Despite its legend and history, like all roads, Route 66 is transitory and in a constant state of evolution. The small businesses that form its backbone face continuously steep odds and iconic sites aren't immune from decay or closure. This was deeply felt in 2015 when Shea's, a beloved gas station turned museum on the north end of Springfield, was forced to close following the death of its famed owner. Yet, legacies don't disappear overnight and thanks to the efforts of many, Shea's isn't just ...
Nov 21, 2024•25 min
Officially opened in 1949, Springfield's Cozy Dog Drive-In claims to be the home of the first batter-fried hot dog on a stick, and having born witness to over seventy years of transitions, ranks amongst Route 66's most beloved institutions. Now in its third-generation of family ownership, we'll learn of its history from past and present proprietors Buz and Josh Waldmire. Artist William Crook Jr. also joins us to pay tribute to his friend and contemporary Bob Waldmire, for whom The Cozy Dog stand...
Nov 14, 2024•25 min
The US-Mexico border is a constant fixture in today's 24 hour news cycle. But often lost amidst the noise of talking heads and pundits is any discussion of the rich culture and humanity that can be found there, and how turmoil on both sides has altered the region's social dynamics. Forgotten as well is that for decades Mexican borer towns were renowned for elegant, white tablecloth restaurants where jacketed waiters catered to a café society that transcended international boundaries. Among the m...
May 11, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 5
The author and folklorist J Frank Dobie once said, "The boundaries of culture and rainfall never follow survey lines." This is certainly true of Dobie's native south Texas, which is a place shaped by both the cultures of Mexico and the American West. In this episode host Evan Stern travels below the Nueces River, to the YY Ranch where he joins the Avila Family as they convene there to roast one of this region's prized delicacies- cabrito. Amidst the revelry, the history, ethics and future of thi...
May 04, 2023•24 min•Season 3Ep. 4
The third most spoken language in Texas behind English and Spanish is Vietnamese. This is especially evident in Houston, a metropolis that's home to more than 120,000 residents of Indo Chinese descent where restaurant menus tout such Texas-Asian dishes as Viet-Cajun crawfish, brisket pho and Vietnamese beef fajitas. Considering that prior to 1975 the city's population claimed fewer than 100 Vietnamese, this community's growth and visibility is remarkable. Yet the mass migration that followed the...
Apr 27, 2023•24 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Once perhaps the greatest town of significance between New Orleans and San Francisco, Galveston's fortunes shifted following the Great Storm of 1900, and today its population doesn't even rank in the top fifty of Texas cities. But while Austinites are often apt to say that their community is really a small town with growing pains, some Galvestonians might argue that theirs is really a big city disguised as a small town. Much of this perspective is owed to its rich, immigrant history, which we'll...
Apr 20, 2023•24 min•Season 3Ep. 2
The Central Texas hamlet of Serbin sits off a country road, about an hour past Austin. It was last included in the census over twenty years ago when its population numbered a mere thirty-seven. Yet, it remains a place of significance as the sign on the edge of town announces it as the home of the Texas Wends. In this episode, which is the first in a miniseries co-produced with the Southern Foodways Alliance's "Gravy" podcast, host Evan Stern pays a visit to Serbin's annual Wendish Fest. There, h...
Apr 13, 2023•23 min•Season 3Ep. 1
As a special bonus, we are honored to share our space and introduce you to Travel Tales by Afar. On Travel Tales by AFAR , fascinating people share their stories of life-changing travel, from novelist Maggie Shipstead’s chilly Arctic saga to comedian Michelle Buteau’s tale of getting stood up in Paris (really!). In the Travel Tales episode we're sharing today, writer Chris Colin hits the rails with his teen daughter, Cora. As the dream of high-speed rail in California inches ever closer, Chris w...
Feb 23, 2023•30 min
If you're driving East to West, the spiritual end point for Route 66, regardless of the technicalities of history, is The Santa Monica Pier. Considering this, it is no coincidence we're ending this season there where more than snapping a picture, we'll learn of the artist Bob Waldmire from vendor Mannie Mendelsohn, hear the trumpet stylings of Buddy Balou, and take some time to reflect on the journey we've taken through revisiting the voices of Michael Wallis, Jim Hinckley, Scott Piotrowski and ...
Feb 02, 2023•31 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Between the years of 1930 and 1940, some 3.5 million Americans fled the Great Plains, with the Dust Bowl blowing roughly 440,000 out of Oklahoma alone. For many, the end destination was the promised land of California and Route 66 provided a path of exodus. Some, with cars loaded, followed the road all the way to Los Angeles, but at Barstow many more detoured north to the San Joaquin Valley. In the process, these migrants not only transformed California, but in Bakersfield created a sound that f...
