2021 Route 66 Caravan - Day 2 - Chicago IL

Yankee RV chartered a bus and we headed into Chicago from our campsites at the Hollywood Casino RV Park in Joliet. 

Jackson Boulevard was the starting point for the original Route 66, which means you can drive into Chicago on the “Mother Road” from the Kennedy Expressway, Illinois Interstate 90/94. Exit Jackson east and look for Lou Mitchell’s on your right located near the intersection of Jackson and Jefferson.

That will be our first stop while we are in downtown Chicago is to eat at Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant. We are ready for their all-American comfort food. This classic diner opened in 1923, three whole years before Route 66 would be built there in 1926. By the time the Mother Road was finished, Lou Mitchell's had already become a local classic, and it became a national classic shortly after that!

Receiving millions of visitors annually, the Willis Tower (formerly known as Sears Tower) is one of Chicago’s most popular attractions. It is the second tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. On a clear day, visitors can see four states from the Skydeck: Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan. But at $30 a head to see the view, it is not worth it!

We drove the Loop. It is the heart of the city and it’s bursting with iconic Chicago attractions, including historic architecture, river cruises, Millennium Park, the Chicago Riverwalk, a vibrant theatre district, incredible dining, shopping along State Street, plus much, much more. The Loop is also home to the award-winning Chicago Riverwalk, a pedestrian-only pathway lined with great waterfront restaurants, the McCormick Bridge house & Chicago River Museum, and the mind-blowing digital art display Art on the MART. Get your culture fix at the historic Art Institute of Chicago, one of the top museums in the world according to TripAdvisor. It’s also one of the oldest and largest art museums in the country, home to one of the most impressive collections of Impressionist art in the world.

Flowing through downtown Chicago, the Chicago River has a fascinating history. Not only does this river run through various systems and canals, but it is also the only river in the world that flows backwards. A reversal technique was introduced for sanitation reasons to divert the sewage away from Lake Michigan’s water supply. The reversal of the river was recognized as being the largest public earth-moving project ever completed. It was also acknowledged as a great engineering achievement.

On the lakefront side of the Loop, you’ll also find the Millennium Park Campus — home to iconic Cloud Gate (aka “The Bean”), Crown Fountain, peaceful Lurie Garden, and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion that hosts legendary music festivals like the Chicago Blues Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, and a free summer music series and film series. Right next door, you can rock climb, skate, and play at whimsical Maggie Daley Park.

Chicago’s Grant Park is the easternmost point of legendary US Route 66. We drove around historic Grant Park. Right now it is home to Lollapalooza, an annual four-day music festival, in Chicago. It started as a touring event in 1991. The music genres include but are not limited to alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock, hip hop, and electronic music. 

Ever seen 9 feet tall sets of legs? We did! This "art" is comprised of 106 nine-foot-tall headless torsos, Agora is one of the most debated sculptural installations in Chicago’s recent history. Chicagoans either live it or hate it, no in between. The artwork gets its name from the Greek word for meeting place. The cast iron figures are arranged in interesting groupings. Some are frozen in positions that suggest great movement, while others appear to be standing completely still. Most of them are in monumental crowds, although some appear to be pulling away from the larger group. Installed in 2006, it is the work of internationally-acclaimed sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz. She first created sculptures inspired by the human form in the 1970s. Initially working in burlap and resin, she went on use bronze, steel, as well as iron—the material used for Agora. While Abakanowicz’s work can be seen in museums and public spaces throughout the world, Agora is her largest permanent installation.

The bus carried us back to our rigs and some of us loaded up in cars to tour a few more Route 66 icons in the greater Joliet area.

Our first stop was the Route 66 Park. This roadside park has a historic ice cream parlor, Rich and Creamy Ice Cream. It has neon lights and life size figures of Jake and Elwood Blues, aka The Blues Brothers dancing on its roof. The “Licks on 66” is the official starting point for Route 66 in Joliet. 

We did enjoy some ice cream. For some of us, it was just a baby cone.

There are also informational signs which showcase each Joliet Route 66 attraction, and a 12 foot Joliet Kicks sign. Plus the park has an eclectic collection of public art works that celebrate Joliet's rich and vibrant art culture. I found the Mother Nature Statue in the sculpture garden to be very fascinating.

From here there’s a path with a view of the Old Joliet Prison where scenes from The Blues Brothers were filmed. We missed the overlook for a birdseye view of the Collins Street Prison.  

Across the street from the park you can see Dicks on 66. Outside the towing service building with wacky old cars. What more can I say?!

We did a “drive by” for the Route 66 Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway, as both venues are closed for the 2021 race season, due to the uncertainty of the pandemic.

