Driving from Chicago to Los Angeles

I will be in Chicago on Sunday for a Cubs game, and then driving back home to Los Angeles with a vehicle full of stuff. Any meal or pitstop recommendations would be wonderful. The goal is to drive eight to nine hours a day. (so, 80 to 76 to 70 to 15)

This type of hauling stuff trip is best on interstates. The drive will most likely have me stopping at chain restaurants at truck stops - but just in case anyone out there has any good tips that will keep me on the timeframe and general route.

I know you won't be strictly on Route 66, but my trip from two years ago can help find a few things -- the interstate does follow right along 66, on the more southern route to LA. Cozy Dogs, Waylan's Ku Ku, Midpoint Cafe I'd put as sure things.

I've made plenty of Chicago to Santa Fe drives, so can suggest a few options that take you as far as Brush, CO, though mostly I've just sought coffee that rises above the level of Beverine.
Heading west on 80, at exit 242 in Iowa, good coffee at High Ground Cafe, a half mile off 80. Next stop, on University Ave in West Des Moines, 5 Borough Bagels has one of the few edible bagels between Chicago and LA. Coffee's OK, too. I had the Lox Deluxe last week and stayed in a LaQuinta a few blocks away. At exit 54, a bit of a detour 6 miles north of 80 to Elk Horn: Coffee Girl has good coffee and sandwiches, plus there's a windmill across the street (a few miles north is The Little Mermaid statue in Kimballton: just sayin'). Though it wasn't open when I was there three weeks ago, I plan to try The Danish Table in Elk Horn on my next trip. At exit 403 in Nebraska, if it's lunchtime in Lincoln, I stop at King Kong Burger. Not sure if it's the burger, the gyros, or the giant King Kong statue on the roof that pulls me in (coffee sux). If you're craving Thaimerican, there's Suwannee Thai in Kearney, NE (the exit after the $20 mil Kearney Archway hellscape, which celebrates plucky American hucksterism and bond defaults, I'm guessing). I got nothing more until Sterling, CO, where I've spent many nights in the Best Western Sundowner, which takes dogs (and lots of them during hunting season). The rest of the town isn't much to look at, though there are plenty of liquor stores. Further on 76 at Brush, CO, Drovers Restaurant is good and you can gas up at either the Cenex (nota bene, homonymous with the Latin for "old geezer") a few blocks west or a Shell station on Route 71 on the north side of 76.

I know I'm way late on this but what the hell. I drove out west in June on I-80 (ending up in Colorado and the Dakotas after pit stops in Nebraska). I had never had a Maid-Rite before so I wanted to try one. I know most who have had them don't think much of them but it's part of the driving fun. I ended up at the one in Davenport pretty close to I-80. It was a nice restaurant, lots of booths with a 50's diner feel and very friendly service. Have to admit I enjoyed my Maid-Rite enough to want to return.

Two weeks later on my way home I stopped at one near St. Cloud, MN. Only this time it was a tiny rundown location in a gas station. Had I had this first before the other experience I might not have been as enamored. It was still tasty but I took it to go (running short on time) and not much of a roadfood thrill.

PS - If you are ever in Sidney, NE. Don't go to their movie theater, and don't stay at the Quality Inn. In fact I would just keep driving.

Anyone of you with homes in states other than mine has my jealousy. Driving into Texas is a pain. The entire route is in the desert.

I have some advice here for such lengthy drives as well. Purchase an audiobook. I have a few Star Wars albums, and they make good travel listening.

BlackMyth wrote:Anyone of you with homes in states other than mine has my jealousy. Driving into Texas is a pain. The entire route is in the desert.

I have some advice for such lengthy drives as well. Purchase an audiobook. I have a few Star Wars albums, and they make good travel listening.

I don't have a home in another state (yet) but I will be driving to Los Angeles in early January via the Route 66 route (Interstates 55, 44, 40, 15) with some side trips on to old 66 itself. When I head back in late March I want to stop in Phoenix to see the Cubs in spring training for the first time and who knows where else.

It's been a busy summer as I drove to the east coast (mostly NYC and New Jersey shore) for almost a month and then in early fall two weeks trip to Colorado. Everyone deals with the long drives differently. I absolutely love the high plains (eastern Colorado, western Kansas, western Nebraska, western Oklahoma, Texas panhandle, etc) and could drive for days on them while others are bored to tears. I have more than enough music for driving, podcasts and even movies that I am familiar with to listen to. I also enjoy having silence for hours at a time. I like taking everything in and simply getting lost in my thoughts. I am doing some part time writing and I get great ideas that way. And don't forget stopping for great food.

BlackMyth wrote:Anyone of you with homes in states other than mine has my jealousy. Driving into Texas is a pain. The entire route is in the desert.