Jan 19, 2023•28 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Diners are fundamental to the Route 66 experience- not just for burgers and milkshakes, but because of the connections they help facilitate. In this episode we'll step inside three in Oklahoma, Texas and Arizona to hear stories from their remarkable owners who not only labor hard to serve mouth watering pies, but compassion to those who enter. The Rock Cafe The MidPoint Cafe Westdie Lilo's...
Jan 05, 2023•28 min•Season 2Ep. 15
On the southernmost tip of Texas, where the US and Mexican borders meet the sea, sits the tiny town of Boca Chica. Surrounded by nothing but wild open scrub land, eight miles of virgin beach and a rich array of wildlife, the twenty-something residents of Boca Chica live in peace and disconnection. Away from the noise of the modern World. It was that peace and disconnection that Maria Pointer, AKA Boca Chica Maria, and her husband Ray sought when they made their plans to settle down and retire in...
Dec 29, 2022•55 min
In 1903, President Teddy Roosevelt addressed a crowd at The Grand Canyon. When speaking of this natural wonder, he said- “Man cannot improve on it; not a bit. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it. What you can do is keep it for your children and your children’s children and for all who come after you, as one of the great sights which every American, if he can travel at all, should see.” More than a century later, hundreds of millions have heeded those words, and the Canyon is...
Dec 15, 2022•26 min•Season 2Ep. 14
A cigar chomping nun. A suicidal gambler. A naked property manager. And a wounded bank robber. These are just a few of the spirits whose stories are shared in today's episode which features a sampling of tales collected in old hotels out west, about people who checked in for a night of rest, but never left... The Original Santa Fe Ghost Tour La Fonda Hotel Saint Francis Inn and Spa at Loretto El Rancho Hotel La Posada Hotel Monte Vista...
Dec 01, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Will Dailey is an acclaimed independent recording and performing artist. His sound has been described as having a rich vintage vibe while having a firm appreciation of AM rock, pop and big hooks leading famed Rock journalist Dan Aquilante to call him “the real deal." Most recently, he has added podcasting to his list of accomplishments through his new, acclaimed show Sound of Our Town which is a travel program about the music in the next town you visit: Where to go to hear and experience the bes...
Nov 26, 2022•21 min
Santa Fe has consistently lured free thinkers and intellectuals of different stripes. People like Georgia O’Keefe. DH Lawrence. And Robert Henri who in 1917 said, “Here painters are treated with that welcome and appreciation that is supposed to exist only in certain places in Europe.” It was around then, on a hill about a mile past the main plaza, a colony of artists began to spring up on Canyon Road. Their imprint remains in the fact that six of its blocks today house over 100 galleries. These ...
Nov 17, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Michael Wallis has famously said that Route 66 is for travelers, not tourists. As he tells it, "tourists like the familiar, tend to gawk at culture from afar, and generally like to cram as much into their agendas as possible provided it’s cheap, safe and by all means comfortable. Travelers, on the other hand, hanker for the hidden places and in making new discoveries often discover a thing or two about themselves." At the same time, it merits acknowledgement that this ethos is perhaps easy to em...
Nov 03, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 11
When speaking of Tucumcari, New Mexico author Jim Hinckley describes it as "a great example of what Route 66 was. What its bypass did to communities. And the future it holds." All of this is perhaps best discovered through the town's motel culture, which in recent years has enjoyed something of a renaissance thanks to pioneering owners who are working hard to reinvigorate these properties while honoring their pasts. Yet beyond the neon glare, people are drawn to these places for their offers of ...
Oct 20, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Unlike many places visited in this series, The Big Texan Steak Ranch isn’t hidden off some hard to find back road, and isn’t exactly starved for attention. But while it migrated to I-40's shoulder over 50 years ago, its story was absolutely born on Route 66, and flies in the face of anyone who might make the mistake of dismissing Amarillo as “dull.” What’s more, when you enjoy a meal there you’re not just getting prime rib and potatoes, but the kind of fun house “eatertainment” experience the go...
Oct 06, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 9
As a special treat, we're honored to introduce and share our space with Sound of Our Town. Brought to you from the guys behind Disgraceland, Sound of our Town is hosted by award winning indie musician Will Dailey, and is born out of his mission to reaffirm how important live music is to our culture. In each episode, Will takes us from the boardwalks of Asbury Park, to the biggest and smallest stages of LA, while introducing us to historic venues and secret spots through tales that speak to the n...
