“Get your kicks on Route 66.”
Nat King Cole recorded that little ditty three times, in 1946, 1956 and 1961, and performed it hundreds of times. The song romanticized the lure of the road, to visit far-flung places from Chicago to Los Angeles and St. Louis was a stop along the way. Post-World War II prosperity and the growth of automobile ownership made the trip appealing.
Recently, St. Louis American Contributing Editor Fred Sweets set off on one of his cross-country treks, traveling east from Tiburon, California, north of San Francisco, to Washington, DC. He convinced his old friend Michael Dutton to fly to California from DC to accompany him.
Starting at dinner with Publisher Donald Suggs and artist Oliver Jackson at film director Francis Ford Coppola’s restaurant Café Zoetrope, in San Francisco’s famed Jackson Square district. Preparations were made for a Labor Day departure. Berkeley resident Ghanya Thomas made sure the trip started with a hearty breakfast at the Inn Kensington Restaurant near Berkeley.
Due to a dangerous heat dome and forest fires near historic Route 66, Interstate 80 was the chosen route to begin the journey. It would take us through Sacramento, the capital of California. We stopped to visit Larry Lee, publisher of the award-winning Black newspaper The Sacramento Observer. After lunch, we finally began our trip east. We drove through the Sierra Mountains, past Lake Tahoe and Reno in Nevada, Utah and finally to our first destination Rock Springs, Wyoming. It is the site of the now closed Sweets Bar-Cafe. The successful enterprise founded by Robert Sweets and his wife, Edna, served miners and truckers along US 30, long before I-80 came along.
After a short spin around Rawlins, where we visited a long-abandoned Texaco gas station, it was off to the state capital, Cheyenne. We then decided to travel through the Rocky Mountains towards Denver. What a great decision it was to travel the twists and turns of the Rockies the week after Labor Day. Traffic was light, and the weather was perfect. As we traveled through the mountains we came across the lively town of Estes Park, Colorado, near one of five entrances to the massive Rocky Mountain National Park. We stopped for lunch at Ed’s Cantina & Bar. Another winner, we were warmly greeted and seated on the rear patio overlooking a bicycling/walking path and brook. The Tex-Mex cuisine was tasty and filling. It was a great place for a rest and people watching.
The heavy traffic surrounding Denver didn’t last long, and we were back on the open road in no time. When it was time to refuel, we pulled off Interstate 70 in Limon, Colorado, where we discovered Oscars. Thinking it was named after someone named Oscar, the decorations inside made it clear that it was named for the Academy Awards. Two large antique theater projectors were placed near the entrance and across the room. The walls were adorned with autographed photos of entertainment and sports celebrities and memorabilia. The menu offered a wide variety of dishes for every taste. It was a great way to refresh ourselves before heading to Kansas City for the night.
Kansas City, here we come
“I’m going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come . . . I’m gonna be stand on the corner Twelfth Street and Vine.” – “Kansas City” Wilbert Huntington Harrison, 1959
Staying overnight at an airport hotel has its benefits – among short stay guests from families catching early morning and crews catching even earlier flights. By 9 a.m. breakfast is plentiful and there are lots of seats. An early start allowed us to arrive at two “must see” Kansas City museums, the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Baseball League Museum (NLBM), in the first hour they opened.
We got close to “12th Street and Vine,” but due to street paving improvements, we didn’t get there. Finding parking was easy and we were warmly greeted at the Jazz Museum by Ronnie Medlock at the information desk. Across a spacious atrium is the NLBM. Both have creative, impressive, detailed displays. Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, impressed visitors with his knowledge and personalized stories of Negro League teams, players and experiences. Kendrick is known as the Chief Storytelling Officer. You can easily spend hours going through the displays.
Of course, you can’t go to Kansas City without savoring the smell, taste and flavor of its distinctive ribs and sides. BBQ expert Adrian Miller, author of “SMOKE,” recommended LC’s Bar-B-Q. The rib joint also serves smoked turkey, ham, pork ribs/burnt ends, chicken wings, baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad and other sides. Arriving late in the afternoon on a day the Chiefs were scheduled to play, we expected a crowd. Instead, there was a steady flow of patient customers from the “Chiefs Kingdom” waiting in line to satisfy their appetites. Service was prompt and some customers took a seat inside with their takeout orders to sample the fare.
Getting to St. Louis was easy although traffic can be heavy on I-70. After a brief stop in Columbia, home of the University of Missouri (Mizzou), and a visit to Michael Middleton, the former interim President of the university, we were on to Clayton to stay at the home of old friends. On the itinerary was a solemn yet celebratory event. The funeral and repast for Anita Bond allowed time for community with all who had benefitted from her life and contributions to St. Louis.
The last leg of the journey put us back on I-70 for the seventh day of the drive. It was smooth with light traffic over the Mississippi River and past the Jackie Joyner-Kersee center in East St. Louis, Illinois. Stops for snacks and fuel in Kentucky and West Virginia made it a little more than 15 hours to reach the National Mall in the nation’s capital, including across the Frederick Douglass Bridge. On the way it was hard to fight the lure of leaving the highway to visit Louisville and the Muhammad Ali Center, but that would have to wait for another day.
Michael Dutton is a communications and public policy consultant based in Washington, DC.
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