ROUTE TIJERAS TO WEST ALBUQUERQUE • Roughly 30 miles • Nob Hill, Central Avenue, Fourth Street EAT. Housed in a former Phillips service station, the 66 Diner channels the 1950s, with burgers, shakes…
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O NE OF THE LONGEST continuously operating diners on Route 66, Lindy’s Diner began in 1929 as the Coney Island Cafe. Steve Vatoseow’s father, Narke, bought the place in 1960 and renamed it after his…
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WITH MORE THAN A HUNDRED Route 66–era buildings and a necklace of neon bling along the 18-mile Route 66 stretch known as Central Avenue, Albuquerque could easily be considered the Route 66 capital of…
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ROUTE SANTA ROSA TO TIJERAS • Roughly 117 miles • Moriarty, Edgewood, Tijeras STAY. Strike up a conversation with owner Mike Pogue at the Sunset Motel in Moriarty to learn about its history…
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A S OWNERS OF THE SUNSET MOTEL in Moriarty, Mike and Debbie Pogue put their heart and soul into keeping the midcentury property in tip-top shape. Mike helped his dad build the original 18-room hotel…
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THE SMALL TOWNS AND BRIGHT CITIES strung together by historic Route 66 in central New Mexico still harbor gems of yesteryear that flash from the roadside. Some Route 66 enthusiasts argue that one of…
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ROUTE GLENRIO TO SANTA ROSA • Roughly 100 miles • Glenrio, San Jon, Tucumcari, Cuervo, Santa Rosa STAY. A classic motor-court gem built in 1939, Tucumcari’s Blue Swallow Motel features an iconic…
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C HASE WATERS was a teenager when he started working at Del’s Restaurant, which Del Akin opened in 1956. The restaurant still serves its signature chicken-fried steak and other homestyle favorites…
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DRENCHED IN BRIGHT, beautiful neon, Tucumcari dazzles drivers as much today as it did during Route 66’s heyday, when billboards touting “Tucumcari Tonite—2,000 Motel Rooms” tempted travelers to stop…
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Editor's Note: After the publishing of this story, the New Mexico Route 66 Museum in Tucumcari permanently closed in July 2025. THE CANARY-YELLOW 1930 Ford Model A Five-Window Coupe, perched high atop…
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