ROUTE 66 on The World on Wheels

The View from Route 66

Mt. Baldy with Azusa Canyon and the San Gabriel River in Front

March 9, 2010

We're Route 66 locals...we live just off of the road...so it's natural that there'd be some reports on the road here at The World on Wheels.  Check below for a couple of new videos along with links to all our Route 66 content.

Summer road trip season is in full swing and what better road to trip on than Route 66.  Below are our reports from our section of the Mother Road and above is a new video of a quick little cruise around the Glendora/Azusa section of the road.  It's a companion piece to the video below, which is a demonstration of how we get around while on vacation when we have no accessible vehicle or public transit available.

Route 66 Trip report -
    
Part 1
    
Part 2

Route 66 Roadhouses

Route 66 Travel Tunes - Route 66

Route 66 Landmarks

Route 66 Links

TRANSIT REPORT: Cleveland, Ohio

Picture Courtesy of Wikimedia

Hillrhpc under CC-BY-SA license

The main transit agency in Cleveland is the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA). They run a system of buses, heavy rail, and light rail (trolley).

BUSES

Cleveland now runs a 100% wheelchair accessible bus system. The bus system covers most of the area. There is also a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) that runs in its own dedicated lane from Windemere to Tower City called the HealthLine. This is similar to Kansas City’s MAX service.  You can get a route map here.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia

Hillrhpc under CC-BY-SA license

The Red Line

The Red Line is Cleveland’s heavy rail system, think like a subway. It runs from the airport to Windemere, northeast of downtown. Only 12 of the line’s 18 stations are barrier free. Most of the inaccessible stations are located in the central part of the city. You can access Indians and Cavalier games from the Tower City station via an accessible walkway.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia

Hillrhpc under CC-BY-SA license

Blue and Green Lines

Cleveland’s light rail system runs along the waterfront and can be used to visit the Browns’ stadium, the Flats (lots of dining options), and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Both lines serve this area and, with the exception of the Amtrak stop, all waterfront stations are accessible. The Blue Line extends to Warrensville. Only the Shaker Square and Warrensville stations are accessible once the line goes east of Tower City. The Red Line culminates at the Green Station. Only that station and Shaker Square are accessible east of Tower City.

You can get a map of the rail system here.

Downtown Trolley

Two wheelchair accessible bus shuttle services serve the downtown area at 10 minute intervals between 7am and 7pm Monday through Friday. The service is free.

The fare for Cleveland’s transit options is $2.25 for the base fare. Disabled and seniors ride for a dollar.

-Darryl
Copyright 2010 - Darryl Musick

ROAD FOOD: Ice Cream!

Update:  It's National Ice Cream Day...I didn't know that..

That was the temperature on our back patio on Friday afternoon at 4:00pm.  It's time to think of something cool.  Cold even.  Here are some of the most memorable ice cream parlors we've been to on our travels.

Picture courtesy of Flickr

rellim under CC-BY-SA license

The Sugar Bowl in Scottsdale, Arizona is a true family place.  So much so, it was Bill Keane's favorite place.  You may know him better as the dad who drew The Family Circus comic strip based on his real family.  Not only are there delicious ice cream and treats here, but many original drawings on the walls that Mr. Keane contributed to the restaurant.

Picture courtesy of Flickr

MonicaD under CC-BY-SA license

Superior Dairy in Hanford, California is a sight for sore eyes on one of those blisteringly hot Central Valley days.  The flavors are a bit on the basic side but can be jazzed up with many toppings.  The scoops are huge.  A single scoop here would beat a triple at many places.  It's located on Hanford's main plaza, which is also a jewel.

Dewar's is a 101 year old company located on the corner of California and Eye Streets in Bakersfield, California.  There's also another location on Hageman and Coffee Roads in the northern part of town.  Not only do they make delicious ice cream, but many hand-made candies too.  I'm particularly fond of the caramel chews.  Letty says they make the best pink peppermint and chocolate chip ice cream she's ever had...

...except for the version she made at home (see picture above).

Thrifty Ice Cream is available at most Rite Aid stores along the West Coast.  Many a California adult remembers as a kid visiting Thrifty Drug Stores (now Rite Aid) and buy ice cream cones for a nickel a scoop.  Now around a dollar, it's still suprisingly good for a low priced ice cream.  This basic frozen treat has a lot of fans.

