Return to Route 66 - Chicago to Joliet Illinois
RVing Route 66 from Chicago to Joliet, Illinois
We’re back on Route 66 and, this time, we’re heading the same direction as the famous song that’s been covered by so very many artists. Get your kicks on Route 66 indeed!
Route 66 in Chicago
I have to admit I am no fan of big cities - the bigger the city the less enthused I am about visiting. But Chicago is at the beginning (or end) of the Mother Road so here we are with a truck that doesn’t fit into any parking structures trying to navigate the construction zone that is this city.
Over at the other end of the Route the folks in Santa Monica have placed an “End of the Road” sign on the Santa Monica pier and so, the folks in Chicago have done something similar on Navy Pier. Which we didn’t get to visit because I couldn’t find parking for the truck. Oh well.
We did manage to fight the traffic over to the real start sign for Route 66 and Kate, who is traveling with us, hopped out of the truck and got a photo.
As with most larger metropolitan areas there isn’t a lot left of the original Route 66 here although a must-see spot, Lou Mitchell’s restaurant, has been serving since 1923. Though not on the day we were there apparently - it’s closed on Mondays. Bummer.
Lou Mitchell's in Chicago - an icon since 1923
The Castle Car Wash in Chicago - reportedly an Al Capone hangout
Castle Car Wash
This landmark is closed now but is reportedly the last traditional gas station on Route 66 in Chicago. Located at 3801 W. Ogden Avenue in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood, Castle Car Wash is one of the more unusual surviving pieces of Chicago’s Route 66 history. The distinctive castle-like building was constructed in 1925, just before Ogden Avenue became part of Route 66 in 1926.
The building originally served as a gas station and garage and went through several incarnations before becoming known as Castle Car Wash in the 1980s. Its tower and medieval appearance make it an unmistakable Route 66 photo opportunity.
There is also a colorful Al Capone connection associated with the property, although that story is generally described as local legend rather than firmly documented history. Still, it’s a historic shuttered gas station so we stopped.
Henry's Hot Dogs - a meal in itself - it is
Finally. Hot dog!
As a German dude I love sausages of all sorts so knowing that I was heading to Chicago I wanted one of those classic Chicago dogs with that oddly-colored relish.
Well, I didn’t get that but we did stop at Henry’s Drive-In which has been serving dogs since 1950 right on Route 66. This has it all - the giant neon sign, which was working (mostly) when we were there festooned with a big hot dog on it and that dog has French fries on it.
So do the hot dogs they serve and these were perfectly-seasoned fries on top of a really good hot dog with a couple of peppers, a pickle, onion and mustard. The signs claims it’s a meal in itself - this is a truthful sign.
This is a small, old eatery and just what I like - colorful characters as customers, friendly staff members and really good and slightly unique food. A must stop for sure.
Kate also got us a Chicago beef sandwich to try and that, too, was remarkably tender and wonderfully flavorful. It, too, would be a good choice but I still had to go with the hot dog because they’re on the sign!
Follow Route 66 Toward Joliet
The trip from Chicago to Joliet is relatively short, but don't make the mistake of treating it as merely a drive between two cities.
Historic Route 66 passes through a series of communities where you can begin experiencing the character that made the highway famous.
Depending on which historic alignment you're following, you'll encounter portions of the original road, historic neighborhoods, old businesses and roadside landmarks. The architecture of these towns reflects the fact that much brick was quarried from local limestone deposits.
This is where the Route 66 philosophy really begins to make sense: slow down and explore.
Let the Muffler Men Reign!
In the past we’ve seen the Native American giant in Chicago and didn’t deviate to revisit the plastic chap but we did find our first Muffler Man of this journey. This chappie is one of the newer creations of Mark Cline of Enchanted Castle Studios and is a custom dude with Frankenstein-like stitches across his scalp and wrists holding a bottle of Sriracha in one hand and a chicken wing in the other and smoking a stogie.
He’s here to tell the world about Cigars and Stripes Barbecue Lounge. Unfortunately I can’t share their website since it’s expired. Bummer, dude, but cool giant nonetheless.
Harvester Park
If there was one must-stop stop in this part of the world 🤔 it has to be Harvester Park in Burr Ridge. This 20-acre park has all sorts of playground equipment that are a tribute to Route 66. There’s a miniature Blue Whale, a Tow Mater, a huge slide that represents the Sears Tower (or whatever that’s called nowadays) in Chicago, benches that are the Cadillacs from the Cadillac Ranch, stickers, signs and so much more.
There’s even a miniature Muffler Man who is Charlie the Parks Guy - they couldn’t afford a real Muffler Man and this is more apropos to the park anyway. So there.
This park is so very cool and I was quite tempted by that giant slide but figured it would take the EMTs a good amount of time to quit laughing before they could extricate me from it and the kids that were there would be sad that there was another kind of giant plugging the works. Oh well.
And then there was ice cream
One of our last stops for the day was at Rich & Creamy ice cream in Joliet. This iconic little stand is known for having Jake and Ellwood from the Blues Brothers dancing the roof of this tiny spot. We got miniature soft serve ice cream cones for a scant 85¢ and they were good but we had just come from Elkhart, Indiana where the ice cream is ice cream and extraordinary.
From the park surrounding this stand you can see Joliet Prison. We didn’t visit - it’s $22 to take a self-guided tour and we saw Robert Morales’ video of it and it didn’t seem worth the price of admission.
We did cross the street to Dick’s which operates tow trucks but the reason to step over here is that they have a small section of the original bricks that made-up 66 (hey, that rhymes!) that you can step on. So we did.
Oh, and donuts too…
Home Cut Donuts in Joliet, Illinois has literally never closed their doors since opening in 1966. The architecture falls in line with that and the donuts were quite good. We were ready for afternoon coffee and, well, the donuts were calling so we each got only one.
I prefer cake donuts and got a blueberry one and Peggy got a pumpkin spice donut. Kate got a black raspberry jelly donut. Yum-o.
While we were there they had one of those counters where you can see how many people like the business on Facebook and Peggy was their 10,000th Like! It was fun watching the numbers turn over like an odometer on a car.
