Route 66: Chicago (and beyond)

theramblers88
Jun 17, 2019
2 min read

Updated: Oct 26, 2019

We (Dan and Robin) left Jake's place early on June 14th, headed to Chicago and the start of Route 66 for west-bounders like us.

Robin is a little excited to actually be on Route 66

The drive through Chi-town was at times hectic (and a bit confusing), but it was always interesting and even exciting. We started seeing some of the landmarks and attractions that we've been reading about in our research for the last year or so.

There was Burghoff's Restaurant, and Lou Mitchell's, as well as Henry's famous hot dogs and Lulu's. Actually eating at any of those places will have to wait for a future trip dedicated to experiencing Chicago. But on this one, we wanted to get some Route 66 miles under our belted tires (and perhaps find more affordable lodging options than downtown Chi-town would offer).

After we went through Cicero we drove to the town of Lyons, where we were obliged to spend a bit more time than we would have liked - but we did get to meet a very nice (and very good) mechanic named Tony (at Tony's Fast Lane Auto Service).

We then drove through McCook, Illinois with it's Vegas-style sign, and then to Joliet, where we saw the Old Prison on Collins Street - probably most famous for the opening scene of "The Blues Brothers" movie. They were also featured at a great many other establishments in Joliet, including the "Rich and Creamy" ice cream place we stopped at, and "Dick's on 66 Towing" service across the street. And that street is - you guessed it - Route 66.

We ended the day in Wilmington, which is home to one of the most famous landmarks on all of Route 66: The Gemini Giant.

The Gemini Giant beckons travelers to stop in at The Launching Pad Restaurant in Wilmington, IL

The Gemini Giant resides at the Launching Pad Restaurant, which we have been following over the past year, when the closed and in-disrepair eatery was purchased and restored to better-than-ever and reopened by a couple named Tully and Holly - who have created a shining example of what can be done for those interested in restoring some of the old Route's now-defunct businesses. (And with the renewed interest in travelling "The Mother Road" in recent years, there are more of those people around than you might think).