PLAYTYM

Next summer my wife and I would love to drive from our home state of Vermont to Chicago where we would then pick up old route 66 and follow it to Santa Monica CA. Has anyone done this trip and have any tips, tricks, or must sees?

Thanks a bunch!

Jabberwock

We have done large parts of R66 between Albuquerque and Flagstaff - some beautiful parks to see along the route. ...especially painted desert. Only thing to be cognizant off is the amazing decay of small town America - the small towns that dot the old R66 are almost all poverty stricken, broken down, virtual ghost towns....its a sad thing to see. Your Lexus will stick out like a sore thumb in these middle West America areas until you get to the West Coast or in relatively wealthy towns like Phoenix and Sedona. In fact we drove from DFW and then between Albuquerque and Grand Canyon and back two years ago in an LS430 and did not see another LS in the nearly 1800 mile round trip except for two in downtown Sedona.

PLAYTYM

Thanks for the information. Would you say it's unsafe? I certainly would not want to put my wife in an unsafe situation?

tentoys

few years ago i photographed rt 66 from Shamrock, TX to Gallup, NM. Not a lot left in most places but ruins. However, some of the towns have done a good job of preserving it. At that time, Tucumcari, NM was pretty good. I encountered nothing that I felt was unsafe or was uncomfortable with.

Jabberwock

No not unsafe at all - just lots of decrepit towns and folks living in poverty. The natural beauty is there in the land and the environment. But the economies of all the small towns is 99% dead. There is a very nice hotel (used to be main train station ) in Winslow Az that I'd recommend.

Yes

When you pass through Albuquerque, I'd recommend a short detour to Sandia Peak. It's a pretty cool drive up the backside of the mountain. And there are a lot of trails if you want to get in a hike. Route 66 also loops up to Santa Fe, which is worth a visit. Canyon Road is famous for their art galleries if you're into that. Hundreds of them one after another. Most of them are average, but a few are amazing.

If you're sticking strictly to Route 66 destinations, The Frontier Restaurant is popular. It was on the original Route 66 before they built I-40. The street is now called Central. Lots of shopping and other stuff in the area, but that's one of the few historic spots. Kind of average food, but locals seem to like it for nostalgia.

There are other places like the Route 66 Diner with a Route 66 theme, but they were built much later. And are only there for the tourists.

raymcgill

I'm going CA-> NH route via 40 and Rt66 in a few weeks. I bought a 2002 ls430 UL in California and bringing it home via romantic roadtrip with wife.

Coleroad

Coleroad