The Drive » Join the jet-set
modern world on the Pasadena
Fwy (Hwy 110), which streams
south into LA. If you’re not quite
ready for the trip to end, take
a stroll through the glittering
charms of LA (see p310). One
of the first freeways in the US,
it’s a truck-free State Historic
Freeway – the whole trip will
take 20 minutes.a Hollywood
Like a resurrected diva
of the silver screen,
Hollywood is making a
comeback. Although it
hasn’t recaptured the
Golden Age glamour that
brought would-be starlets
cruising here on Route 66,
this historic neighborhood
is still worth visiting
for its restored movie
palaces, unique museums
and the pink stars on
the Walk of Fame. The
exact track Route 66 ran
through the neighborhood
isn’t possible to follow
these days (it changed
officially a couple times
and has long been paved
over) but an exploration
of the Hollywood &
Highland complex, north
of Santa Monica Blvd is
a good place to get in
the center of the action.
The Hollywood Visitor
Information Center
(www.discoverlosangeles.
com) is upstairs. Travelers
looking for a fun, creepy
communion with starsTRIP HIGHLIGHT of yesteryear should
stroll the Hollywood
Forever Cemetery (www.
hollywoodforever.com;
6000 Santa Monica Blvd;
h8am-5pm;^ p) next to
Paramount Studios, which
is crowded with famous
‘immortals,’ including
Rudolph Valentino, Tyrone
Power, Jayne Mansfield
and Cecil B DeMille.
Pick up a map ($5) at
the flower shop near the
entrance. They also offer
film screenings here.54 p321
The Drive » Follow Santa
Monica Blvd west for 11 miles
to reach the end of the road – it
makes a junction with the Pacific
Coast Highway (Hwy 1). The pier
is a few blocks to the south. Just
north is Palisades Park.b Santa Monica
This is the end of the
line: Route 66 reaches its
finish, over 2200 miles
from its starting point
in Chicago, on an ocean
bluff in Palisades Park,where a Will Rogers Hwy
memorial plaque marks
the official end of the
Mother Road. Celebrate
on Santa Monica Pier
(%310-458-8900; http://www.
santamonicapier.org; west of
Ocean Ave; admission free;
h24hr;^ c#), where you
can ride a 1920s carousel
featured in The Sting,
gently touch tidepool
critters at the Santa
Monica Pier Aquarium
(%310-393-6149; http://www.
healthebay.org; 1600 Ocean
Front Walk; adult/child $5/free;
h2-6pm Tue-Fri, 12:30-6pmSat & Sun; (^) c), and soak up
a sunset atop the solar-
powered Ferris wheel at
Pacific Park (%310-260-
8744; http://www.pacpark.com;
unlimited rides over/under
42in tall $20/11; 380 Santa
Monica Pier; (^) hcall for hr; (^) c).
Year-round carnival rides
include the West Coast’s
only oceanfront steel roller
coaster – a thrilling ride to
end this classic trip.
4 p321
TRIP HIGHLIGHT
The Aztec Hotel (%626-358-3231; 311 W Foothill Blvd,
Monrovia) is just about as original as it can be. It’s on
the old alignment of Route 66. I never get tired of
dropping by, and I always see something new here.
The hotel is supposedly haunted by a lady who died
here during her honeymoon. Historically, Hollywood
celebrities would stop by the speakeasy before going
to the races at Santa Anita Park.
Kevin Hansel, California Historic Route 66 Association
AZTEC HOTEL
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE:
SOUTHERN.CALIFORNIA.
30
(^) ROUTE 66