Route 66 from Santa Monica to Missouri (cruise, hotels, Cuba, vacation)
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Taking my nephew on a road trip for his high school graduation.
Flying out to LA on the 12th of June. I think I'm going to spend the 12th and 13th in LA and we'll leave out from Santa Monica pier on the 14th.
Final destination won't be Chicago, but we're going to do Rt 66 to Missouri and then detour up to the Kansas City area to see my dad. Hope to be there on the evening of the 24th. Then we'll fly out from KC on the 27th
Some destinations that i'll certainly be doing.. Meteor Crater.. Oatman and Seligman and alot of the small towns. Winslow, AZ. Plan to visit the soda place in Tulsa and the blue whale and that steakhouse in Amarillo that has the 72 ounce steak challenge.
Also plan to detour off 66 down to Roswell and check it out.
And, of course, we're going to be stopping many, many places along the way.. Just looking for things to see that you might bypass. And.. I've been to the Scamwalk out on the Grand Canyon, so, no interest to go back to that.
Most of those places will be great disappointments -- The song about them was written 75 years ago, and there just a few hokey tourist traps to recall them.
It's worth a walking tour of the art-deco district in Tulsa, to see what infinite oil money could build.
The southwest is a wonderful part of the world. Stop at yard-sales and chat with browsers. Eat breakfast early at town storefront cafes to eavesdrop on farmers conversations. Don't take the bypss route around any cities, that would defeat your whole purpose.
I don.t mean to downplay, it will be an awesome trip for both of you --- just don't overplay your expectations. The 21st century will always be there -- cling to what you can to life in the 20th,
Taking my nephew on a road trip for his high school graduation.
Flying out to LA on the 12th of June. I think I'm going to spend the 12th and 13th in LA and we'll leave out from Santa Monica pier on the 14th.
Final destination won't be Chicago, but we're going to do Rt 66 to Missouri and then detour up to the Kansas City area to see my dad. Hope to be there on the evening of the 24th. Then we'll fly out from KC on the 27th
Some destinations that i'll certainly be doing.. Meteor Crater.. Oatman and Seligman and alot of the small towns. Winslow, AZ. Plan to visit the soda place in Tulsa and the blue whale and that steakhouse in Amarillo that has the 72 ounce steak challenge.
Also plan to detour off 66 down to Roswell and check it out.
And, of course, we're going to be stopping many, many places along the way.. Just looking for things to see that you might bypass. And.. I've been to the Scamwalk out on the Grand Canyon, so, no interest to go back to that.
As mentioned a lot of Route 66 has nothing of interest but there are lots of spots along the way that still have the nostalgia on full display. As an example when heading west from Flagstaff there is a bit in the beginning and end of that loop but nothing in the middle but stretches of empty roads.
You have plenty of time to do some research and you will find a lot to see in many spots.
While visiting Winslow you will be in close proximity to the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest.
Have a great trip and like I said a bit of research will certainly fill your trip full of neat things to see and plenty of oddities of early automobile travel.
PS. In LA if you want to see a few oddities there is the Angels Flight and the Arts Tower in Watts. Whenever we travel I try to at least pick out a few kitschy things for the twins to see.
As mentioned a lot of Route 66 has nothing of interest but there are lots of spots along the way that still have the nostalgia on full display. As an example when heading west from Flagstaff there is a bit in the beginning and end of that loop but nothing in the middle but stretches of empty roads.
You have plenty of time to do some research and you will find a lot to see in many spots.
While visiting Winslow you will be in close proximity to the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest.
Have a great trip and like I said a bit of research will certainly fill your trip full of neat things to see and plenty of oddities of early automobile travel.
PS. In LA if you want to see a few oddities there is the Angels Flight and the Arts Tower in Watts. Whenever we travel I try to at least pick out a few kitschy things for the twins to see.
The areas where there's nothing of interest are some of the most interesting areas. Especially for people who haven't spent much time in desert areas.
The point is.. We're going to have a road trip. Where it's from and to isn't all that relevant. Just Route 66 fits the bill for the distance and time it'll take. But.. I'd hate to do that trip and have something slip past.
Yeah, painted desert is definitely on the list.
