Chicago to the Western Suburbs For our second day together on Route 66, we started the morning back in Downers Grove. We headed north on I-294 to the O’Hare Oasis, where we stopped for breakfast before continuing our sightseeing around the Chicago area. After breakfast we continued north on I-294 and exited at U.S. 19, which we followed through Skokie and into Evanston. We stopped at a park along Lake Michigan and took a walk by the lake. The neighborhood nearby was beautiful, with stately brick homes and an atmosphere that felt very exclusive. Exploring Chicago and Route 66 From Evanston we drove into the city to visit Hit the…

Chicago Suburbs to Springfield, Illinois After months of emails and conversations about Route 66, Pat and I finally planned our first trip together on the Mother Road. At the time, I was staying in the Chicago suburbs, beginning the process of looking for a job and apartment after deciding to move closer to Route 66 following my first trip in August 2000. Pat drove up from Indianapolis, and we planned a short winter weekend trip on Route 66 from Chicago toward Springfield. Originally, we planned to drive from Chicago into the suburbs on Friday evening, then start early Saturday morning and see how far we could get — hopefully all…