Classic Trip - Road 66 - Purpose 1

Note: This story was originally written inwards 2002...I've tried to update the data to 2010 where applicable.

This is a really depression fundamental trip, yet it is connected really good alongside some really major tourist destinations. It's served past times excellent, accessible world transportation yet yous volition go difficult pressed to honour other tourists spell you're here. You'll honour yourself on peradventure the most famous...and fabled...highway on world but yous won't experience you're at a tourist mecca.

Route 66 of course of didactics is that fabled road to California from Chicago made famous past times the likes of John Steinbeck as well as Bobby Troup. Although the highway was decommissioned, hundreds of miles of it nonetheless exist.

One stretch that almost no i talks close whatever to a greater extent than is the piece of work that winds its agency though San Bernardino County into the San Gabriel Valley inwards Southern California. The past times icons along this stretch are speedily succumbing to encroaching suburbia, but at that topographic point is nonetheless much to encounter as well as create here.

There are iii areas of lodging that are specially adept here, depending on what's of import to you. Staying inwards the lovely trivial college town of Claremont gives yous superb access to the area's transporation grid...even if it is a flake out of the way. It's too unopen to our hiking area, noted below.

Staying inwards Pasadena puts yous correct inwards the thick of things as well as gives yous non bad transit access via the Metro Gold Line. You'd in all probability desire to avoid it or thus New Year's 24-hour interval unless you're doing the Rose Bowl or the parade.

The 3rd selection is my selection for the best compromise. There is a hotel/restaurant row correct on the border of Arcadia as well as Monrovia that gives yous non bad affordable lodging inwards a adept neighborhood alongside a really curt walk to dozens of adept restaurants.

For lodging, yous get got budget (Oak Tree Inn), midrange (Springhill Suites, Hilton Garden Inn), as well as upscale (Doubletree, Embassy Suites) to cite but simply a few. All the hotels inwards this surface area are newer as well as get got adept handicapped rooms.

You tin give the sack wing to Ontario, Burbank, or LAX to larn here. Ontario or Burbank would go best.

OK, on to the report...

Day 1

Since this is our hometown, nosotros are going to get got to imagine some of the following, but...apart from staying inwards the hotels...all of this genuinely happened.

The Springhill Suites is located simply due east of Santa Anita Racetrack n Arcadia.  We slumber inwards a bit, wanting to milkshake off locomote fatigue. Just upwards the street from the hotel, nosotros indulge inwards an early on luncheon at BJ's Pizza, Grill, & Brewhouse simply due west of the hotel. There are thus many restaurants hither that the entirely work volition go choosing which ones to consume at.

I get got a superb french dip sandwich, my married adult woman has a pot roast sandwich, as well as Tim has a BJ's burger. It goes really good alongside BJ's ain beer as well as cider. For iii people, it's less than $25.

After lunch, the Foothill Transit road 187 motorcoach (the 187 traces to a greater extent than oft than non along Historical Route 66 from Colorado Bl. inwards Pasadena to Foothill Bl. inwards Claremont) picks us upwards across the street as well as drops us off a infinitesimal afterwards at Santa Anita Racetrack (for those upwards to it, it's close a quarter mile walk from eating theatre row to the track). We larn inwards the dorsum entrance which leads into the infield as well as pass the afternoon watching the ponies as well as trying non to lose all of our money. We genuinely halt upwards close 40 dollars ahead. (Santa Anita has alive racing inwards Oct as well as from tardily Dec through April...it is pretty much opened upwards all twelvemonth for sattelite wagering)

One banking concern annotation here, although nosotros had a lot of fun as well as met some wonderful people who piece of work at the track, nosotros did become upwards to the clubhouse eating theatre (we had clubhouse passes) for drinks as well as ran into the rudest people who piece of work there. After receiving really pathetic service as well as attitude, nosotros left earlier ordering anything as well as returned to the friendlier confines dorsum at Blue Planet level.

After the races, nosotros returned to the hotel as well as had dinner at the Claim Jumper, simply one-half a block due east of BJ's. Priced moderately to expensive, yous larn iii meals worth of nutrient for each order. You could really easily dissever something, or accept leftovers if yous get got a identify to store it as well as estrus it up.  Even improve is their monday through Th happy hr where a pizza costs simply $3.  It's all really tasty...and filling!

