Route 66 - Bobby Troup gave it to us first… Nat King Cole made it huge. The song memorializes a road going from Chicago to LA (the extended to Santa Monica). At one point it was one of the main ways to get from the Midwest to the West coast.
After the Eisenhower administration gave us the interstate highway system, a lot of route 66 became unused overnight. Some of the towns along the way became ghost towns.  Still though, Route 66 remained a source of nostalgia and a major facet of Americana.
With 2026 being the Centennial year of this road, there have been many celebrations of one kind or another. Amongst these, a documentary long in the making. David Fleming speaks with John Paget, the man behind The Main Street of America. This looks at the people and places along the way, capturing stories and feelings. Fascinating stories, and feelings that run deep. It was a truly wonderful conversation. The documentary is being toured across the eight states through which Route 66 travels, which included a stop in San Bernardino.
