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What a morning! Here in Stroud, Oklahoma, about 50 miles southwest of Tulsa, we’ve had a heck of a storm roll through here. It was 65 degrees this morning before the storm rolled through, and just 40 miles west of us it was 42. Tornado watches, thunder, lightning…we had it all! Right now it’s just raining here in Stroud at the the Skyliner Motel.
Had a nice drive on Friday from Amarillo. The National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, Oklahoma should be a must-stop for anyone traveling out this way. Passed Oklahoma City, we stopped by Jim Ross’ Arcadia pad for a couple of hours. He suggested we stop by a place up the road in Luther called “The Boundary on Route 66”, a newer BBQ joint on the route. Glad he did! The spare ribs there were fantastic…
and the owners, Donnie & Buffy Samara made you feel right at home.
I”ve tried a lot of BBQ in Oklahoma over the years and I have to say The Boundary is worth making a 700 mile trip for. Then again, I’ll take 200 mile trip for a corndog, so what’s that tell you? The Boundary on Route 66 is located at 16001 E. Hwy 66 in Luther, Oklahoma. If you find yourself out this way, make it a point to stop by for lunch or dinner. You won’t regret it!
We’re getting ready to shove out of Stroud, as the storms have blown through and the rain has diminished. I’ll have updates tonight or tomorrow on today’s journey. Until then…stay dry!
Just pulled into Amarillo, Texas about an hour ago and have set up at the Big Texan Steak Ranch & Motel. We’re here in the “Cattleman’s Hotel” wing of the Big Texan Motel.
The winds today in the Texas panhandle have been intense! Dad’s Impala only got 20mpg today after a tank of 22mpg on Wednesday. We should have the wind at our backs on the way home, so the mpg should improve. The Big Texan is packed right now, but it’s slowly starting to thin out.
We’re heading over there for some flame broiled goodness after I post this. More pics of dinner to follow!
We made it from Indy to Claremore, Oklahoma today. The weather started off quite miserable, as it rained most of the trip through Indiana & Illinois. Once we got into Missouri, the clouds parted and the sun was shining throughout the afternoon, and provided one heck of a sunset as we entered Oklahoma.
We stopped for lunch at the Circle N in Bourbon, Missouri for a fine grilled ham & cheese and then in Phillipsburg for a stop at Redmon’s for a bag full of road food (candy). We pulled into the Will Rogers Inn in Claremore tonight following nearly 630 miles of travel today. By the time we got ourselves settled in, we went out to grab a bite to eat. Unfortunately just about everything was closed, so we ended up getting some chow at a convenience store.
We’ve got another nearly 400 miles to cover Thursday to get to the Big Texan and our Christmas steak. Hopefully we’ll have internet access in Amarillo.
Merry Christmas!
As if the Thanksgiving on Route 66 trip wasn’t enough, now comes “Christmas on Route 66”. I’ve been wanting to get my dad out on the road with me for a couple of years & now he’s finally agreed. Destination: A Christmas steak dinner at the Big Texan in Amarillo.
He’s picking me up Christmas Eve morning & we’re interstating Wednesday & Thursday and bunking up at the Big Texan Motel Christmas night after a steak dinner at the BT. Friday we’ll turn around and mosy on 66 Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Should be a cool father/son bonding thing. I’ve always been intrigued by the story he told me of his family’s trip out to California in ’49. On the way back home…on Route 66…my grandpa had to be admitted in the hospital in Tucumcari, NM with stomach ulcers. Being the stubborn German he was, he checked himself out of the hospital 3 days later and my dad drove he & my grandma home via 66. So, I’ll be taking him on some of those sections of 66 that had been bypassed, but were in use in ’49, mainly in Oklahoma. No, I don’t expect he’d remember much about those sections, but it’ll be cool to tell him that this abandoned stretch is the same road he would’ve driven 60 years prior when he was a teen.
Anywho, I’ll be bringing along the laptop to provide updates as internet connections allow.
My daughter Amber documented the following series of photos from “Mickey Blue Eyes”
James Caan outside the Minetta Tavern, aka “The La Trattoria” in the movie.
June 2008
Hugh Grant enters the Minetta Tavern, aka “The La Trattoria” in the movie.
June 2008
June 2008
June 2008
June 2008
One day, I was watching The Grapes of Wrath and noticed that this particular view looked very familiar. I checked our Route 66 honeymoon photos from June 2002 and saw the 2nd photo below. I don’t think I could have taken the photo of the same location and had it match more perfectly with a printed screenshot with me! We took this photo without even knowing about this particular scene!
June 2002
2002. This bridge crossing on Route 66 from Topock, Arizona into California over the Colorado River was discontinued from traffic use in 1947. Today, it supports utility and gas lines.
My daughter Amber documented the following series of photos from “Men in Black II”
June 2008
June 2008
June 2008
Here’s a random collection of movie filming locations, of which I don’t have enough photos to warrant a separate page.
Big
12-year old Josh Baskin, frustrated at his slight stature, turns into a grownup after making a wish with a fortune telling machine called Zoltar. After frantically searching for the Zoltar machine to turn back into a kid, Josh has some time on his hands, while waiting for information from the Department of Consumer affairs as to the location of a Zoltar machine, and gets a job in the data processing department at MacMillan Toys. One Saturday, Josh spends a little time browsing at New York’s famous toy store, FAO Schwarz. Many locations of the store were used here, and I visited the store many times with my then 4-year old daughter. (She was very much into “Hello Kitty” stuff and FAO Schwarz had a huge area dedicated to this cute kitty). At that time (around 1991-1992), the store had changed very little since the movie was filmed.
