IL Route 66 in a 56-Year Old 356: what are your Route 66 “must see” spots in Illinois? (Chicago: store, places to eat)

[echo7tango]

I’m looking for suggestions for each of the states along Route 66, and I’m posting separately for these states. What along Route 66 that is worth seeing? We’ll be driving from east to west.

This will be an epic road trip a year from today, early September 2019, from Chicago to LA. When it’s all done we will have covered over 5,000 miles and 17 states — the 8 states of Route 66 plus 9 other states just driving from San Francisco to Chicago to the start of Route 66. It will be one big clockwise loop, San Francisco to Chicago, to LA, and back home.

The car? It's a special one, a classic that’s been in our family for 25 years — a 1963 Porsche 356 convertible. His name is “Manfred”. Yes Manfred may be a little old, but he’s a good running car. We’ e taken Manfred on long trips before, 1,500 miles, but never before this long. It’ll be riskier in a car this old, but we’ll be flexible and we’ll be prepared. It will be part of the adventure.

So our trip will be “Route 66 in a 56-Year Old 356” — it sort of has a ring to it.

There’s a lot of Route 66 information out there and I’ve been researching for months already. I want to hear from you CDers and your experiences.

When driving from Chicago to LA, US Route through IL: is about 289 miles long in Illinois, from Chicago IL to East St. Louis IL

— Where do you suggest we go?
— What do you recommend we do and see?
— Where are decent places to stay?
— Where are great places to eat?

Go!

.

[echo7tango]

Hello, meet Manfred! We’re almost always top down when we drive him, except for when it’s rainy. Even when it’s cold outside we just bundle up and keep the top down. Here are some other Manfred memory pics over the years. And with this epic road trip, we’ll build some more memories.

If you are along Route 66 in Illinois and want to meet up, for coffee or a meal or a beer, let me know. It’d be very nice meeting some CDers on this trip. We've met other CDers, and it has been very nice making those connections.

Woo-hoo, this’ll be a fun road trip!

.

[pvande55]

Well, you can't miss this. https://www.visitpontiac.org/2192/Route-66-Museum

[DavePa]

Your start will be this intersection. S Michigan Ave & Adams. ZOOM IN in the center. The lamppost sign and it tells you.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8795...7i13312!8i6656

Zooming in the center of that street-view ..... the lamppost sign tells you "start route 66"

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8795...7i13312!8i6656

It has one of Chicago's greatest museums at its summit .... the "Art Institute of Chicago"

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8795...7i13312!8i6656

Be sure to do some sightseeing in Chicago. Great aesthetics and architecture, parks, lakefront. Even a boat ride on Lake Michigan and down the river is awesome. September weather should be good.

[echo7tango]

Originally Posted by pvande55

Well, you can't miss this. https://www.visitpontiac.org/2192/Route-66-Museum

In Pontiac IL, about 100 miles southwest of Chicago (gMap — https://goo.gl/KNmUyk). Cool. Also behind it is a wall mural with a very nice, large painting about Route 66 that makes for a classic photo stop (https://www.visittheusa.com/destination/pontiac).

A definite stop, thanks.

[echo7tango]

Originally Posted by DavePa

Your start will be this intersection. S Michigan Ave & Adams. ZOOM IN in the center. The lamppost sign and it tells you.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8795...7i13312!8i6656

Zooming in the center of that street-view ..... the lamppost sign tells you "start route 66"

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8795...7i13312!8i6656

It has one of Chicago's greatest museums at its summit .... the "Art Institute of Chicago"

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8795...7i13312!8i6656

Be sure to do some sightseeing in Chicago. Great aesthetics and architecture, parks, lakefront. Even a boat ride on Lake Michigan and down the river is awesome. September weather should be good.

Nice. Definitely, we’ll stop, and start, at the beginning for pictures. I think there are different start points from the different alignments over the years, 1926-1985.

[MikeQBF]

Springfield: Cozy Dog Drive In – Try 'em, You'll Like 'em!

More of a Route 66 institution than "good food", be sure to pack the Alka-Seltzer for this deep-fryer tour de force. The Waldmire family has operated in this location (technically, next door to the original building) since 1949.

The founder's son, Bob, became famous (Route 66 famous) for reopening the Hackberry, AZ, general store in 1992, turning it into a quasi-museum and information center. He was a latter-day hippie, and he and his VW Microbus were the inspiration for the "Fillmore" hippie character in the Disney movie, Cars. Bob passed in 2010, although the store is a huge tourist attraction now primarily due to the movie.

[DavePa]

Originally Posted by echo7tango

Nice. Definitely, we’ll stop, and start, at the beginning for pictures. I think there are different start points from the different alignments over the years, 1926-1985.

Yes, this link notes the few changes, when and why.
I guess it actually goes to the lakefront and Grant Park as Chicago's front lawn too technically.

https://www.theroute-66.com/chicago.html

From link:
- According to Russell A. Olsen in "The Complete Route 66 Lost & Found", the eastern terminus at 48th St. and Ogden Ave. in Cicero was moved east into downtown Chicago in 1931, to Jackson St. and Michigan Ave. at Grant Park.

-The State maps of 1926, 27, 28 show Route 66 as continuing with IL-4 west of Cicero so perhaps its terminus was unclear to map makers.

- Yet, Sonderman and also David G. Clark in his "Route 66 in Chicago" tell us that the eastbound terminus of both U.S. 66 and U.S. 34 moved from Jackson and Michigan Ave in 1937 Jackson was extended east to the newly built Outer Drive, which became Lake Shore Boulevard in 1953.

- Another change took place in 1957 when Jackson west of Michigan became one way (eastwards). This meant that Westbound traffic from US 41 (which ran along Lake Shore Blvd.) drove along a two landed Jackson until Michigan Ave, but then had to turn north and then west along Adams St. to head westwards to reach Ogden Ave.

But the Jackson and Lake Shore Drive -- start from 1937 is still noted by Google street-view and calling it -- The Route 66 Eastern Terminus.

That is this intersection at the lakefront.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/U....!4d-87.6171564

Just it moves a block north at Michigan Ave from Jackson to Adams since The city changed many streets to one-ways. Then the earlier street-view starts.

[Maintainschaos]

Definitely check out the Cozy Dog Drive-in in Springfield.

[echo7tango]

Thanks for the replies so far, I’m reading up on the places.