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Chicago Tribune
03-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Route 66: The end of the road at Santa Monica pier
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Our Route 66 road trip began at the end, at the famed fishing pier jutting out into the Pacific Ocean. On a breezy Sunday afternoon, the first day of June, a steady stream of visitors waited their turns to pose with one of the pier's most popular attractions: a Route 66 sign, perched on a pole 12 feet above the wooden planks, advertising the spot as the 'end of the trail.' Except, it's not really the end. That distinction resides a mile east, at Lincoln and Olympic boulevards, the 'official' end of a route that since its decommissioning in 1985 does not officially exist. We think of roads as fixed paths between fixed points. But since its creation nearly 100 years ago, Route 66 was different. It discarded entire sections of roadway and absorbed others. Sometimes the motivation was necessity — planners choosing a realignment that offered a straighter and safer option for motorists or a wider section that eased congestion, an especially important feature when the highway was used as a main transport for World War II troops and supplies. Other times, it was changed to satisfy influential people who wanted motorists and their money to pass by a particular town or business. When first commissioned, the highway ended at Seventh Street and Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, in the city's once-thriving theater district. Today, most have been converted to other uses. Jewelry shops dominate storefronts. Street vendors dot the sidewalk. Some sell produce; others, like Roberto Cruz, sell rings, batteries, nail clippers, phone chargers and key chains and magnets, including some that advertise Route 66. The 68-year-old native of Honduras has sold his wares on downtown LA streets for the last three decades. He works seven days a week, he said, 'just to survive.' Near his tables stands Clifton's. Around the time Route 66 was depositing motorists to its end, and long before the highway started collecting 'world's largest' novelties, a man named Clifford Clinton opened a five-story cafeteria unrivaled in its size. The son of missionaries who worked for a time with starving children in China, Clinton offered customers at his cafeteria the option of paying what they could for food. His family sold the business in 2010. Now called Clifton's Republic, it offers food and drinks on multiple floors. Shortly after Clifton's opened, Route 66 was extended west to its current terminus. There, the multilane boulevards of Olympic and Lincoln meet the confluence of Interstate 10 and California Pacific Coast Highway. The result is a heavily trafficked intersection with few opportunities to stop and take a picture with the brown Route 66 signs on streetlights 20 feet high. Other than Mel's Drive-In, a retro diner housed in the former Penguin Coffee Shop building built in 1959, the spot gave no hints of its distinction as the end of 'America's Main Street.' Or, perhaps it offered a glimpse into the future of the country's streets. A man panhandling at one corner watched a remote-controlled delivery robot (picture a large cooler on four wheels) scurry down an empty sidewalk, while multiple autonomous ride-share vehicles passed the other direction, their driver's seats empty. The symbolic switch of the route's end from there to Santa Monica was formally dedicated in 2009, according to a New York Times story that described the event as a 'quintessentially American' resolution of 'placing the terminus in a place where it can best be monetized.' One of those businesses selling Route 66 gear to visitors is the Santa Monica Pier Bait and Tackle Shop at the tip of the pier. Manager Victor Cruz estimated about a third of the shop's business comes from Route 66 travelers stopping for a souvenir. Some come armed with questions about the fabled highway and Cruz, 49, typically tells them about Robert Waldmire. Waldmire's family opened the Springfield, Illinois, institution Cozy Dog, which is located on Route 66 and claims to have invented the corn dog. Waldmire, who was born in St. Louis, became a legendary figure of the route's lore. His hand-drawn postcards (some sold at the Santa Monica shop), maps and murals served as a route touchpoint for countless people. Both he and the van he took on his frequent route trips served as the inspiration for the character Fillmore in the Disney Pixar film 'Cars.' Waldmire died in 2009. Soon after, the Santa Monica shop's owner, Mannie Mendelson, created a memorial to his close friend Waldmire outside the shop. Among the items in the display case are some of Waldmire's ashes. On Sunday afternoon, a tour group that just finished a Route 66 trip stopped to browse Mendelson's shop. The group, 32 in total, left Chicago on May 23. 'On a bus tour, sometimes you're a little rushed, but we saw things — a lot of things — that we wouldn't have done on our own,' said Fran Gruver, 70, from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. 'I enjoyed seeing the old towns and the old little gift shops that are still running and people are able to make a living from it. I think that's fantastic, and I hope the centennial really boosts them.' Back at the Route 66 sign, a line of maybe two dozen people stood waiting for their turn to pose for a picture. Few had the road-weary look of people who had just completed a 2,400-plus-mile odyssey. Kyone Johnson, 40, said she photographed her kids Khloe, 8, and Kyndell, 7, at the sign because she knew it was a popular photo op. 'I might have to try to drive it,' the Shreveport, Louisiana, resident said when informed of its meaning. Barrie Phillips and his son Ryan Phillips did finish a Route 66 road trip that Sunday. The trip began on May 18 with a flight from their homes in Birmingham, England, to Chicago. 'My dad just retired, so I wanted to do a trip before it's too late,' Ryan Phillips, 21, said. 'Before I'm in a career where I can't take a lot of time off. Before he gets too old.' 'Yeah, yeah, I'm almost there,' replied his dad, 58.