I have some advice for such lengthy drives as well. Purchase an audiobook. I have a few Star Wars albums, and they make good travel listening.

For a looong drive, it doesn't get better than Harry Potter.

Good listens:

Table Manners podcast interviewing various celebrities on food memories, "last meal" menu and food topics in general. An occasional dud pops up, like the very recent episode with Nobu and Robert DeNiro, where every answer was a Nobu reference, but most are great. They are nearing 200 episodes, huge in the UK.

Just Enough Family podcast, self-contained non-fiction rags-to-riches-to-rags family saga.

Ram4 wrote:I don't have a home in another state (yet) but I will be driving to Los Angeles in early January via the Route 66 route (Interstates 55, 44, 40, 15) with some side trips on to old 66 itself. When I head back in late March I want to stop in Phoenix to see the Cubs in spring training for the first time and who knows where else.

I have done at least 10 trips between midwestern cities (Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Chicago) to Tucson throughout the years. In fact, I will be doing the drive in a couple weeks to get back to Tucson.

During the winter months, we always prefer the I-40 to I-30 to I-20 to I-10 route to avoid snow and ice along the route. This route avoids mountains as much as is possible and the highest elevation is 5500 ft in Cochise Co., AZ, about 50 miles east of Tucson, an area where snow is rare.

Hi,

Years ago when I drove out to South Dakota, I brought Little House on the Prairie for my family's listening pleasure. I had not read these books since I was a child, though I remembered them fondly.

Quite a bit of the story revolved around the acquisition, preparation and preservation of food. My sister was sure this selection was made from a culinary aspect. It was a delightful surprise and not by design.

In the early 90s, I drove Route 66 from Chicago to Arizona. There was no rush to get to our destination, so we followed Rt 66 guidebooks obtained from the library. My Dad was not present, so we could stop at any tourist trap we wished. That may not sound like a big deal, but we have zoom past so many over the years.

Have fun! I look forward to hearing your experiences.

Regards,
CAthy2

jlawrence01 wrote:

Ram4 wrote:I don't have a home in another state (yet) but I will be driving to Los Angeles in early January via the Route 66 route (Interstates 55, 44, 40, 15) with some side trips on to old 66 itself. When I head back in late March I want to stop in Phoenix to see the Cubs in spring training for the first time and who knows where else.

I have done at least 10 trips between midwestern cities (Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Chicago) to Tucson throughout the years. In fact, I will be doing the drive in a couple weeks to get back to Tucson.

During the winter months, we always prefer the I-40 to I-30 to I-20 to I-10 route to avoid snow and ice along the route. This route avoids mountains as much as is possible and the highest elevation is 5500 ft in Cochise Co., AZ, about 50 miles east of Tucson, an area where snow is rare.

I hate driving interstates in snow and ice but taking the far southern route would add around 500 extra miles driving each way so I will do my best to scope out the weather ahead of time and if I have to adjust on the fly so be it. Two of my longtime hobbies have been being into maps and weather so no problem with those. Add eating great food along the way so that's three hobbies but wait there's listening to music too so that's four.

Cathy2 wrote:Have fun! I look forward to hearing your experiences.

Thanks! You will!

Ram4 wrote:Two of my longtime hobbies have been being into maps and weather so no problem with those. Add eating great food along the way so that's three hobbies but wait there's listening to music too so that's four.

I like that! Perfect for a road trip.

I drove out to LA the second week of January and was looking forward to some chicken fried steak once I hit Oklahoma. I am a fan of the Oklahoma and Texas version which is a peppery cream gravy without sausage. My first stop was for dinner after a long day driving from home in Tulsa to The Bros. Houligan. I've eaten here before and they do a solid version of CFS. What I forget was the server comes around and asks if you want more mashed potatoes or other sides (free refills!) but I was glad I said no. The old me would have eaten a lot more. That guy doesn't live here anymore!

The next morning I went straight to an old favorite Nelson's Buffeteria in Tulsa. They have a small buffet where you pick your entree and sides or you can order from a server. I decided to do a late breakfast of CFS, eggs, hash browns and a biscuit with gravy. If this place was in Chicago I'd eat there every week. This is classic basic comfort food from scratch and I love it. They've been around almost 100 years.

I try to walk a good 3-5 miles a day even on the road so I don't worry as much about calories. I never drink my calories (only water) and I typically don't snack. With that being said I was in Amarillo and decided what the hell - I had one more CFS at a burger joint called Blue Sky. This time I had it with fresh cut fries and this was one was another winner.

When I got to Glenrio on the Texas/New Mexico border I got off I-40 to see the tiny ghost town on old 66. I was surprised to see the old motel being raized. Apparently they are going to revitalize the little town which is barely more than a few homes, a long abandoned gas station and the old motel.

