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A trip down Central
Avenue at night is a trip back through time, as you view the numerous neon
lights sparkling along
Route 66.
You can also still see many
Route 66 icons such as the
De Anza Motel, the Royal Motor Inn, the Town
Lodge Motel, and the Aztec Motel, all built in the 1930's. Check out Nob Hill, built in 1936-47, and the Lobo Theater and Lobo Pharmacy &
Bookstore (originally Barber's El Rancho Market), both built in the
1930's.
Downtown, there are
several buildings that were highlights in the 1940s and 50s era, including
the Sunshine Building (built in 1923-24), the First National Bank Building
(1922), the Rosenwald Building (1910), and the
KiMo
Theater (1927). Other sites west of Old Town include Lindy's
Restaurant (1929), Maisel's (circa 1940), and the El Vado Motel (1937).
Continuing your journey, head north on I-25, take the Algodones exit and
return south via NM Highway 313. Original
Route 66 is now Fourth Street, Isleta Boulevard, and
New Mexico Highway 314.
While in
Albuquerque, you must also see
Old Town, a preserved Spanish plaza, take a scenic train ride, and visit
the
New Mexico
Museum of Natural History in
order to get the entire
Albuquerque
experience.
When traveling Route 66 westward from
Albuquerque, there are two
alignments. The pre-1937 alignment is by far the most interesting as
it passes through a number of
ghost towns
with numerous peeks at the long ago past. To drive the older
alignment, you will leave
Albuquerque on NM 314 just after
crossing the Rio Grande River, then turn west on NM6 at
Los Lunas. The post-1937 alignment leaves the city on Central Avenue, crosses the Rio
Grande River and climbs Nine-Mile Hill to join I-40. The two alignments
converge again near the village of Mesita.
©
Kathy Weiser/Legends
of America, updated October, 2010.
Also See:
Haunted Kimo Theatre
La
Llorona in Albuquerque
New
Mexico's Route 66
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