The problem with LA.. Alot of things are still closed. Hell, the tar pits are closed and they're outside. Observatory is closed.. Might be able to check out a Dodgers game, pending on the schedule. And.. Yeah, they're in town. So that's a possibility.
Most teens cannot relate to the Route 66 mystique and will find it extremely boring. Plus it it is nothing how it used to be, you may be disappointed.
I agree with this. Route 66 really doesn't exist as a continuous highway anymore. Instead of planning your road trip around a now-nonexistent highway, why not plan it around the things you and (especially) your nephew really want to see?
I refuse to believe that a teenager cant or wont enjoy a roadtrip through the west. There is such rich history and plenty of instagram worthy picture spots. I have no advice on the particular route as I havent done it yet but its one of the first ones I plan to do when we head west. It will be as great as you make it. You have a good amount of time and time to plan so you should be able to hit the hot spots (such as they are). Roadtrippers has a lot of great info on roadtrips and they have a route 66 one already with highlights plus they tell you about attractions along the way and food and hotels
The areas where there's nothing of interest are some of the most interesting areas. Especially for people who haven't spent much time in desert areas.
The point is.. We're going to have a road trip. Where it's from and to isn't all that relevant. Just Route 66 fits the bill for the distance and time it'll take. But.. I'd hate to do that trip and have something slip past.
Yeah, painted desert is definitely on the list.
The problem with LA.. Alot of things are still closed. Hell, the tar pits are closed and they're outside. Observatory is closed.. Might be able to check out a Dodgers game, pending on the schedule. And.. Yeah, they're in town. So that's a possibility.
We did the stretch between Kingman and Albuquerque and had a fantastic time, behind our camera lenses. Sometimes the route IS the destination.
I refuse to believe that a teenager cant or wont enjoy a roadtrip through the west. There is such rich history and plenty of instagram worthy picture spots. I have no advice on the particular route as I havent done it yet but its one of the first ones I plan to do when we head west. It will be as great as you make it. You have a good amount of time and time to plan so you should be able to hit the hot spots (such as they are). Roadtrippers has a lot of great info on roadtrips and they have a route 66 one already with highlights plus they tell you about attractions along the way and food and hotels
It's.. More about time together than anything. I mean, we've done a number of trips while he was growing up. We've done DC, Vegas, New York, Boston, Gatlinburg, Iowa (My dad was living there). This is.. Just an area we haven't done.. And there's lots of little things on this route that we'd find interesting.. He's very excited about Roswell.. But, who would vacation JUST to Roswell? Or have Meteor Crater as their vacation destination?
So, this trip, we get to see alot of those type things.. And.. Alot of Americana. Ghost Towns fascinate both of us.. and.. Honestly.. I'm not sure a route where we'll be able to see more of those than this one. We also both love caverns.. There's alot of those on the route. He loved Luray up in Virginia, as do I.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katnan
We did the stretch between Kingman and Albuquerque and had a fantastic time, behind our camera lenses. Sometimes the route IS the destination.
I've seen that site before. But appreciate the info.. And I totally agree with you about the route being the destination. Seems that's what many are missing here. I mean, going on a cruise to some people is the best thing to do on vacation.. While I can see some of that in that you stop at different ports (I'd love to cruise to Cuba and spend a day or two there).. Time on a boat doesn't fly for me.. I burst into flame in the sun, so beach style destinations don't hold interest for me. But.. a cruise doesn't.. Float my boat, so to speak. At least on a road trip.. Pull over, go walk in the desert a bit. He'll actually love all the little kitsch shops along the route..
Plus.. He's just starting to drive, so.. Some wide open stretches of deserted road will be perfect for him.
His brother.. Who will graduate in 4 years.. this would be awful for him. I'm kicking around ideas now to figure out what we're going to do then. He's.. Much wilder. So.. That will be tougher. An initial thought is going to San Diego and popping over to TJ.. that's probably more his speed. I'm.. Certainly leery of that idea.. Thankfully, I've got a while to think about that one. Of course, he keeps bringing up some "Bunny Island" that he wants to go see and that one's just a flat no. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%8Ckunoshima
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