Chicago Route 66 | FindPenguins

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July 26, 2024
Chicago Route 66 Ant Travels
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Day 1
Friday, July 26, 2024 at 5:52 PM
☁️ 26 °C
Altitude: 303 m
United States HHS Region 5 41.879645, -87.62890841°52’47” N 87°37’44” W
Chicago , Chicago
July 26, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
We arrive , good flight , hire car and drive into town and head towards that big tower that’s not called Sears! . We are just around the corner tonight , just off the Loop ! Past the Monadnock building , the Rookery , and Calder’s Flamingo . A walk to the Berghoff restaurant and some food and then a very late bed!Read more
TravelerHave a great trip!
7/28/24Reply
Hope you both enjoy. I love the Field Museum. Can recommend if you’ve never been. Next to Soldier Field. [Anne Mitchelson]
7/28/24Reply
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Day 2
Saturday, July 27, 2024 at 8:16 AM
☁️ 22 °C
Altitude: 212 m
United States Chicago Union Station 41.878059, -87.64197541°52’41” N 87°38’31” W
Chicago start and Robie House
July 27, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Well odd nights sleep - awoke at 330 and clock said 730 so get up and then discovered room clock wrong ! Aghhh!

A leisurely walk to the famous Lou’s diner ! Excellent breakfast and then a walk thru union station , past Willis Tower , up town to Picasso and over to the bean - Cloud gate - before back to check out !

Leisurely drive south past the Lake to see FLW Robie House near University ! Very impressive !Read more
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Day 2
Saturday, July 27, 2024 at 9:03 PM
☁️ 23 °C
Altitude: 202 m
United States Illinois Route 66 Museum 40.880985, -88.62866240°52’52” N 88°37’43” W
Down the mother road
July 27, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
So we head south west to Berwyn to catch the road - many places have closed disappointingly !
Muffler man strangely hard to find !
The car spindle is there but we move on down to Joliet and prison and museum and a more recent up to date map !
Wilmington Gemini giant is under restoration bah !
Old garages of Ambler and Odell and the Polka Dot drive in for milk shake !
The road , the old route is still there- in towns it’s obviously been expanded and built over , out of town it’s there in parts to drive on and then in other parts it’s parallel to a road but just left to grass over !
Pontiac is night stop !Read more
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Day 3
Sunday, July 28, 2024 at 7:08 AM
☀️ 22 °C
Altitude: 179 m
United States Southern View 39.746399, -89.6410339°44’47” N 89°38’28” W
Pontiac to Springfield
July 28, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Pontiac is small charming town and there’s a lot of the old route - hall of fame and outdoor wall murals !
The museum is all about route 66 and the other museum is all Pontiac cars !
A section on the saving of the Gemini Giant - sold but saved for over 400k$!
Sone cute miniature 57 Chevys on the street too!

A short trip down a route road section preserved called memory lane complete with old ads for Burma Shave !

Bloomington Normal has some sights too - the old super service garage and a great ice cream shop called Carls!

