Route 66: The Mother Road
Ian Bowen, 66-to-Cali manager and historian, talks about the history of the Mother Road at the Santa Monica Pier on Wednesday, January 5, 2022. Before opening 66-to-Cali on Santa Monica Pier, owner Dan Rice traveled Route 66 over 25 times. The journey along the road was the destination, but every time he returned home to Los Angeles the ending was always a letdown. How could there be nothing to mark the end of the most famous road in the world? That changed in July 2009 when he opened his original store. Local officials hadn't realized the road still existed, so the first shop dedicated to the road at its traditional ending was a 6x3 foot vendor cart with a "Historic Route End" sign on either side. Back then, he only had enough room for a few products, but the signs and the original End of the Trail™ tees proved so popular that he was given the opportunity to turn his logo into a permanent sign on the pier. That sign, posted on the 83rd anniversary of Route 66 in 2009, has become a sensation. It is the most popular photo spot in Santa Monica and has inspired thousands of visitors to the pier to travel 66 and see a world that many had forgotten still exists. 66-to-Cali specializes in local and American-made products that are treasured reminders of the original road trip and they are a source of information and inspiration to help visitors understand and enjoy Route 66 today. https://www.66tocali.com/
Fabian Lewkowicz
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