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Precious sights of some treasured, fading Americana along "The Mother Road" - Route 66:
Winslow, AZ:
"...Standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, such a fine sight to see...." - from the song "Take it Easy" by the Eagles. YES, it IS a real place, and yes, I FINALLY got to see it!!
People can say what they want, but when the legend of such a mystical place is immortalized through the imagery of a song, one finds oneself strangely drawn into a pilgrimage to this place of wonder. ...Okay, so maybe this is over-dramatizing just a tad, but ever since I heard the song, I really had always wanted to come here, and have been SOOO close by before that I sweet-talked (i.e., begged) the hubby to please make it one of the first stops on this trip.
...And as corny as this is gonna sound, we made sure we had "Take it Easy" loaded and ready on the iPod, so that as soon as we got a parking spot, we could start the music and make it real!! Oh yes, we did!! -- Yeah, like nobody else has ever done that before!! ;o)
We actually spent several hours in Winslow, mostly so I could take pictures, but I can honestly say that it was a very pleasant experience. We met a few other folks who had been attending conferences in Las Vegas, and decided, for the same reasons we did, that they just had to make the short drive to visit Winslow, since they were so close already.
Sadly, though, the town's only real draw IS the song. There's an official "Standing on the Corner" Park which commemorates that famous lyric, as well as two great memorabilia stores at opposite corners of the cross streets, with the sound of Eagles music dancing through the air, but beyond these, like so many other destinations along Route 66, the town appears to be fading away. Even the one lone town theater, Winslow Theater, displayed "closed" on the marquee, with an apologetic note of thanks to its patrons taped to the locked entrance doors.
There are a few business-open storefronts on the main street, a City Hall, and a nice coffee shop, but I truly wish there were more to draw people to this little American treasure. With the right incentive and effort, I believe this modest little town has the potential to be a bigger dot on the must-see destinations map!
Holbrook, AZ:
Did you see the movie "Cars"? Do you remember the Cozy Cone Motel? Well, it's a real place, too! -- Sort of. It was inspired by and created based on a REAL cozy little place called the Wigwam Motel.
This was a surprise one-night stop my husband planned for the beginning of our 10th anniversary trip. And we got to stay in Wigwam #10, which was totally unplanned, but so humorously appropriate given the reason for our stay! ...The hubby didn't even notice the number until I pointed it out to him! =o)
Outside of each wigwam stood beautifully-aged models of former mobile sculptures -- cars. Each one from a different period, and some even recognized celebrities from the movie "Cars," like "Doc" Hudson and Mater!! They were really fun to look at, especially in the golden light of sunset.
The wigwams at the motel were very small, but surprisingly cute and comfortable. Ours was a circular room decorated circa 1950s, with two beds, a vanity table with mirror, a VERY small TV, and a VERY oddly shaped, angle-walled bathroom and shower. It was pretty chilly that night, too, but the heater in the room quite adequately kept the room toasty-warm and comfy.
For dinner that night we ventured into the town of Holbrook-proper to see what local fare we could find. After cruisin' around town, we decided on Joe & Aggie's Cafe. They served up some really good Mexican-American fare. And what made the experience even more fun was that we were able to engage in some lively dinner conversation with locals and other visiting diners during our meal. That was so small-town it was cool!!
We also found out that the cafe was the first Route 66 business listed in the "Cars" movie credits, and we were shown sketches on display autographed by John Lasseter, as well as a few other pieces of fun "Cars" memorabilia.
Holbrook, like Winslow, however, is a slowly fading dot on the destinations map. It's such a friendly, cute little town "out west" that I wish more people were aware of. It's well worth the visit!
Now, I'm sure there's at least one question on everyone's mind: If I was to venture back to the area, would I want to stay here again? The answer is easy: ABSOLUTELY!!
With so much of this segment of Americana fading into history, I would encourage everyone to take the opportunity to find, visit, and patronize as many of these little places as possible. They're all quaint and unique in their own way, with small-town hospitality and charm, and deserving of another chance to endear themselves to the heart of this modern America.
