Tulsa, OK

Tulsa is the home of Cyrus Avery, the Father of Route 66. The original alignment of Route 66 through Tulsa went from 11th St to Mingo Rd; from Mingo to Admiral Place; to Lewis to 2nd; to Detroit to 7th; to Cheyenne then back to 11th St. Today's current strait shot down 11th St began in 1933. Cyrus Avery once had a service station and restaurant on Mingo Circle.

Eleventh St starts in a rural neighborhood and is lined with many old buildings that obviously housed thriving businesses during the glory years of Route 66. Someone should do one of those "Then and Now" books showing photos of the old businesses and what is in the buildings today.

You will pass by the 1961 Rose Bowl Lanes, now the Rose Bowl Event Center.

As you get closer to Downtown, you will pass many still operating motels, like the Desert Hills Motel, The Brookline Motel, the Berkshire Motel and the American Value Inn with it's "He's Not Here" bar.

The real gem among these hotels is the Campbell. It opened in 1927 as the Casa Loma Hotel inside the Max Campbell Building. In addition to the hotel, the building originally housed a barber shop, a beauty shop, a drug store and a grocery store. Over the years, the building was used as a Safeway grocery store, an automobile garage and for other purposes. The building was abandoned for many years, but now has been restored as a hotel with 26 rooms, each with a separate theme, including a Route 66 Room and a Leon Russell Room. Care has been taken to preserve as much of the original architecture as possible, and the result is terrific. The rooms are nicely appointed, and some have original sky lights. The bar is open every day, and a restaurant is on the way. The space that will be used for the restaurant currently has some well preserved antique cars on display. Secure parking is available in the back.

There are good restaurants like Tally's Cafe', the Corner Cafe' and the El Rancho Grande', all with classic Route 66 neon signs. There are biker bars like the 11th Street Bar, Ed's Hurricane Lounge, the Blues City Bar & Grill, the Grey Snail, the Crow Creek Tavern and McNellie's.

Be on the lookout for an old 1950s Tastee-Freez building that now houses an automotive business.

Also be on the lookout for the Medal Gold Milk Ice Cream sign. It should be viewed at night.

Downtown Tulsa is like being in an Art Deco museum, and there are guided tours available.

The Blue Dome District around 2nd St and Detroit Ave now is a hub of Tulsa night life. The Blue Dome was a 1920s gas station with a distinctive Art Deco blue dome. The area now has a bunch of bars and live music venues. This area hosts the Blue Dome Arts Festival each May.

Cain's ballroom provides great music from a garage built in 1924.

A bit farther afield at the Tulsa Fairgrounds stands the Golden Driller, a 76 foot tall statue of an oil worker built in 1953 by the Mid-Continent Supply Company of Fort Worth for the International Petroleum Exposition. It was moved to Tulsa in 1963. It is the tallest free standing statue in the world and the third largest statue in the United States.

Just across thew river, stop by Route 66 Village, which has the Frisco 4500 Steam Engine and other railroad cars, a big oil derrick and more.