Our next stop was not hard to miss, on Route 66, as we pulled into Wilmington. The iconic fiberglass statue is 30 feet tall and was originally used for advertising. He’s a prime example of a Muffler Man, as these roadside figures dating from the 1960s are known. Many Muffler Men were variants of the first figure created, a giant Paul Bunyan character. The Gemini Giant has a silver helmet, green sleeveless spacesuit. He is holding a rocket inscribed with the words The Launching Pad.

The Launching Pad and Gemini Giant were inducted into the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame in 2000. Both long have been one of the biggest photo opportunities for Route 66 travelers. John and Betty Korelc opened a Dairy Delite at the site in Wilmington in 1960. It was renamed the Launching Pad after an expansion in 1965. The Gemini Giant landed there that year after John Korelc saw a Muffler Man during a restaurant convention. Most Muffler Men at the time were cowboys or lumberjacks. Korelc instead had his specially made so it looked like an astronaut. The restaurant’s current owners, Holly Barker and Tully Garrett are giving a new lease of life to this diner, Route 66 welcome center and gift shop.

    

Our final stop was the Polka Dot Drive-In located in Braidwood. The Polk-a-Dot Drive-In was founded over 50 years ago has become one of the most memorable attractions along Illinois Route 66. The story behind this colorful spot is something small businesses are made of. In 1956, Chester “Chet” Fife had the idea to serve fast food out of his school bus, dressed up in polka dots! It became a success which moved him onto bigger and better things, which is the building that now stands on this spot. 

They have an Elvis statue inside and out, Superman with his phone booth, Blue Brothers dancing, Betty Boop, James Dean and Marilyn Monroe on the other side. This great nostalgic 1950s-style roadside diner is known for burgers, malts & chili-cheese fries!

It was a great first full day of our Route 66 caravan with Yankee RV Tours!

2021 Route 66 Caravan - Day 1

Yankee events always begin with traditional root beer floats! Here in Joliet Illinois, we are camping at the RV Park at the Hollywood Casino. For the Route 66, aka "Main Street of America" caravan, we were able to hold that event in the hotel lobby. Who does not like a root beer float? But, did you know that Chicago claims it was invented here?

It might be the type of ice cream mixed with the right root beer that makes this treat so delicious, or the perfect ratio of root beer to ice cream. But maybe Chicago's love for root beer floats, also known as a black cow or brown cow, is something more than that. 

It could be nostalgic memories of sitting with your family at a diner or ice cream shop and enjoying a delicious treat; a treat you just had to finish until the last sip of root beer and spoonful of ice cream were gone.

Since the first Europeans who settled in North America made sassafras-based beverages similar to the root beer we enjoy today, which is made from sassafras roots, bark and other ingredients. But it wasn't until the late 19th century that root beer was considered a commercial drink. 

Charles Hires, the first person to market root beer successfully, hoped the drink would replace alcoholic beverages during the temperance movement. A devoted Quaker, Hires promoted his product, Hires Root Beer, on the claim that the drink had medicinal effects. In 1893 Hires got a spot at the World's Fair in Chicago to share his root beer, Funderburg writes.

Chicago claimed it had the most soda fountains than anywhere else in the country in 1896, but the first Chicago establishment to make and serve a root beer float remains a mystery. In 1848, druggist Josiah H. Reed opened the first soda fountain in Chicago, and they were popular until the 1960s. The creation of the root beer float came years after the first Chicago soda fountain, supposedly invented in 1893 by Colorado gold mine owner Frank J. Wisner.

It is also the time when we get to meet the staff for the caravan and all of the caravanners! That is always a fun time! It's a chance to reconnect with friends you have traveled with before and a chance to meet new friends!

We ended our day one at the Final Cut Steak House inside the Hollywood Casino. This restaurant is currently closed, but they opened it up for us to hold our "welcome" dinner there. 

The menu from Final Cut is sure to please your palate. They offer a twist on old favorites and vegetarian options you’re sure to love. Our dinner started with a Mixed Greens Salad with mixed greens, red onion, cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, and our choice of dressing. For our second course, we choose between a Queen Cut Prime Rib, 12oz garlic and herb rubbed prime rib, creamy mashed potatoes, and vegetable de jour or Pan Roasted Chicken Breast, Roasted Airline Chicken, served with creamy mashed potatoes and vegetable du jour.

Our final course was a magnificent Chef’s Dessert Display and Coffee Table. To say the desserts were "to die for" would be an understatement! It was truly a Hollywood classic, with a delightful dining experience. There is so much to celebrate and no better time than now, to enjoy our dinner here! 

The rooms were decorated with authentic Hollywood memorabilia.

It was extra special to be treated like "royalty" by all of the staff. To say the atmosphere was perfect, is an understatement. The food was excellent and the staff was attentive, friendly and fun!

Sorry, we did not capture pictures of more of these individuals seated at each table. After dinner a few of the caravanners lost their $20 "gift" from the casino at their slot machines!

A great first day on our maiden voyage of Yankee RV Tours Route 66 "Main Street of America" caravan!