Tulsa According to Route 66

One of my top tips for getting to know your town, whether it's Tulsa or Timbuktu, is to swear off highways.

Route 66 is one huge exception to this rule.

Yesterday morning my little family hopped into our little car to run some errands, hopefully to be rewarded with a free trip to Philbrook Museum at the end. After two measly errands, though, our newly minted two-year-old was asleep like the baby he is proud to say he no longer is in the backseat. While we love a visit to Philbrook, it's not on the list of reasons why we'd dare disturb the slumber of our son. Imminent danger, perhaps. Armageddon, maybe. A life-sized statue of Lightning McQueen, should we find one day it exists, yes. But a visit to a quiet museum that's prone to echo? Absolutely freaking not.

So, we hit the road - the Mother Road. While I know Route 66 relatively well when it comes to west Tulsa and Sapulpa, I knew next to nothing about the treasures it holds on the east side of town. Since my husband spent a lot of time in that part of town when he first came to Oklahoma, he was nice enough to show me a thing or two about what I'd been missing.

I like to think I know where to find a bargain, especially here in Tulsa. How is it, then, that I've managed to miss Admiral Flea Market? I mean, I knew it was there. I just had no idea what a hot spot it could be on a Sunday afternoon.

Me thinks I need to follow my own advice a little more often.

Something that's easy to love about Route 66 are the roadside signs. The neon ones get a lot of love, but the other types are fun, too.

The He's Not Here Sports Bar. Imagine: *ring ring* "Hello, it's a wonderful day at Here's Not Here, how can I help you?"

Classic.

I told my husband while we were driving that one could easily start a blog about Route 66 roadside signs. Or Route 66 tattoo/piercing parlors (as many as one per block along certain stretches of the Mother Road).

Or Route 66 hotels and motels.

Then, there's this place.

That's East Central High School, one of the most interesting school buildings in T-Town. Will Rogers High School is great in all of its art deco splendor, but East Central is interesting, too.

Something I wish I had known when I was younger is exactly how much fun it is to cruise Route 66 as it winds and meanders around town. It passes through parts of my old stomping grounds in Sapulpa, which makes me wonder why none of the boys I dated in high school were clever enough to take me out on a Route 66-themed drive. Or a Route 66-themed date, even.

I guess that's why I married the guy with all the good ideas.

And the best back of the neck in the history of mankind. And the best back of other things, too, but this is a family blog I'm trying to run here.

What are your favorite stops along Tulsa's stretch of Route 66?