I had a guilty pleasure stopping at Del Taco in Albuquerque for some tacos. I have always preferred it to Taco Bell. I couldn't resist staying at the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, AZ the following night. A classic on Route 66 with around two dozen wigwams complete with a vintage car in front of each of them. It was nothing special as the heater would go on and off throughout the night and the bathroom was tiny but I kind of enjoyed the experience. I had a moment of bliss waking up with the sun shining through the curtain on the front door, frost on the car as it was around 20 degrees and blue skies. I just loved being "out there" on the road. I wasn't doing Route 66 this time except I was as it goes alongside my route and becomes the interstate many times along this route.

The next morning I hiked for a couple of hours in Petrified Forest National Park conveniently split by I-40 and then I had to stop at the corner in Winslow, Arizona. I went up to Vegas and stayed at a friend's house for a couple of nights. I had Grimaldi's Pizzeria (original located in Dumbo, Brooklyn) and it's always good wherever I have had it around the country. I was also able to go for breakfast at the Peppermill which is one of my go-to favorites out there. Finally I headed in to LA on January 14th during one of the many atmospheric river storms they were having over the winter. We leave LA in mid-March.

Bros. Houligan
4848 S Yale Ave
Tulsa OK
918-254-1086
broshouligan.com

Nelson's Buffeteria
4401 S Memorial Dr
Tulsa OK
918-236-4655
nelsonsbuffeteria.com
Closed Saturday and Sunday
Open 7am-2pm

Blue Sky
4201 I-40 Frontage
Amarillo, TX
806-355-8100
blueskytexas.com

Grimaldi's Pizzeria
750 S Rampart Blvd #7
Las Vegas, NV
702-207-6757
grimaldispizzeria.com

Peppermill Restaurant
2985 Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV
702-735-4177
peppermilllasvegas.com

Ram4 wrote:I couldn't resist staying at the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, AZ the following night. A classic on Route 66 with around two dozen wigwams complete with a vintage car in front of each of them. It was nothing special as the heater would go on and off throughout the night and the bathroom was tiny but I kind of enjoyed the experience. I had a moment of bliss waking up with the sun shining through the curtain on the front door, frost on the car as it was around 20 degrees and blue skies. I just loved being "out there" on the road. I wasn't doing Route 66 this time except I was as it goes alongside my route and becomes the interstate many times along this route.

The next morning I hiked for a couple of hours in Petrified Forest National Park conveniently split by I-40 and then I had to stop at the corner in Winslow, Arizona.

My Mom and I stayed at the Wigwam Motel. Is it still owned and managed by the family who developed it? I recall they observe the Sabbath. If you arrived and wanted to stay on the Sabbath, nobody would book you in.

It felt like we were the only Americans staying there. Everyone else was a European who were photo documenting the place. This was the early 90s when I never dreamed of taking a picture of my food, so watching our neighbors was interesting.

We also visited the Petrified Forest. I kept turning off the car's engine to coast around, because it seemed to make it even more mystical.

We traced Route 66 until we needed to head to Phoenix for a wedding. A take away was while Route 66 is famous, other routes like 41 meander the same way. Sometime I want to drive to Miami via 41.

Regards,
CAthy2

To me Route 66 is more about the Americana factor and of what once was. The route is decommissioned so naturally people reminisce about the good ol' days. Route 41 is alive and well all the way to Florida so there isn't as much nostalgia about that. Plus 66 was the first major route to LA and with many people leaving the Dust Bowl on 66 heading west to what they hoped would be a better life it gave the road even more history. Having the nickname The Mother Road doesn't hurt. My dad drove it to attend the University of Tulsa in 1953.

HI,

Similar to Route 66, I don't think 41 is exactly routed like it once was. 66 has shifted multiple times long before it shifted away from towns to the expressways.

If you following 41 along Lincoln Ave in Chicago (and later it is Lake Shore Drive), there are all those motels intended for travelers. The very same types you see along 66 old paths, not the expressway.

Last year, I took US20 from Rockford west and it was not easy to follow in Illinois. It was a straight shot once I got into Iowa.

66 is very romanticized, while 41 may not. They have a similar history of sorts.

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2 wrote:Last year, I took US20 from Rockford west and it was not easy to follow in Illinois. It was a straight shot once I got into Iowa.

66 is very romanticized, while 41 may not. They have a similar history of sorts.

Regards,
Cathy2

Remember Illinois is home to the Historic Triangle: Route 66 to the Lincoln Highway (US 20) to the Dixie Highway (US 41). I'd considered taking 41 all the way to Florida, but it would have been a lot more days driving.