Onward to Shirley and Maclean and Atlanta - which has the Giants museum and the Bunyan giant complete with hot dog ! Most of the giants were due to Texaco adverting who had about 300 for just two years ! There was even the origin of Tiger in your tank campaign!
Down the track to Lincoln , first town to be named after him!
A night in Springfield without the Simpson beckons !Read more
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Day 3
Sunday, July 28, 2024 at 4:54 PM
⛅ 28 °C
Altitude: 132 m
United States St. Louis Arch 38.624725, -90.18570538°37’29” N 90°11’9” W
Down to St Louis
July 28, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
It was a good night , and good food at an odd Motörhead’s restaurant which has the largest route 66 sign and is about to get two giant green replica 29ft high old gas pumps we are told !
And odd night ! We awake to thunder and lightning which the forecast suggests will clear before 9 when plan to get back on road south !
There’s an odd section which is made red bricks ! We drive it and it’s odd!
Next stop is the Doc’s soda fountain at Girard but it’s not open yet - maybe tomorrow !
Then onto Carlinville with the million dollar courthouse which is a famous because it wasn’t needed ! It’s impressive but the county only has 40000 people today !
The jail is bleak !
The judges hotel is impressive but everyone knows he was on the take !
Lichfield’s route 66 museum and nearby Ariston restaurant is impressive .
Another old gas station before we hit the rabbit farm which is quirky and odd and without rabbits!
Lunch is at the Pink Elephant which is an odd selection of all types junk / antiques plus a retro restaurant ice cream parlour called Twistee treat !
It has a Trump giant , a man being stabbed , an alien and spaceship, nothing odd at all !
Down to the Illinois end of the road and the old chain of Rocks Bridge , a mile across and now only for walkers and bikes ! It’s hot and humid ! Another ice cream and we approach the huge Gateway Arch of St Louis !
The end of the road for us !Read more
TravelerInterssting sites en route!
7/30/24Reply
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Day 5
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
☁️ 32 °C
Altitude: 262 m
United States Bloomington City Township 40.491097, -88.95393240°29’28” N 88°57’14” W
Back up the road to Bloomington
July 30, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C
We say goodbye to St Louis and head back to Chicago .
It’s a muggy as we head east back over Mississippi to the ancient First Nations settlement at Cahokia mounds built about 1100 AD , dozens of them and the very impressive Monks Mound , quite a climb!
We pop back into Docs Soda Fountain and Pharmacy back in Girard for a cold soda drink and admire the ancient medicines!
Lunch is that the famous Cozy Dog drive in restaurant in Springfield and their Cozy Dogs - hot dogs with the corn bun around them !
Another muffler man giant and then a visit to the Ace neon sign museum ,another stunning FLW Dana House angular , copper edged and looks slightly oriental !
The heavens open as we leave Springfield and head north to Bloomington ! Biblical rain but thankfully no sunken road areas !Read more
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Day 6
Wednesday, July 31, 2024 at 1:33 PM
☀️ 32 °C
Altitude: 193 m
United States Oak Park Township 41.894402, -87.7946441°53’40” N 87°47’41” W
FLW Oak Park 2
July 31, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
The neighbourhood and it’s all FLW!
Some houses !
It’s hot!
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Day 6
Wednesday, July 31, 2024 at 9:30 PM
🌙 27 °C
Altitude: 186 m
United States Cityfront Plaza 41.889557, -87.62472541°53’22” N 87°37’29” W
1
Chicago and haunts! 3
July 31, 2024 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 27 °C
We walk down the magnificent mile to the river in search of beer and pizza !
The big buildings !
The Goats tavern !
Pizza eventually !
Traveler Chicago pizza! It's been a long time!
8/1/24Reply
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Day 6
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
☀️ 29 °C
Altitude: 262 m
United States Bloomington City Township 40.491112, -88.95389740°29’28” N 88°57’14” W
1
Revisting 1978 Villa Park for Andy 1
July 31, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
So a quick trip to revisit where I lived in Villa Park and worked back in 1978 ,post University,with Andy in Addison , making “high performance window systems” for inland architectural products inc. - for a tower skyscraper on Dearborn and a VA hospital ! Weird! All that shim! Danger!
So we leave a rain soaked Bloomington and head back north and the sun comes out !

Villa park looks smarter, more prosperous and there is more of it ! We drive down S Illinois and there it is ! It looks the same but the trees feel different , probably bigger .
There are cars in the drive so it has to be done and I ring !
Eventually a man appears and I tell him my story ! He’s surprised but very friendly - he’s been here 20 years and there have been other owners since the Skipps ! I show him my two pictures from 78!
He tells us his story and the changes he’s made and invites us in !
It’s a real walk back in time : the kitchen , the tv den , the stairs to the loft bedroom where we endured the heat !
Next a trip to Addison and the old factory which now makes doors ! It’s a good five mile cycle ride and everything has been built up but the business park looks the same ! A guy who has been there a number of years allows us to see the factory floor , not much has changed !
The lunch bench outside has gone though ! Wow!Read more
Traveler Wow! I had long hair then as well - but no grey
8/1/24Reply
TravelerWe had a great time there. Thanks for this post; I'll dig out my old diary later and continue down memory lane!
8/1/24Reply
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Day 7
Thursday, August 1, 2024 at 4:32 PM
☀️ 29 °C
Altitude: 196 m
United States WLS-TV (Chicago)41.878857, -87.63609341°52’44” N 87°38’10” W
Chicago finale - Sears Tower
August 1, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
It’s an overcast day and they say thunder is due but it doesn’t appear and the day heats up!
We head downtown and take the riverside walk with the skyscrapers! Trumps place is big but ground floors look empty !
We decide on another great breakfast at Lou’s as it’s close to the Tower!
The Tower is now the Willis Tower and is much more organised these days with a lot of good information on Chicago before you take the lift to the 100 plus floor ! I’d forgotten that it was only built in 1973 and was once the tallest building !
The views are great and the new sky ledge that juts out - pretty weird !
There are a couple of guys cleaning the windows up there on the outside , and then they add some glue fixative to the outside ! That’s reassuring !

A walk around the city , another beer at the Goat Tavern for lunch , and a hike up the mile as it’s getting quite hot and with the humidity it’s tiring! Some old hotels have a welcome but of air con !
Methinks another deep dish pizza night before we depart to Toronto.Read more
TravelerGreat stuff! I'll have to go back to Chicago again with Helen.
8/2/24Reply
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Day 9
Saturday, August 3, 2024
⛅ 28 °C
Altitude: 327 m
Canada Head Lake 45.046377, -78.50863745°2’47” N 78°30’31” W
Toronto and up to the Lake
August 3, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
So that’s the trip and now the RnR at the Lake !
TravelerEnjoy your RnR. See you when you are back
8/10/24Reply
TravelerGet those rods out!!!
8/11/24Reply
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Trip end
August 2, 2024