Chicagoland to Route 66


After the conference, I visited more places in Chicagoland. All that involved driving in Chicago for what seemed like hours to move a few miles. But that's what you have to do sometimes!

The last session of the conference was held in Woodstock, IL. The movie "Groundhog Day" was filmed here about 30 years ago. The historic town's square and downtown area made a perfect backdrop for the film.

Emmett Till was a 14-year-old African-American from Chicago who was brutally murdered in Mississippi. It became a touchpoint for the civil rights movement. His mother insisted on an open casket and on displaying his brutal wounds. The church where the funeral took place is memorialized here.

Following that visit, I moved on to the Pullman Historic National Park in South Chicago. This preserves early railroad buildings and history. The complete restoration of the above building is planned for the future.

For the Centennial celebration of Route 66, the "ceremonial" start was moved to Navy Pier. It's a major recreational area for the city and was extremely crowded. I hope that if you visit, you can do it during the week, or especially not a summer weekend!

After the remainder of yesterday, I spent the night in Pontiac, IL, on Route 66 and had breakfast here this morning.

More of Route 66 today!

Thanks for reading.

Until next time...

Stan

Stan Wiebe

"Rock Star" road tripper checking in! Self-proclaimed anyway! Road trips and visits to all 50 states are my game. Find your next road trip destinations here. Fill your bucket list with fantastic US journeys. I love road trips and spare no effort in making my travels and experiences inviting for members of the road-tripping family! Pick a trip you want to take, or get inspired to plan your own. - - The Driveby Tourist (or call me Stan!)

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