In one of the movie’s most memorable scenes, Josh runs into his boss, the owner of MacMillan Toys, who spends his Saturdays at FAQ Schwarz observing what toys kids are into. He and Josh spend a little time bonding as Josh explains his likes and dislikes of various toys (much to the bemusement of Mr. MacMillan). They stumble about a large floor model “piano,” where Josh starts to play “Heart and Soul.” Mr. MacMillan joins in, and together they do a well-coordinated routine consisting of Heart and Soul and Chopsticks. Having not had so much fun in a while, MacMillan taps into Josh’s knowledge of toys and makes him vice president….one of them, anyway – they have a hundred of them!
From the movie:
FAO Schwarz, approximately 1991 – 1992:
In May 2013, when the photo below was taken, the clock was no longer in this location, as the store was completely remodeled/renovated. It was hung on a wall above an escalator leading to the lower level. It still played “Welcome to Our World of Toys” every 15 minutes. The store closed on July 15, 2015.
Two scenes in Big were filmed at the location below, which is Rye Playland Amusement Park in Rye, New York. It was depicted in the movie to be “Seapoint Park” New York. In one scene, Josh goes to Seapoint Park on a date with his co-worker, Susan.
At the end of the movie, Josh returns to Seapoint Park after discovering that a Zoltar machine is here, so that he could make a wish to turn back to a kid again.
Rye Playland Boardwalk, taken approximately 1991:
Where Josh wishes he were “big” with the Zoltar machine at the carnival.
The site below where the carnival was held and where Josh rode the next day to find the site looking basically like we did. 
After finding himself “big” Josh needs a place to stay and selects the Hotel St. James. During our stay here in May 2009, we did not find it at ALL in the condition from the movie. Rooms were pretty small, but that’s about it. I should’ve taken some interior lobby photos, as those scenes were filmed there.
36 7th St W, St Paul, MN
This is from a scene from “The Producers,” in which down-and-out Broadway producer, Max Bialystock (Lane) is trying to convince his mousy accountant, Leo Bloom (Broderick) to participate in a get-rich scheme. They will oversell shares in a Broadway show, keep the additional money and go to Rio. But in order for the scheme to work, the show must be a “surefire flop.” Leo is too scared to do it, and runs away as Max desperately convinces him that it will work (“We Can Do It”).
August 2008
Del Griffith (John Candy) and Neal Page (Steve Martin) are two very different businessmen who met by chance in New York City when Del “steals” Neal’s cab to the airport. Unfortunately, the simple, short flight from New York to Chicago just before Thanksgiving turns into a two-day ordeal, bringing Del and Neal together as they make their way from New York to Chicago by way of Wichita, Kansas.
In this scene, they are waiting for a ride to the “people” train station, 40 miles away, which they will make sitting in the back of a pickup truck. They just spent the night sharing the last motel room in town, at the fictional “Braidwood Inn.” This motel is actually in Braidwood, Illinois along I-55.
June 2006
From the movie
June 2006
The house in the movie “A Christmas Story” is located in Cleveland, Ohio. For more information, click the link for the official site. You can visit it and go on a tour! The house was being restored when we passed through Cleveland in July 2007, we just took a couple of exterior photos.
Another favorite film of mine is “Moonstruck.” Cher plays Loretta Castorini, an Italian-American widow living with her parents in Brooklyn, who is torn between her fiancé and his brother.
First, here is a video montage created by my daughter Amber, containing her photos, as well as some of mine. Once you have enjoyed that, I have the locations listed below, with the photos. Not all locations in the video are up on this page yet…it’s a work in progress!
Here are two views of the Castorini House from the movie.
2004
Loretta walking back to her house on Cranberry Street
May 2008
From the movie, looking west on Cranberry Street, heading toward the Brooklyn Promenade, with its views of lower Manhattan.
May 2008
In this scene, Loretta goes to the Cammareri Bakery to invite her fiance’s brother to the wedding. Loretta is standing on the northwest corner of Sackett & Henry Streets, about to cross to the southeast corner to the Cammareri Bros. Bakery. This view is looking south on Henry Street.
May 2008. View from the northwest corner of Sackett & Henry Streets, looking south on Henry Street. The pharmacy from Moonstruck is still there on the left. On the right is the location where the Cammareri Bakery was located.
Loretta entering the cellar of the bakery to talk to Ronny.
May 2008. This is where the Cammareri Bros. Bakery was located, and the entrance to the cellar is on the right, by the SUV.
The fictitious restaurant, the Grand Ticino, is featured at various points in the movie. Its first appearance is during a scene when Loretta and Johnny are having dinner and Johnny proposes. Later, Loretta’s mother Rose (Olympia Dukakis), dines alone and meets Perry (John Mahoney), a college professor with a penchant for getting drinks thrown in his face by the college students he dates.
According to the street signs, the restaurant is located at Hicks & Cranberry Streets. The Castorini home is located at 19 Cranberry Street in Brooklyn, and the characters are depicted as being within a short walking distance. 
May 2009. The actual location for the building is in the West Village in Manhattan, at 4th & 12th Streets.
From the movie.
May 2008
