Route 66
Historic American highway
Route 66 is a historic U.S. highway that ran from Chicago to Los Angeles, established in 1926 and decommissioned in 1985.
It became a symbol of American westward migration, road-trip culture, and freedom—romanticized in song, literature, and film.
People still speak of getting their kicks on Route 66, referencing the 1946 song.
The road remains partially drivable as a nostalgic tourist attraction.
Casual American eatery
- neonInert illuminating element
- motelRoadside lodging for drivers
- CadillacGM's upscale marque
- hotrodModified car for speed
chrome · tailfins · jukebox · drive-in · burger · soda · fifties · retro
Major road for travel
- asphaltPetroleum-based paving material
- pavementHard road covering
- signagePosted public displays
- cruisingMoving at relaxed pace
destination · itinerary · sightseeing · wanderlust · mile marker · roadside attraction · pit stop · scenic
Notable point of reference
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- nostalgiaLonging for the past
- bygoneOf earlier times
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
Dust Bowl · Okies · Steinbeck · Grapes of Wrath · decommissioned · classic · legacy · monument
diner
Casual American eatery
hotrod · chrome · tailfins · jukebox · drive-in · burger · soda · fifties · retro · vintage
highway
Major road for travel
cruising · destination · itinerary · sightseeing · wanderlust · mile marker · roadside attraction · pit stop · scenic · cross-country
landmark
Notable point of reference
preservation · Dust Bowl · Okies · Steinbeck · Grapes of Wrath · decommissioned · classic · legacy · monument · memorabilia
souvenir
Token from a trip
- postcardMailable picture souvenir
- gift shopStore selling mementos
- Cadillac RanchArt installation of interred vehicles
neon sign · curio · kitschy · Americana · tacky · quirky · trading post · teepee · photo op · tourist trap
- ArizonaPhoenix, Tucson, Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale
- Famous RoadsAutobahn, Pan-American Highway, Trans-Canada Highway, Pacific Coast Highway, Alaska Highway
- Famous RoutesSilk Road, Oregon Trail, Trans-Siberian Railway, Pan-American Highway, Orient Express
- Southwestmesa, Monument Valley, Arizona, New Mexico, Grand Canyon
- travel songsroad songs, Highway to Hell, Born to Run, I Get Around, Chattanooga Choo Choo
- 1930sNew Deal, Hitler, Nazi Germany, Great Depression, appeasement
Route 66I-95
Eastern US highway
US Route 1 · Pacific Coast Highway · Route 101 · Eastern Seaboard