Picture courtesy of Flickr

LadyDucayne under CC-BY license

The west San Gabriel Valley...just east of downtown Los Angeles...is known these days as a very large Asian community.  Great Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, and other Asian tinged restaurants abound.  One thing that has stayed constant over the years is Fosselman's Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street in Alhambra.  The small shop is overwhelmed with crowds some days, but seek it out if you're in the neighborhood...and if they have white chocolate listed as one of their daily flavors, don't pass it up!

Try some of these great ice cream treats next time you're in the neighborhood.  Have an ice cream place you think is the best?  Tell us in the comments below.

-Darryl
Copyright 2010 - Darryl Musick

TRANSIT REPORT - Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Toronto Transit Commission - TTC - serves the city of Toronto with bus, subway, streetcar, and paratransit.  GO Transit provides commuter rail service from the suburbs to the city. 

TTC Subway - Right now, there are 29 stations that provide barrier-free access to subway trains.  That is a little less than half of the stations.  On the TTC website, you can get a list of those stations.  Another 14 stations are planned to be accessible within the next 4 years. 

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia

Ivan Hernandez under CC-BY license

TTC Bus - 92% of the vehicles in the bus fleet are accessible.  By the end of 2011, it is expected that 100% of the fleet will be wheelchair accessible.  Three all-night routes (301, 306, and 352) and one downtown express route (141) are not listed as accessible, the rest are.  You can go to the TTC website to get a list and map of all the bus routes. 

TTC Streetcar - The Toronto Streetcars are not wheelchair accessible.  The TTC plans to start introducing low-floor accessible streetcars in 2012 with the entire fleet done by 2018.

TTC Wheel-Trans - The TTC's version of paratransit requires an in person interview before approval to ride making it inconvenient for travelers.  Here are the procedures for approval.

The current base fare for all TTC services is $3 (CDN) and a day pass is $10. Seniors 65 or older get a one dollar discount on the base fare, there is no discount for disabled riders.

GO Transit - The commuter rail service provides double-decker trains into downtown Toronto's Union Station from Niagara Falls/Kitchner-Waterloo in the west; Orangeville, Barrie, and Beaverton to the north; Stouffville, Uxbridge, and Peterborough to the northeast; and Oshawa/Newcastle to the east.  All but 10 of the 59 stations in the system are accessible and 6 more are slated to be accessible by the end of 2010.   Fares run from about $4 one way to around $18 one way.  Their website has a fare calculator.

Many nearby towns have their own bus systems that connect with the outer reaches of the TTC or GO systems.  You can find a list with links here.

-Darryl

Travel Tunes - Week 33

On our trip to Yellowstone a few years ago, we went to the Gallatin County Fair in Bozeman, Montana.  While we were there, we took in a show by a husband and wife country duo who put on a great show.  At one point, the husband said they got a lot of requests to sing El Paso but complained that the song was too long so he was able to get the complete song into a 30 second version.  They started playing and he sang these lyrics: "Down in the West Texas town of El Paso, I fell in love, I got shot, and I died..." 

End of song.

Funny bit, and yes, it does give you pretty much the whole story in one line but the original version is worth listening to, all 5 minutes and 2 seconds of it.

Marty Robbins was born in Glendale, Arizona in 1925.  This is a suburb to the west of Phoenix, better known as the location of the Cardinals new football stadium that's shaped like a rattlesnake.  A product of a broken and disfunctional family, Robbins found comfort hanging with his grandfather and listening to his stories of the old west. 

He went into the navy in World War II and was stationed in the Pacific where he learned to play the guitar and loved Hawaiian music.  After the war, he played gigs around Phoenix which netted him a local TV show.  Success soon followed and he went on to the Grand Ole Opry and a long career in country music.

Robbins also raced and drove in 35 NASCAR races, including 6 top ten finishes, one of which was the 1973 Daytona 500.  He also dabbled in acting and his last film appearance was in Clint Eastwood's Honkytonk Man.  He died of cardiac arrest in December of 1982 at the age of 57.

In the tradition of Sons of the Pioneers, Robbins was one of the best balladeers to come along.  He covered other writers tunes, such as the classic cowboy ballad Cool Water and A Hundred And Sixty Acres, but wrote a few classics of his own such as Big Iron and, of course, El Paso, which he recorded for his 1959 album Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs.

El Paso is the story of the cowboy who comes into a cantina in the title town and falls in love with a Mexican girl...I certainly can relate to that.  When another man makes move on his beloved Felina, the cowboy shoots him dead and flees the law.  Hiding out in New Mexico, the cowboy realizes his heartache is worse than death so he heads back to El Paso to find his Felina.  He is spotted and a posse goes out to stop him.  He is shot and dies in Felina's arms.

