Route 66 Chicago to LA

[rhodzy]

Hi

I am currently planning my holiday for 2010 which is going to be 14 days driving across America Chicago to Los Angeles commonly known as (Route 66) and wondered if anyone has done it?

Just wondering if there are any "must see" places on the way any good hints and tips etc. This will be my first trip to America as well as my first driving holiday.

I have a blog setup with all the stops and hotels etc i will be staying at, so if you have any useful info, hint or tips i would be extremely greatful.

I am so excited about my trip and looking forward to the experience, but also very nervous!

 

[johnnewhouse]

i haven't done route 66, but i have done plenty of driving in the states, and the first thing i would say is don't be nervous, driving in America is a doddle. the roads are relatively good condition, and the cars are normally built like tanks so you don't really feel the potholes anyway.

the first time i went on a driving trip was June04. we flew into Boston and picked up a convertible and drove to Montreal (F1 races), then down to Indianapolis and then back to Boston.
you can cover massive distances in a day if you go on the interstates, but they are really boring. seeing as though you are going on the old route 66 then that wont be an issue.
last year me and a mate did a massive route.
Miami - Atlanta - St Louis - Kansas - Denver - Las Vegas - LA - San Diego - Dallas - Houston - New Orleans - Orlando - Miami (approx 8000 miles). but that was all on interstates and we realised that we were not seeing America, just the cities, which are generally the same layout.
this year (2008, i cant get used to it being 2009 yet) we went from Dallas to Phoenix and then back to Dallas (went to see 2 Nascar races). it was far less of a distance, but we stayed off the interstates for almost the entire journey. we seen far more towns and what we would class as villages, it was far more enjoyable and some of the country is beautiful.

i was thinking about doing the Route 66 at some point, but was always put off by the hire car companies that charge a fee for returning the car to another state, i cant remember exactly, but i think it was over

 

[Deleted User]

I live in California....i guess thats considered a must see Seriously, hit me up and well have a beer or ten. I wanna do Route 66 one day also.

 

[Capital]

Although driving Route 66 sounds good in theory you may run into a couple of problems. This is just from my experience in my area but I've heard this is the same in other areas as well....

I live in Springfield, MO, Route 66 runs right through my town, in high school a friend and I took his 1967 Plymouth as far as we could in a day along Route 66. We found nearly everything along the road was abandoned or had been torn down. When the interstates came and bypassed the old road the business just couldn't make it anymore. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of interesting sights remaining from its glory days but they are getting few and far between. Aside from the sights the road can be very difficult to navigate. The interstate cuts Route 66 in two in many areas so you must get on the interstate (some cases outer roads connect) to get to the next section of Route 66. It's not too big of a deal but it can get old fast.

Another problem in this area is bridges. Repairing and maintaining those old bridges is expensive and our department of transportation just doesn't put money into them like they used to, especially when most have become obsolete because of the interstate. As a result, when they get too bad they just shut them down, so like mentioned before you have to find an alternative route.

I hope I didn't come off too discouraging but those are just some of the realities you will find in some areas. There are still a lot of good stretches and you can find plenty of books showing you great sections to travel.

Best of luck,

Andy