5000km on the road part 2...across the US to Canada
Discussion
Continuing from part 1
As usual we left at dawn. Sometimes I just run very hard with only basic stops at motels, but there was a bit more time, so a more leisurely run was on the cards. The first day his usually a long one so ran 1100 km over to Tucumcari, a Route 66 stalwart in NM not too far from the Texas border.
I often stay the Blue Swallow motel, a very original place that is one of only a handful with its original architecture. When motels first appeared the design was for each room to have its own attached garage. This is the only one I have personally stayed in, had rotary phones, good neon, and comfortable beds. No restaurant but there are lots of places to eat in the area.
As usual we left at dawn. Sometimes I just run very hard with only basic stops at motels, but there was a bit more time, so a more leisurely run was on the cards. The first day his usually a long one so ran 1100 km over to Tucumcari, a Route 66 stalwart in NM not too far from the Texas border.
I often stay the Blue Swallow motel, a very original place that is one of only a handful with its original architecture. When motels first appeared the design was for each room to have its own attached garage. This is the only one I have personally stayed in, had rotary phones, good neon, and comfortable beds. No restaurant but there are lots of places to eat in the area.
Had a quick stopover in Tulsa on a piece of Route 66 I had missed on previous trips...
A feature of 66 in it heyday was the prevalence of giants, designed to attract the attention of travellers in the time of no mobile phones, no internet, no credit cards, so each journey was a voyage of discovery. There are still a fair number being used on 66 today. In Tulsa there were three on a short strip.......
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A feature of 66 in it heyday was the prevalence of giants, designed to attract the attention of travellers in the time of no mobile phones, no internet, no credit cards, so each journey was a voyage of discovery. There are still a fair number being used on 66 today. In Tulsa there were three on a short strip.......
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Edited by RDMcG on Sunday 30th March 00:14
It was time to leave the multiple eccentricities of Route 66 for a much different stop.
Chicago.
I have spent a lot of time there over many years, but always on business. This represents the first time I have ever visited at leisure. It is a good town, Chicago. Lots to do, interesting architecture, good restaurants, great museums.
A fairly steep improvement in the accommodation, the Peninsula hotel.
The plan here was to see a couple of the houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright which are open to the public, and ay a quick visit to the Art Institute of Chicago, a slight improvement over roadside giants and to have some good dinners.
Chicago.
I have spent a lot of time there over many years, but always on business. This represents the first time I have ever visited at leisure. It is a good town, Chicago. Lots to do, interesting architecture, good restaurants, great museums.
A fairly steep improvement in the accommodation, the Peninsula hotel.
The plan here was to see a couple of the houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright which are open to the public, and ay a quick visit to the Art Institute of Chicago, a slight improvement over roadside giants and to have some good dinners.
Early in his career Frank Lloyd Wright lived and worked here, and some of the very best examples of his early houses are in Oak Park. His own home and studio are available to tour.......
exterior:
Interior:
Diningroom:
Kids playroom:
Workspace and drafting room:
What is amazing about this house is that it was designed in 1889.....
exterior:
Interior:
Diningroom:
Kids playroom:
Workspace and drafting room:
What is amazing about this house is that it was designed in 1889.....
The second house was the 6000sq ft Robie House, built in 1910. This would have been amazingly modern at the time and was designed for a very wealthy young couple for themselves and their children. Built before there was electrical power available it was prewired for the event.
Wright and the Robies were car buffs in 1909, so the house had a three car garage with a service by a and pit in one of them.
Wright and the Robies were car buffs in 1909, so the house had a three car garage with a service by a and pit in one of them.
Edited by RDMcG on Saturday 29th March 23:03
Sadly the Robies went into financial difficulties and only lived in the house for 18 months. After a number of owners it ended up in the possession of a religious order for many years and was in dreadful condition. The University of Chicago who owned the surrounding propertied bought it for $1 the fifties and the conclusions that it should be demolished. Wright, then in his late eighties was furious and led a public campaign to save the house. The decision was reversed eventually, though the house has only been fully restored in the last couple of years. It is an amazing design for 1910, or even for now
Two very different museums....the Modern Art which I did t really get, ( one image was fun, of a bust of Saddam Hussein as they had seriously contemplate launching golden images of him to circulate in space,overseeing the world
........
but even the guard seemed unimpressed....
However, the Art Institute of Chicago was the real thing, one of the better Art Galleries in the world with an astonishingly deep collection...
........but even the guard seemed unimpressed....
However, the Art Institute of Chicago was the real thing, one of the better Art Galleries in the world with an astonishingly deep collection...
The Leaper said:
Excellent stuff, as usual, always a good read.
I've been to maybe 25 USA cities and Chicago has always been my favourite...so much to do and the food is excellent, people good. The Art Institute is, IMO, the second best art gallery in the World, after the Uffizi in Florence, Italy.
R.
I am a big fan of the MOMA and the Tate Britain but Chicago is certainly up there! I've been to maybe 25 USA cities and Chicago has always been my favourite...so much to do and the food is excellent, people good. The Art Institute is, IMO, the second best art gallery in the World, after the Uffizi in Florence, Italy.
R.
RDMcG said:
I am a big fan of the MOMA and the Tate Britain but Chicago is certainly up there!
Yes, MOMA is very good too. I also like The Frick in NY because its rather different, being a house with all their originally collected artefacts. Amazing how much money the Fricks accumulated from coal!Wife and I are members of The Tate, and the National Portrait Gallery.
R.
The Leaper said:
Yes, MOMA is very good too. I also like The Frick in NY because its rather different, being a house with all their originally collected artefacts. Amazing how much money the Fricks accumulated from coal!
Wife and I are members of The Tate, and the National Portrait Gallery.
R.
There is a surprisingly good gallery in Arkansas called Crystal Bridges, huge investment by the Walton family near the WalMart HQ in Bentonville if you want something a tad obscureWife and I are members of The Tate, and the National Portrait Gallery.
R.
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