Route 66 now has a new starting point, right at Navy Pier in Chicago.
The all-American interstate starts in the Midwest and ends in the west, at Santa Monica Pier!
Route 66 is turning a century-old. It’s the road that once promised opportunity, adventure, and new beginnings.
Route 66, also known as the “Mother Road,” connects communities across the country.
This milestone also honors America’s 250th birthday, coming soon this Fourth of July.
“All the songs, the movies, the movie cars it just lives on forever,” master of ceremonies Ryan Dempster said. “It is iconic because it joins the Midwest with the West.”
Stretching more than 2,400 miles, the highway winds through eight states, connecting small towns and big cities. White Sox legend Ron Kittle conquered the drive on a Harley Davidson- over a span of eight days.
“I took the route just on a whim,” Kittle said. “I took off and did it I mean I had time, it’s an experience, would I do it again, I said I don’t know but I probably would.”
The CEO of Harry Carey’s restaurant group helped kick off the effort to move Route 66’s starting point from Adams and Michigan to Navy Pierin part because of Chicago’s Hall of fame baseball broadcaster Harry Carey’s ties to the road.
“Harry grew up on route 66 in St. Louis he drove to announce his very first game ever up Route 66 to Wrigley Field,” Grant DePorter, CEO of Harry Caray’s Restaurant Group. “Even changed his name to Caribina to Carey while working on Route 66 in Joilet.”
From the Dust Bowl migration to the golden age of road trips, Route 66 helped define how Americans move.
From Chicago to California, 100 years later, Route 66 is still bringing people together. You can even get acquainted with a few alpaca along the way.
And the celebration will continue at Santa Monica Pier, marking not just the end of a highway, but also the continuation of a dream.
