Day Two - Chicago to Litchfield (revised)

This morning we got up early so we could get a good head start on the downtown Chicago traffic. We first went to Lou Mitchell's for breakfast. It was packed but recommended by every Route 66 guide we have. Built in 1923, this tiny restaurant is known for serving breakfast all day long and every lady customer receives a box of Milk Duds upon entering. Every customer gets an orange segment and a prune also which we found very curious and funny. Mom and I split an egg sandwich (it was huge) and it was the best we've ever had.




Next we hopped in the car and headed east to the lake shore and Grant Park where (unofficially) the route begins. The original starting point was at Michigan and Jackson but was moved in the 1950's to accommodate one-way streets. We parked near Buckingham Fountain (built in 1927) and got out for some pictures.

As I drove, Mom navigated through all the maps and guides and kept us on track. We passed through the old haunts of Al Capone on the west side of Chicago and headed south to the rural towns. In the town of Odell we stopped for a picture of a classic 1932 Standard gas station. This station has been preserved and is on the national register.

We continued on the original Route 66 pavement where we could but a few times we jumped on the neighboring highways to save time. (The purists would reply "tsk tsk" but we were afraid we were getting too far behind. ) It's these highways that killed the Route and many of her roadside businesses when they were built. The business owners relied on the drive by traffic and when the new highway came in and bypassed the Route (sometimes miles away from the original road) they became unknown to travelers.

We found a 1.4 mile stretch of the original brick road between the towns of Chatham and Auburn. Mom read that the bricks were all laid by hand. We drove the little stretch and stopped for a picture. Look close, it's hard to see the bricks - VERY cool!

Finally we arrived at our day one destination, Litchfield, Illinois. Incidentally Mom and Dad lived here in 1962 and my sister, Christy, was born here that July. We still have family here and in nearby towns so we were able to see lots of people. We stopped to see Dad's oldest brother Ted who is in a nursing home then went to the Ariston for dinner where we met a large group of family. The Ariston (on the Route since the 1930's) is and institution and well recommended in all our trip guides. Mom says the last time she was there was with my dad before I was born.

We managed to get a group photo after dinner. We were tickled so many people came out to see us. Pictured is: my cousin Todd and his wife Liza, my second cousin Ashley and her boyfriend Shawn, me, my second cousin Trenton, Mom, my aunt Shirley, cousin Sherry, aunt Sharon, second cousin Taylor, aunt Shirley, second cousin Alex and cousin Lori. Thanks all of you for coming out and having dinner with us. We love you!