 By 1929,
Chicago
had become a dangerous place with gang warfare competing for the
lucrative illicit bootleg liquor trade. Reaching its peak on
February 14th, seven members of the George "Bugs" Moran
gang were killed in a North Clark Street garage when rival mobsters
ambushed them. The police suspected that Al Capone and his gang were
responsible for the 8 minute long St. Valentine's Day Massacre, but
could never prove it.
Instead, Capone was
prosecuted for tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in prison on
October 24, 1931. Eight years later on November 16, 1939 he was
released. However, the rest of his life was not to be enjoyed as
he suffered from the after effects of syphilis, becoming mentally
incapable, and died on January 25, 1947.
In the meantime,
hundreds of travelers streamed through
Chicago
on their journey along
Route 66. One such icon that remains today is Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant located
at
565 W
Jackson Boulevard
which has been serving
up coffee and home cookin’ since 1923. Nearby is
Chicago’s
Union Station, once home to one of the many
Harvey
House
Restaurants, has been preserved and still serves Amtrak passengers
today. The designated official beginning of the
Mother Road
begins at Grant Park on Adams Street in front of the Art Institute
where you will find the "Begin
Route 66
Sign."
From here, take Adams
Street west for about 2.5 miles then make a left onto Ogden Avenue
which leads you into an older and seedier part of town. After
you pass through one of
Chicago's
oldest parks, Douglas Park, you will see the Castle Car Wash at 3801 W
Ogden on your left. Long closed the carwash tends to serve now
as more of a parking lot for the fire station across the street.
Entering the suburb of Cicero which was the
one time infamous base of Al Capone's operations, you can see several
Route 66 era buildings including the Cindy Lyn Motel at 5029 W
Ogden and Henry's Drive In just a bit further down.
Route 66 then rambles through the
Chicago suburb of Berwyn
where there is not much to see other than aging strip centers. Not too
long ago, there was a tall piece of artwork called the "Spindle," a forty
foot spike in the air with nine cars skewered on top of it. Unfortunately,
this unique piece of nostalgia was torn down in May, 2008 and not
replaced.
Here, there is also the "Pinto Belt" which
displays the flattened bodies of cars and something called the Bee Tree.
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Route
66 Signs 
