Archive for the ‘Magazines’ Category

Route 66 Magazine Summer 2011 Cover Story…

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

is about Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive and the Battle of Streeterville. The eastern beginning point/terminus of Route 66 is at Jackson Boulevard and Lake Shore Drive in Chicago’s Grant Park.

Route 66 Magazine Summer 2011

The cover story for the Summer 2011 issue of Route 66 Magazine is about the Chicago Lakefront--Lake Shore Drive and The Battle of Streeterville.

I wrote this article to tell the story of how this parkway along the city’s beautiful lakefront came to be built–and indeed how what once was an industrial eyesore along the waterfront was transformed into the parkland we see today.

A colorful part of the story is the legend of Cap Streeter, a ne’er-do-well who founded a shanty town along the shore north of the Chicago River, much to the chagrin of his millionaire neighbors who accused him of squatting on land they claimed to own. There were three decades of gun battles, murders, forged deeds, and lawsuits to settle the question–who REALLY owned “the shallows” of Lake Michigan?

The magazine has been out since June and it may still be on some magazine stands. You can find out more information about the issue and subscribing to Route 66 Magazine at their website. Enjoy!

Posted in Chicago, Highway Links, History, Illinois, Magazines, Route 66 Magazine, US | No Comments »

Online Chicago Route 66 Driving Guide

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

Douglas Park Flower Hall

Douglas Park Flower Hall on Route 66 (Ogden Avenue) in Chicago

Back in 2003-04, a series of five articles titled Driving Route 66 in Chicagoland was published in the Federation News, the quarterly publication of the National Historic Route 66 Federation The series began in Autumn 2003 and took readers from Ogden and Jackson in Chicago down Jackson Boulevard to Halsted Street.

In the Winter 2004 issue, we continued down Jackson through Chicago’s Loop to Lake Shore Drive. Spring 2004 saw us driving west on Adams Street from Michigan Avenue to Halsted Street in Chicago’s Greektown neighborhood. In the Summer of 2004, we continued on Adams Street to Ogden Avenue. Finally, in Autumn 2004 we took a trip down Ogden Avenue through Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood and the suburbs Cicero and Berwyn.

All five of these Driving Tour articles are now available online on this website for viewing or printing. They are in Adobe .pdf format and they are scanned as originally published in the Federation News. They are a part of my ongoing archive of articles that have appeared in the Federation News since 2002.

Some changes have inevitably occurred along Route 66 since these articles were originally published, and I try to describe those changes on the archive page. However, the general info and directions in the articles remain as useful today as when originally published.

I of course would love it if everyone would like the more detailed information available in my book, Exploring Route 66 in Chicagoland, available on this website for purchase. Please buy the book! But for those of you that would like a free overview of the Route 66 driving corridor in Chicago, please use this free resource for yourselves.

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Posted in Chicago, Highway Links, History, Illinois, Route 66 Federation News, Tours, US | 1 Comment »

Postcards from the Ledge

Monday, April 5th, 2010

Route 66 Magazine, Spring 2010 Issue

Click above to see a larger image of the cover of the Spring 2010 issue of Route 66 Magazine

I just received my copy of the Spring 2010 issue of Route 66 Magazine. I knew that Sandi and Paul Taylor intended to use my article as the “cover story,” but did not know they would actually put a photo of me and my better two-thirds on the front of the magazine!
The article is titled “Postcards from the Ledge,” and it discusses the Sears Willis Tower Skydeck in Chicago, and its newest feature: The Ledge. The Skydeck is the observatory on the 103rd floor of North America’s tallest building (located right on Route 66 between Jackson Boulevard and Adams Street). The Ledge is comprised of four cantilevered glass boxes that protrude 4.3 feet out from the west side of the building.
Looking Down at Route 66 from the Ledge

Click above for larger view down on Route 66 from the Ledge

Eastbound Route 66–Jackson Boulevard–is 1,353 below and just to the left of my left foot in this picture. Westbound Route 66–Adams Street–is just in front of Carol’s shoes on the right.
Route 66 Magazine continues to publish excellent articles and information about the road culture of this country. Get yourself a copy of the magazine (or subscribe) and enjoy!

Posted in Chicago, Highway Links, Illinois, Magazines, Route 66 Magazine, US | No Comments »