Standin’ on a Corner
On my trip out West this winter, after visiting the Petrified Forest (photo above), I decided to visit a few Route 66 locations. As you know Route 66 gained legend as the “Mother Road”, the “Main Street of America”. Part of the original US Highway System from Chicago to LA, it was featured in John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath, rhythm and blues song Get Your Kicks on Route 66 (first recorded by Nat King Cole and one of my favorites when I played bass in the band Code Blues) and a CBS TV series in the early ’60s starring George Maharis.
Anyway, most of Route 66 does not exist anymore, but I stopped in two places where it remains. The first was Tucumcari NM, population 5,000.
Why did I choose this? Well, first and foremost it was a convenient overnight stop on I40 from Keller TX to Chandler AZ, the largest town between Amarillo TX and Albuquerque NM (can’t type the latter without hearing Bugs Bunny pronounce it in my head).
Second, it may have been part of the inspiration for Radiator Springs the town in the movie Cars where Lightning McQueen is stranded.
Third, it has original motels on the still existing strip of Route 66.
Fourth, it has a funny name. Pronounced “Two-come-carry”. Ok, another music reference. The song “Willin'” by Little Feat mentions the city in the lyrics, the line being “I’ve been from Tucson to Tucumcari; Tehachapi to Tonopah.” (Source Wikipedia)
I stayed at the Motel Safari, “A Route 66 Classic for over 60 years!” Nice owner and clean. Just a little bit of history. I would include photos of Route 66 in Tucumcari but it was not photogenic.
My second stop on Route 66 was in Winslow AZ where the Jackson Browne/Glenn Frey song Take it Easy recorded by The Eagles pays homage to Winslow. Here is the second verse.
Well, I’m a-standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona
Such a fine sight to see
It’s a girl, my Lord, in a flat-bed Ford
Slowin’ down to take a look at me
So, of course, I wanted to stand on the corner. Conveniently, there is a Standin’ on the Corner Park in downtown Winslow complete with a statue of Glenn Frey and a flatbed Ford. Here are some pictures. It was a bitterly cold morning so I had the place to myself … alas, no girls takin’ a look at me.
3 thoughts on “Standin’ on a Corner”
What an exciting trip! Love the landmarks you chose to visit. How awesome!
Fun read!
Thanks. I was looking to find out of if any of Little Feat’s four “Tucson to Tucumcari, Tehachapi to Tonopah” towns were on Route 66, and as a bonus I learned from you that Winslow, Arizona was on Route 66 as well. That’s three classic songs set on one motorway: “Route 66,” “Willin'” and “Take It Easy.”
That’s close to the most famous songs set on one route. The only other obvious contender is Broadway: I can think of “Give My Regards to Broadway” and “On Broadway” and I imagine there are more.
I live in Los Angeles but I can only think of a few songs referencing famous streets: Sheryl Crow’s “Santa Monica Boulevard” and Tom Petty’s “Free Falling” cites Mulholland Highway and Ventura Blvd. Sunset Boulevard, the west coast home of the music industry shows up as the setting of several famous songs, such as Buffalo Springfield’s great “For What It’s Worth” and Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” but, oddly, isn’t name checked in either. The great Hollywood Boulevard song is The Kinks’ “Celluloid Heroes.”