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
This weekend's boxing action on DAZN
Friday 9 May Starting at 01.00 UK time (Saturday morning), Andreas Katzourakis will meet Roberto Cruz for a fight from the famous Red Owl Boxing Arena in Houston, Texas. Both undefeated, Katzourakis, 15-0 (10), and Cruz, 11-0 (7), will face each other in a super-welterweight bout. Also on the Houston card is a super-lightweight bout between Breyon Gorham, 18-0 (15), and Luis Feliciano, 17-2 (8); a lightweight fight between Oscar Alan Perez, 12-0-2 (7), and Cesar Juarez, 31-18 (24); and another super-lightweight fight between Giovanni Marquez, 12-0 (6), and Esteban Munoz, 10-4 (5). With a broadcast beginning half an hour later, this time from Orlando, Florida, will be a heavyweight fight between the Cuban Dainier Pero, 10-0 (8), and the Mexican Cesar Navarro, 13-2 (11). The pair will be meeting at the luxurious Caribe Royale Orlando hotel in the centre of Florida. Supporting the scheduled ten-round heavyweight fight will be a ten-round bout between lightweights Corey Marksman, 10-0-1 (7), and Tayden Beltran, 10-0-1 (5); another ten-round lightweight fight, this time between Kaipo Gallegos, 8-0-1 (6), and Pedro Castaneda Castro, 8-0-1 (5). Saturday 10 May This weekend's main action, however, remains between Cacace, 23-1 (8), and Wood, 28-3 (17), who meet at Motorpoint Arena in a fight for Cacace's IBO super-featherweight title. Hometown hero Wood is coming into the bout after a technical knockout win over former world champion Josh Warrington and a revenge victory over Mauricio Lara. Cacace, meanwhile, also moves into this weekend's action with a victory over Josh Warrington at Wembley Stadium when he defeated the Leeds man over twelve rounds. Cacace is undefeated in nearly eight years following a unanimous decision loss to Martin J Ward in 2017. Joining Cacace and Wood on the Nottingham card will be Liam Davies, 16-1 (8), who faces Kurt Walker, 12-0 (2), for the vacant IBF international featherweight title. More undercard action will be seen between light-heavyweights Ezra Taylor, 11-0 (8), and Troy Jones, 12-0 (6), who meet over ten rounds in a non-title fight. Nottingham's card on Saturday night will also be notable for the debuts of Harris Akbar, Joe Tyers, Charlie Senior, and Huey Malone, all successful amateurs who officially turn over to the professional side on Saturday night. DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. It is not just about fight night, a DAZN membership also includes access to documentaries and features, weekly magazine shows, live fight watchalongs, press conferences, weight-ins, open workouts, exclusive interviews and access to training camps, and podcasts and vodcasts. Sign up right now to watch the biggest stars and best fights.