What makes the song so good is the Spanish guitar work and Robbins lyrics: "I Challenged his right for the love of this maiden.  Down went his hand for the gun that he wore. My challenge was answered in less than a heart-beat; The handsome young stranger lay dead on the floor.  Just for a moment I stood there in silence, Shocked by the foul evil deed I had done," "I see the white puff of smoke from the rifle, I feel the bullet go deep in my chest," "from out of nowhere, Felina has found me...cradled in two loving arms that I'll die for, one little kiss and Felina good bye."

You're going to find yourself driving across a desert someday and this, along with Cool Water, Riders In The Sky, and Desert Skies should be mandatory on your playlist.  Give it a whirl and see if you don't get caught up in the cowboy's sad story.

Below is a video, I think from the 1967 film Road to Nashville but I'm not sure, where Robbins ends the movie with a full rendition of the song.  Enjoy!

-Darryl

Travel Tunes - Week 32

Another destination specific song, this week by Portland's Everclear.  Everclear is actually mostly Art Alexakis who had a life worthy of a Behind the Music episode.  In fact, there was an episode devoted to Everclear.

Art grew up in west L.A. in the projects of Mar Vista, a community just off of Santa Monica and Venice.  He fell into drugs and crime and when his family broke up was shuttled between various family members around the country.  After a near fatal cocaine overdose, Alexakis gave up drugs cold turkey.

At one point, a young Art had a girlfriend who jumped off of the Santa Monica Pier and killed herself.  Depressed, Art tried to to the same thing but visions of his brother changed his mind and he was able to save himself once in the water.

Along with stints in abusive relationships, the suicide attempt inspired Art to write this week's tune, Santa Monica.  Lyrics abound about not wanting to continue in the same downward relationship spiral..."I am still living with your ghost, lonely and dreaming of the West Coast,"  "I don't want to be your fall back crutch anymore," "I don't want to be the bad guy, I don't want to do your sleep walk dance anymore."  The suicide attempt is part of the song's chorus, "we can swim out past the breakers, watch the world die."

So what makes this song about suicide and failed relationships a good travel tune?  First, the rest of the lyrics talk about how we'd like to get away from the bad times by heading to a new place...the west coast in this version: "I just want to feel some sunshine, I just want to find some place to be alone, "  " I just want to see some palm trees, I will try to shake away this disease." 

Second, it's a great song with a building strength that starts off with a lone guitar, slowly adding other instruments throughout until you have a very hard rocker in the end.  The tune is slightly western and a bit punk, probably influenced by Alexakis' days in the cowpunk movement in San Francisco.  It goes with travel very well...makes me want to put on my big black boots and pack an old suitcase and go.

At the bottom is a live version of the song sponsored by Taylor Guitars, who Art endorses with their use.  The actual video of the song is very good and a tight mix but the record label does not allow embedding.  You can see that video here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW6E_TNgCsY&feature=related

Below is the live version from Taylor Guitars.  Enjoy!

-Darryl

TRANSIT REPORT - ST.LOUIS, 2010

St. Louis is a mid-sized city with a compact, walkable downtown area.  Transit is available to outlying areas.  St. Louis' transit is 100% wheelchair accessible and consists mainly of two types, each listed below:

Metrolink - This is the area's light rail system and it consists of two lines.  The Red Line goes from the Shiloh-Scott station in East St. Louis (Illinois) to the airport.  The Blue Line goes from Fairview Heightss in East St. Louis (Illinois) to Shrewsbury, a southwestern suburb. From Fairview Heights to Forest Park, both lines run parallel, so you could take either line to any station along this mainly downtown stretch.  A good portion of the downtown section is a subway.  Both sports stadiums, Laclede's landing, and downtown are easily accessed by Metrolink.  Ted Drewe's Frozen Custard is a bumpy, 1/2 mile walk from the last station, Shrewsbury, on the Blue Line.  Metrolink System Map

Metrobus - the bus system handles the rest of the area.  Metrobus System Maps

Day passes currently run $8.  Disabled fare for the bus is $1 and a dime more for the Metrolink.

Amtrak has three routes through St. Louis with several trains per day.  The Texas Eagle connects Chicago and San Antonio.  Three times a week, it also goes on from San Antonio to Los Angeles.  Four times a day, the Missouri River Runner goes to and from Kansas City, connecting with cities across the middle of the state.  Their Illinois service connects the city to Chicago, and points between, several times a day.