Oct 01, 2022•33 min
Anyone who's ever traveled Route 66 will tell you that its greatest resource can be found in the people who live and work along it. Whether diner waitresses or museum volunteers, car mechanics or preservationists, its keepers embody many forms, and all are vital. At the same time, some manage to linger in the memories of those they meet for the fact they have a way of inviting visitors to step inside their worlds. In today's episodes we'll get to know three such sentinels- Erick, Oklahoma's self...
Sep 22, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Driving Route 66 from Tulsa to Oklahoma City, about three miles before the town of Luther you'll notice an old sandstone building with peeling white gables. At first glance, it's the kind of structure a realtor might dismiss as a "tear down." But behind its dusty windows rest a pair of faded signs that simply read in orange print, "This place matters." The place is The Threatt Filling Station, which in its heyday was a black owned rest stop that serviced African American motorists throughout the...
Sep 08, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In 1921, the city of Tulsa bore witness to the greatest incident of racial violence in American history when the prosperous African-American neighborhood of Greenwood was invaded and destroyed in an act of mob terrorism. But while this disgrace which resulted in as many as 300 deaths was ignored for decades, a century later, it seems to be getting its share of attention. Last year, 107 year old survivor Viola Fletcher, riveted Congress with her eyewitness testimony in a public plea for justice, ...
Aug 25, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 6
As a special treat, we're pleased to introduce you to one of our favorite podcasts, 2 Lives . This title comes from the quote, “We all have two lives. The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.” These are stories of people who have faced darkness and how those moments transformed them. It’s created and hosted by veteran journalist Laurel Morales who among many accomplishments claims an Edward R Murrow Award, and over 20 years behind the microphone on NPR. As it happens, she also l...
Aug 18, 2022•31 min
"The Carnegie Hall of Western Swing" is just one of many titles that have been bestowed on Tulsa's famed Cain's Ballroom since its opening in the 1920s. It was from this stage that Bob Wills helped introduce Western Swing to the masses, and decades later crowds continue to flock here to take a spin on its legendary dance floor. In this episode, we'll experience this venue's magic on the occasion of Asleep at the Wheel's 50th Anniversary Tour, and hang out backstage with their legendary front man...
Aug 04, 2022•28 min•Season 2Ep. 5
From "The World's Second Largest Rocking Chair" in Cuba, Missouri, to "The Leaning Water Tower of Groom, Texas," Route 66 boasts no shortage of roadside oddities that are all great for a stop, snap and chuckle. At the same time, it's easy to forget that these sites were all built by people with hopes and dreams, and most always offer a bit more than what meets the eyes. In this episode, we'll visit Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park, The Blue Whale of Catoosa, and the Slug Bug and Cadillac Ranches to...
Jul 21, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Entering the town of Miami, Oklahoma on Route 66, you'll pass the GAR Cemetery. A resting place for over 20,000, its director Nancy Bro is quick to say that each one of their graves holds a life that meant something for many people. This is, of course, true of all burial plots. Yet GAR is unique as walking its grounds, you will notice a Union Jack flag flying above fifteen WWII Era graves bearing the badges of Britain's Royal Air Force. In this episode, we'll pay our respects at a memorial servi...
Jul 07, 2022•32 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Among the titles it's earned, Route 66 is often hailed as "The Main Street of America." But America is a lot of things and absent from many of its popular myths and legends are the stories of those who preceded the pilgrims or Jamestown. Yet it is indisputable that our country wouldn't exist as we know it without them and the same is true of the Route itself. Even today, more than half of 66 passes through Indian country and driving the road will carry you through more than twenty-five tribal na...
Jun 23, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 2
The name Route 66 has a certain kind of magic. For some, it calls to mind images of muscle cars and neon. For others, the words of Kerouac and songs of Guthrie. But how did this legend come to be, and what is Route 66 to begin with? Featuring a sampling of stories collected over a journey spanning 6,845 miles, we’ll kick off this season long road trip by attempting to answer these questions through the voices of some who’ve witnessed its many transformations firsthand. Contributors include renow...
Jun 09, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 1
COMING SOON! Named "One of the Best Podcasts You Should Listen To in 2022" by Digital Trends, Vanishing Postcards returns for a cross country odyssey on Route 66. From the plains of Oklahoma to the beaches of the Pacific Coast, ride along with host Evan Stern as he explores how the past, present and future of The Mother Road is revealed through the people and places you'll find in driving it today.
Mar 17, 2022•2 min