Day 2

Wanting to practise some of those Claim Jumper calories off, nosotros i time again board Foothill Transit's 187 occupation heading due east correct inwards forepart of the hotel. In Claremont, it's an tardily transfer to Foothill's occupation 292 at Mountain Avenue as well as Foothill Bl. The 292 drops us off at Baseline as well as Mountain as well as nosotros walk iii blocks due west to the Thompson Creek Trail.

This trail, owned as well as maintained past times the City of Claremont, is a really wheelchair friendly paved path that traces the border of civilization. On i side are the tract homes of Claremont...which progress from humble bungalows to stately mansions at the halt of the trail...on the other is to a greater extent than oft than non wild area, scrubby chaparral.

Thompson Creek is genuinely a concrete lined drainage ditch, but other than that, the scenery is wonderful. My wife, e'er the aeroplane watcher, pointed out hundreds of Cedar Waxwings, a Flicker, dozens of Robins, warblers, as well as the occasional hawk or eagle. I caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of my optic as well as stopped. Up on a ridge close 100 yards away sat a identify unit of measurement of 4 deer keeping a wary optic on our progress. The 2 mile trail (four miles round-trip) ends upwards inwards a brushy champaign inwards the shadow of Mount Baldy. Another to a greater extent than primitive trail starts simply northward of this one. We'll salve that for some other trip.

Retracing our agency back, the 187 westbound takes us to a truthful Route 66 treasure, Pinnacle Peak inwards San Dimas. On the carte hither are big, juicy, cowboy steaks cooked over hardwood charcoal served alongside beans as well as bread. What's non on the carte hither are ties. Thousands of forbidden ties hang from the rafters. They are cutting off the offending owner's cervix as well as strung up. If yous create habiliment a necktie to dinner here, simply to add together to the collection, go aware that they get got a large ceremony where everybody inwards the identify stops what they're doing simply to encounter your necktie larn sliced. That's the vox of experience talking there...

Day 3

Today nosotros desire to expand our horizons a little. After breakfast, nosotros accept the 187 west to the the Sierra Madre Villa terminus of the Gold Line.  If yous stayed inwards Claremont or Montclair, yous would get got easier access to Metrolink but go further away alongside less amenities...the selection is yours.

First, a discussion close tickets. Metro offers no transfers, thus larn a 24-hour interval transcend instead of a unmarried ticket. We ride the Gold Line into Los Angeles where nosotros larn off at Union Station as well as accept the get upwards downstairs to the Metro Red Line.  The North Hollywood boundary develop takes us to the Hollywood and Highland Station. Upstairs is the Hollywood as well as Highland complex which includes a shopping centre alongside non bad views of the Hollywood sign, restaurants ranging from hot dogs to really expensive sit down downward dinners, the Kodak Theater (home of the Academy Awards), as well as the Chinese Theater...a truthful Hollywood landmark.

We grab a dyad of hot dogs as well as compare shoe sizes alongside the stars inwards the forecourt of the Chinese Theater. The shopping centre has non bad access from the underground as well as is overnice if a trivial bland. It does construct a large improvement to a really nasty neighborhood. That's a large pace inwards the correct direction.

Back downstairs, the Red Line continues on. The next halt inwards Universal City.

At that stop, nosotros cross the street to select deal of a shuttle upwards the colina to Universal Studios. The shuttle pulls upwards and...it's non accessible. No problem, the driver radios upwards the colina as well as a lift-equipped van is dispatched to pick us upwards (you don't desire to walk upwards this steep colina inwards a wheelchair...even if you're upwards to the challenge, the curb cuts halt half-way up, forcing yous into a really busy street).

Universal Studios is a lot of fun. We accept the studio tour, encounter the Backdraft special effects walk-through, ride Jurassic Park, and encounter the Waterworld stunt show. In between, nosotros get got a few beers at Mulligan's Pub as well as and then out from the pub to encounter Terminator 3-D across the way. Afterwards, nosotros get got a overnice dinner at Karl Strauss Brewery and Gardens at the next CityWalk. The Red Line takes us dorsum to Union Station where nosotros select deal of the Gold Line back to Pasadena as well as accept the 187 dorsum to the hotel.

Stay tuned for piece of work 2, the finale.

-Darryl
Copyright 2002 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved