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 Road Travel Store, owned by Route 66 mailing list members Maureen and Annice.

We had a great visit with Maureen and browsed the store for a while. The shop carried all kinds of road trip supplies — maps, travel organizers, kids’ travel games, and of course a wide selection of Route 66 books, videos, and memorabilia. One of the most interesting things they offered was custom diner furniture, including booths and stools for people wanting to recreate a retro diner look at home.

After leaving the shop we drove downtown to reach the official beginning of Route 66. Turning east onto Jackson Boulevard, we passed by the famous Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant — still a breakfast stop I need to make someday!

Instead of continuing to Adams and Michigan, we turned south briefly, looped around the block, and then began heading west on Adams Street, starting our journey back along the historic Route 66 alignment.

Cicero – Berwyn

As we traveled through Cicero, we encountered a tricky intersection and a detour that led us onto 26th Street. Fortunately, between Pat — known as the “Road Maven” — and my own decent sense of direction, we quickly sorted it out.

We followed 26th Street west until reaching Illinois Route 43, where we turned south and continued to the intersection of Ogden Avenue.

At the corner stood a White Castle, but unfortunately we realized later that we had missed a short stretch of Ogden where two famous roadside spots were located:

• Henry’s Hot Dogs, known for its classic neon sign
• Bunyon’s Hot Dogs, home to a giant Muffler Man statue

I had actually seen the Muffler Man during my first trip, though at the time I didn’t yet know what a Muffler Man was!

Lyons – McCook

Continuing south on Route 43, we followed Joliet Road through the forest preserve and into Lyons.

In McCook, Joliet Road was closed and required a detour. Signs directed us west on 55th Street to East Avenue, where we turned south until the road reconnected with Joliet Road.

Pat explained the reason for the closure: the original road had run between two massive quarries, and the ground beneath it eventually became unstable. Even during the detour, we were able to see parts of the quarries nearby.

This stretch of the road was mostly industrial and didn’t offer many sightseeing stops.

Hodgkins – Countryside – Indian Head Park – Burr Ridge – Willowbrook

As we passed through Countryside, we were looking for the Wishing Well Motel, but in doing so we somehow managed to miss another stop I had visited during my first Route 66 trip — the Route 66 Café & Grill.

At the time we couldn’t figure out how we missed it. I distinctly remembered having brunch there during my August 2000 trip.

A few days later curiosity got the better of me and I returned to investigate. It turned out the restaurant had changed names — it was now called the William Tell Restaurant, located in the same building but slightly to the right near the attached motel.

The original Route 66 Café sign had been removed, which explained why I didn’t recognize it. There was still a faded neon sign on the building, but the word “Grill” had disappeared.

It’s funny how memory works — I had remembered the location differently, including a much larger parking lot than actually existed.

Dinner at Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket

We continued through Indian Head Park, Burr Ridge, and Willowbrook, finishing our Route 66 outing with dinner at the famous Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket.

Pat introduced me to a Midwestern delicacy there — chicken gizzards.

I decided to pass on those and ordered the grilled herb chicken breast instead, which turned out to be absolutely excellent.

End of Our First Route 66 Weekend

That wrapped up our first weekend trip together on Route 66.

From the window of our room at the Suburban Lodge in Downers Grove, we also spotted a car that looked like a Blues Brothers police car parked outside. It was still there a month later — minus the shrink wrap that had been covering the roof speaker — which made the sight even cooler.

And with that, our first Route 66 trip together came to an end.

Until the next adventure.