Winslow, AZ:
"...Standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, such a fine sight to see...." - from the song "Take it Easy" by the Eagles. YES, it IS a real place, and yes, I FINALLY got to see it!!
People can say what they want, but when the legend of such a mystical place is immortalized through the imagery of a song, one finds oneself strangely drawn into a pilgrimage to this place of wonder. ...Okay, so maybe this is over-dramatizing just a tad, but ever since I heard the song, I really had always wanted to come here, and have been SOOO close by before that I sweet-talked (i.e., begged) the hubby to please make it one of the first stops on this trip.
...And as corny as this is gonna sound, we made sure we had "Take it Easy" loaded and ready on the iPod, so that as soon as we got a parking spot, we could start the music and make it real!! Oh yes, we did!! -- Yeah, like nobody else has ever done that before!! ;o)
We actually spent several hours in Winslow, mostly so I could take pictures, but I can honestly say that it was a very pleasant experience. We met a few other folks who had been attending conferences in Las Vegas, and decided, for the same reasons we did, that they just had to make the short drive to visit Winslow, since they were so close already.
Sadly, though, the town's only real draw IS the song. There's an official "Standing on the Corner" Park which commemorates that famous lyric, as well as two great memorabilia stores at opposite corners of the cross streets, with the sound of Eagles music dancing through the air, but beyond these, like so many other destinations along Route 66, the town appears to be fading away. Even the one lone town theater, Winslow Theater, displayed "closed" on the marquee, with an apologetic note of thanks to its patrons taped to the locked entrance doors.
There are a few business-open storefronts on the main street, a City Hall, and a nice coffee shop, but I truly wish there were more to draw people to this little American treasure. With the right incentive and effort, I believe this modest little town has the potential to be a bigger dot on the must-see destinations map!
Holbrook, AZ:
Did you see the movie "Cars"? Do you remember the Cozy Cone Motel? Well, it's a real place, too! -- Sort of. It was inspired by and created based on a REAL cozy little place called the Wigwam Motel.
This was a surprise one-night stop my husband planned for the beginning of our 10th anniversary trip. And we got to stay in Wigwam #10, which was totally unplanned, but so humorously appropriate given the reason for our stay! ...The hubby didn't even notice the number until I pointed it out to him! =o)
Outside of each wigwam stood beautifully-aged models of former mobile sculptures -- cars. Each one from a different period, and some even recognized celebrities from the movie "Cars," like "Doc" Hudson and Mater!! They were really fun to look at, especially in the golden light of sunset.
The wigwams at the motel were very small, but surprisingly cute and comfortable. Ours was a circular room decorated circa 1950s, with two beds, a vanity table with mirror, a VERY small TV, and a VERY oddly shaped, angle-walled bathroom and shower. It was pretty chilly that night, too, but the heater in the room quite adequately kept the room toasty-warm and comfy.
For dinner that night we ventured into the town of Holbrook-proper to see what local fare we could find. After cruisin' around town, we decided on Joe & Aggie's Cafe. They served up some really good Mexican-American fare. And what made the experience even more fun was that we were able to engage in some lively dinner conversation with locals and other visiting diners during our meal. That was so small-town it was cool!!
We also found out that the cafe was the first Route 66 business listed in the "Cars" movie credits, and we were shown sketches on display autographed by John Lasseter, as well as a few other pieces of fun "Cars" memorabilia.
Holbrook, like Winslow, however, is a slowly fading dot on the destinations map. It's such a friendly, cute little town "out west" that I wish more people were aware of. It's well worth the visit!
Now, I'm sure there's at least one question on everyone's mind: If I was to venture back to the area, would I want to stay here again? The answer is easy: ABSOLUTELY!!
With so much of this segment of Americana fading into history, I would encourage everyone to take the opportunity to find, visit, and patronize as many of these little places as possible. They're all quaint and unique in their own way, with small-town hospitality and charm, and deserving of another chance to endear themselves to the heart of this modern America.
© Dawn Dove Dinius
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