Google to promote themselves.
it's been a famous place to eat for decades. they dont need to advertise.
Is it kosher?
why would it be
I've always wanted to go there, but wasn't able to when I was in Amarillo. I think it's really the only thing good about Amarillo though, one of the ugliest parts of the country I've ever seen. Even the Cadillac Ranch I thought was kinda disappointing.
Bruh the Cadillac Ranch look like shit even from the satellite so why bother?
I ate there back in October while driving through Amarillo and I enjoyed the food. Plus, if you’re from Europe the restaurant is a great example of kitschy Americana.
Whats a route 66? And why do americans pronounce it wrong?
>pronounce it wrong?
how is it "supposed" to be pronounced?
I've heard Americans pronounce it at least two different ways.
Route SIXTY six
they all say route sixty SIX
Emphasizing the second number is correct.
You'll mark yourself as an outsider
W-what? You mean, its not route SIX SIX?
Gas Stations. Get yourself a cool camera and some 800T film. Don't hold back and lean into the neon at night. Post it to you insta with all the film shit tags and you will be swimming in the likes.
enjoy your gas stations and cow pastures and nothing else.
Sounds comfy
This tbqh. In an era of over socialization and sensory overload, that is absolute bliss
The midwest sucks haven't you done enough copium posting already? Back to the midwest thread with you rednecks
>midwest out of nowhere
Rent free. Meds.
There's one dude who lives in some god forsaken place like Wichita or Tulsa who starts all these ridiculous threads trying to convince people to visit a Bass Pro shop off a freeway exit in Missouri rather than going out west. As someone who's driven across country many times on different routes, I can tell you whole heartedly that's he's full of shit. The Mid-west is the void. There is nothing worth seeing or doing in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, or Nebraska.
Seething israelite
I haven't done all of Route 66, but I'd say check out Oatman, AZ. There's wild donkeys everywhere. It's pretty delightful.