Don't Change My Freeway!

One of the first freeways built in the western US, was the Pasadena Freeway. Originally called Arroyo Seco Parkway, it has also been known at US 66 and now "The 110". The parkway was the beginning of the massive web of freeways around Los Angeles.

Arroyo Seco is Spanish for Dry Streambed. This route was first used by wagons in the 1800's during the dry summer season as a better alternate than the regular roads. There were attempts to use the path for an elevated bicycle route at the end of the 19th century, but the bicycle craze ended, especially since a rail line was there and the motorcar was starting to change the traveling landscape.

The Parkway was in some ways designed as more of a park than a roadway. It was very modern for 1940. The route became a speedy way for the business barons to commute between they downtown jobs and their beautiful homes in the Pasadena suburbs. Instead of solid medians there were merely flowers and a art deco curb dividing the northbound from the southbound lanes.

The parkway was built with stylish Art Deco bridges, tunnels and overpasses. Most of the ramps were an easy merge with the lighter traffic then, but some of the intersections were right angle turns giving hardly any time to get up to speed. Some still have a stop sign protecting you from the steady stream of cars flying by. A few of the bridges were built to cross the Arroyo Seco canyon long before the consideration of a freeway.

Built to handle 27,000 cars a day at 45 mph, it was a relaxing drive down the parkway. As Los Angeles expanded and more freeways were built the medians floral displays gave way to a steel railing. Today the freeway carries about 125,000 cars on virtually the same roadway that was opened 70 years ago.

The California Department of Transportation (or Caltrans) say it's a very accident prone highway due to speeding drivers. Many accidents damage the divider's steel railing. It's harder to repair than a concrete barrier and concrete barriers are safer, too. Since there is no good alternate for traveling between Pasadena and L.A., the state transportation department is in process of changing the parkway into a less dangerous and more-modern freeway. However, when it comes to a Historic Highway, safety isn't everything to everybody. Some are protesting the safety improvements as too much of a change to this National Civil Engineering Landmark.

Among the original design features to be removed are the curbs with designations built in to note the direction of travel. Parkway lovers say that those designations are as important as the Art Deco bridges and sycamore trees lining the route.

The changes still appear to be on the Caltrans schedule.

Links
AP News Story
History at Wikipedia
Postcard views
LA Times construction photos
Virtual Drive The 110
Google Map
Downloadable Los Angeles Map
The Freeways of Los Angeles Book


Copyright 2010

Route 66: America’s First Main Street

This Route 66 book can be hard to find, but if you can find a copy, it’s a nice casual read. The author, Spencer Crump, takes you on a historical road trip. It has the feel of a personal scrapbook or journal with his historical musings on the road and events of the early 66 era of the 20s and 30s.

Crump includes a variety of period postcards, photos and ads to give you a better feel of the time. It’s hard to imagine hotels for a buck a night, 5-cent hamburgers and 22-cent gasoline, but the visual proof is there. There’s even something that gas stations had called, “Service with a Smile”.

Other than the cover, it’s all black and white, which does well with the historical feel of the book. Indeed, it is more than a 66 picture book. One of the real highlights for the road geek or old route fan is copies of Vintage maps from the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Buy the book Route 66 - America's First Main Street
Check out the curios at the Old Routes Souvenir Shop

Copyright 2009 - All the World Travel LLC and Dan Smith

Route 66 Re-Signed in Missouri

Carthage Missouri has a brand new set of Route 66 signs to guide travelers along the Mother Road. Many feel getting Route 66 re-signed will help bring interest to the old route as well as tourist dollars to the interstate bypassed cities.

Follow this link to the Carthage Press story.

And more links to other sites about 66 in Missouri.
More on the 66 Missouri Byway
The longtime proponent of Route 66 is Bring Back Route 66
66 history in the Missouri Ozarks
Missouri 66 Books and Guides

Tucumcari via France

The Route 66 song got its kicks while skipping right by Tucumcari, New Mexico. I guess Bobby Troup couldn’t get every Route 66 city in his song. Even so, Tucumcari, New Mexico was an oasis for US 66 travelers near the Texas-New Mexico border.
In 1901 the railroad came and Tucumcari was born. In 1926 the road in and out of town was numbered US 66.
The city has some of the more famous hotel signs along old 66. The neon 1939 Blue Swallow Motel is a favorite with “refrigerated air.” The artistic rendition of Route 66 and the tailfin-lights of a car is certainly worth seeing as is the historic train station. You can click on the pictures for a bigger view.
Like most old routes cities, they were bypassed by a newer highway. France 24 TV News recently did a story on the downturn of the Tucumcari’s economy and you can see it here. It’s interesting to see the European view on 66’s demise. If you didn’t know better, the story could make you think that 66 was bypassed last month.
Tucumcari was named for Tucumcari Mountain to the southeast of town. This mountain was the inspiration for Radiator Springs Mountain in the movie, “Cars”. You may have seen real life pictures of the area if you watched the TV show, “Rawhide”. The star of Rawhide, Clint Eastwood, returned to film a scene for the movie, “For a Few Dollars More”.
It’s easy to find old 66 here as they have renamed it Route 66 Boulevard.

View Larger Map

Links
City of Tucumcari
Tucumcari in song, movies and TV
Tucumcari Chamber of Commerce site with more visitor information

Route 66's Rock Cafe hopes to rebuild

Part of the fascination of old routes is the life along the old route. Many businesses disappear when the old route is bypassed. Some adjust to the lesser traffic. Some towns may reformulate their entire business district to attract a new clientele, like antique shoppers. Some businesses have held on over the years. They do it for many reasons… to put food on the table… their family has always done it… and some to keep the history alive.
One such place on Route 66 is the Rock Café in Stroud Oklahoma. The restaurant was built in 1938. The current owner, Dawn Welch, bought the restaurant in 1993. In the beginning, she had planned to turn the restaurant around, sell it and move to Costa Rica. However, she had so much fun, she stayed. The restaurant is now listed on National Register of Historic Places. Welch is even one of the inspirations for Sally the Porsche in the animated movie "Cars."
Unfortunately, the Rock Café’s classic neon sign today looks over a burned out building. The restaurant namesake walls remain, but the inside filled with only charred remains of classic memorabilia, chrome barstools, and thank you notes from the makers of the movie, ”Cars.”
The good news is that Welch has apparently forgotten about Costa Rica, she says she hopes to reopen the historic site in about a year.
No more burgers, chicken-fried steak or oatmeal pie, for a little while. Thankfully though, the good memories cannot be burned up.
No one was in the building when it caught fire, and no one was hurt.
The Rock Café is located at on Route 66 at 114 West Main Street in Stroud, Oklahoma.

Photos courtesy Shellee Graham & Jim Ross /route66photographs.com

Our Old Routes Souvenir Shop is open and have Route 66 t-shirts, mugs, hats and more ready to ship.

More Info
Tulsa World story about fire
KOCO-TV story about fire
About Rock Cafe
Rock Cafe's connection to the movie "Cars"