-Darryl

Travel Tunes - Week 31

This week’s Travel Tune touches on a fantasy for some. We’ve talked about heading out on the open road before, with no plans, just to see what comes along but what about if you just keep going? That’s the theme of this week’s song, someone just getting up, leaving, and never coming back.

This particular song’s story is haunting and maybe…inadvertently to be sure…a little creepy.

Fastball is a band out of Austin, Texas. Bassist Tony Scalzo heard the story of Lela and Raymond Howard, an elderly couple who left for a family reunion one day and never showed up. He imagined that they just kept going, on with a new life, leaving everything and everyone behind…just living on the road. It’s a romantic fantasy, but those kinds of things don’t always turn out the way you want.

The song is The Way and it is ALWAYS on our road trip playlist. A ballad about leaving it all behind, it features a slightly Latin flavored guitar and rhythm, while featuring those haunting lyrics…”they left before the sun came up that day…they drank they wine and they got to talking, They now had more important things to say…where were they going without ever knowing the way?”

Haunting lyrics give way to a chorus reflecting everybody’s fantasy at this point…”anyone can see the road that they walk on is paved in gold, it’s always summer, they’ll never get cold, they’ll never get hungry, they’ll never get old and gray…” Warning: the chorus is a serious brain worm and will stay in your head for weeks.

It’s a fun fantasy to listen to with some great guitar licks and wonderful harmonies. So what’s so creepy? Actually, nothing in the song itself. It turns out that after Scalzo wrote and recorded the song, Lela (who had Alzheimer’s) and Raymond (who had recently had brain surgery) were found dead at the bottom of a canyon near their abandoned car. Fantasy rarely squares with real life.

Anyway, it’s a great song and I think you’ll enjoy it and want to add it to your collection. Here’s Fastball with The Way. Enjoy!

-Darryl

Travel Tunes - Week 30

A tip for those of you from other lands that are visiting the United States.  If you'd really like to see what we're like, and to get to know us, I can think of no better way to do it in a couple of hours than taking in a ball game.  Baseball is very American and you'll get a big dose of us and our ways when you go to a game.

In those couple of hours you'll see us celebrate, argue, be nice and polite, be profane, drink and eat to excess, and at the end of it all (usually), end up friends and looking forward to the next time.

When we're on the road, sometimes we'll find ourselves in a small town with nothing much to do (Columbia, South Carolina...I'm looking at you).  One thing we can always count on if there's a minor league team nearby is to take in a game.  It's a lot of fun, it gets us out of the room, exercises our passions, and it's cheap!

Since we're in the middle of a big baseball themed trip, this week's Travel Tune is explicitly about this, the joys of watching great minor league baseball.  As the lyrics say, "beer as flat as can be, we like our dogs with mustard and relish.  We've got a great pitcher...what's his name?"  (actually, I like some fizz in my beer - Ed) We may be minor league but at least we're AAA.   Enjoy this week's tune, Alabama's ode to the fun of minor league ball with a video set to scenes from some of the best baseball movies ever...there's nothing like a beer in The Cheap Seats.

-Darryl

Travel Tunes - Week 29

The Stig

Photo courtesy Wikimedia

nahtanoj under CC-BY license

Next week we'll be up to 30 (or 31) Travel Tunes here on The World on Wheels, time for y'all to download some of them and make a road playlist or CD (commissions from downloads go into Tim's pocket for a little walking around money, so please download or go to Amazon through that link over to the left should you be so inclined).

This week, we pay homage to one of our favorite TV shows.  This is the best show in Britain, by far, and one of the best shows ever.  We're talking about the Petrolheads of Jeremy Clarkson, James May, Richard Hammond, and...of course...The Stig, in Top Gear. 

Yes, it's a car show but you don't need to be a car nut to enjoy it.  My wife, who is not into cars at all really, loves the show.  It's a highly entertaining mix of frank car reviews (they will trash a half-million car in a minute if they find something they don't like), adventures (there treks to the North
Pole, across Africa...("Oliver!"), and the very scary trip to Bolivia), and stunts.

Try it, you'll like it very much indeed.  It airs on BBC America, and you can also download many clips on Youtube and at Topgear.com.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia

Matt523 under CC-BY license

The theme song for the show is a great driving tune, Jessica, by the Allman Brothers Band.  No lyrics, just smooth, guitar based intrumentals that provide a great background for a road trip.  Enjoy!

-Darryl