On the Road
In early April, a friend and I are driving cross-country from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. We’re planning to take the northern route, as I’ve already traveled through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri, but we’re somewhat flexible as to the precise highways we’ll take, and intent on defraying the cost of the trip by reporting some stories along the way (she’ll do radio pieces, I’ll do magazine stuff).
Any suggestions about lesser known cities or towns where we should definitely stop? Or story tips? Or ideas for interesting “death of newspaper” case studies? Restaurant suggestions? Tips on cheap lodging? Interest in meeting up for a drink along the way? Leave a comment or e-mail me at first name dot last name at gmail dot com. I’ll surely post travel dispatches to The American Scene along the way.
Also, I am speaking at AFF panels Wednesday evening in Los Angeles and Thursday in Denver.
I did Indianapolis to LA one summer with my sister. We hit Chicago, and then went up to the 90. We stayed on it most of the way. The Badlands were the highlight of that leg for me, though Devil’s Tower and the Black Hills were nice. We also hit Sioux Falls and Yellowstone (which was disappointing).
After Yellowstone, we cut up to Glacier National park, which was easily the highlight of the trip (an might be my favorite place in America). We drove across some highway in Canada before crossing over into Idaho, where we got back on the 90 towards Seattle.
I believe you’re from California, so you probably know the west coast pretty well. It was a great trip. I much prefer the northern route to the southern and central ones.
— brian · Mar 24, 10:47 PM · #
Death of the newspaper story: Ann Arbor.
— Bill · Mar 24, 11:20 PM · #
My mother and I took a road trip from Indy to LA last summer, driving the northern route thru S. Dakota, Wyoming and Idaho. The Badlands were, indeed, spectacular, but the highlight for us was driving “the back way” to Mt. Rushmore. Iron Mountain Road, built long before there was highway, was blasted into the Black Hills by the crew who carved the monument. It winds over the mountains east of Rushmore, narrowing sometimes to single-lane tunnels thru which you can glimpse the presidents in all their granite glory. Coming down the mountain, there are two of the very few pigtail bridges in America. Harrowing but fantastic!
And, if you were a fan of the HBO show, don’t skip Deadwood. The Deadwood Social Club has terrific rooftop dining and an unmissable buffalo top sirloin.
— Aly Hawkins · Mar 24, 11:28 PM · #
Take pictures of roadside memorials for my emotional federalism project that nobody else cares about. Also take along a map of congressional districts shaded by self-reported happiness and correlate your own impressions to the well-being map and the degree to which the roadside shrines are bureaucratized.
Hey, you asked.
— Matt Frost · Mar 25, 12:44 AM · #
I lived in Columbia MO for a few years, and for lunch or dinner there’s no better bet than the Flat Branch brewpub for incredible, on-premises-brewed ales – try the Green Chile Ale – and great burgers. (They have a burger that they put their homemade spinach-artichoke dip on. Amazing.) As I recall it’s a few blocks from downtown – 9th street, maybe? Ask someone who looks local, they’ll know where it is.
Shakespeare’s Pizza is pretty damn good, too.
— Chet · Mar 25, 12:52 AM · #
I have heard wonderful things about Nebraska. Missed it the couple of times I drove across. Won’t miss it the next time.
US 50 across Nevada is gorgeous.
— Tony Comstock · Mar 25, 01:34 AM · #
If you’re gonna check out that Ann Arbor News story, then you have to travel 15 miles further west on I-94 and stop in at the Jiffy Mix plant and/or the probably fairly quiet Chrysler Proving Grounds in Chelsea, Michigan, where they mayor is my mom. But then, unless you’re going for something like what White Noise’s narrator calls “a classic photography of regret,” you should probably avoid Michigan altogether.
— Matt Feeney · Mar 25, 01:36 AM · #
Kenosha, WI is probably a little out of your way, but this is the most astute and moving analysis of the decline of America’s automotive industry out there, and you should do a follow-up.
— Dara Lind · Mar 25, 02:58 AM · #
Pick up a hobo.
— Freddie · Mar 25, 03:03 AM · #
Speaking of Michigan, the Upper Peninsula is gorgeous. Don’t know if the leaves will be out in April, but the shoreline along the lake is really beautiful and the road runs right along it.
— Tony Comstock · Mar 25, 03:09 AM · #
Lots of towns out that way are still giving free land out to homesteaders (especially in the Dakotas). With the economic trouble it would be interesting to see whether demand has picked up or fallen, what people are doing with their land, etc.
— Max Socol · Mar 25, 03:10 AM · #
I definitely second both Glacier and the Bad Lands, two truly extraordinary places. It’s more than a little out of the way, but I’d also consider renting a kayak and spending a few days in Voyaguers’ National Park in Northern Minnesota, or taking a boat to Isle Royale, where you can enjoy some really rugged country and see wolves and moose. Yellowstone is excellent if you go with the expectation of seeing a geological freak show instead of beauty; for that, drive 50 miles south to the Tetons.
Newspaper-wise you might want to check in with the Duluth News Tribune. They had been independent for decades until they were bought by Knight Ridder in 2006. Lost track of things up there, but might be interesting.
— Tom Meyer · Mar 25, 05:22 AM · #
Pittsburgh! Pittsburgh! Pittsburgh! Pittsburgh!
I guess I can’t plausibly claim that the town fulfills any of your desiderata based on my own knowledge, but if you do visit, I can make some recommendations about where to eat & drink (the Pittsburgh coffee scene is actually quite impressive).
— Justin · Mar 25, 05:45 AM · #
Conor, make sure you hit Missoula. But beware, it’ll infect your brain.
— JA · Mar 25, 01:57 PM · #
I slept behind on the lawn a church in Missoula. About 3 in the morning the sprinklers came on, and a spent the next couple of hours wet and cold, waiting for the sun to come up.
Missoula’s a great town!
— Tony Comstock · Mar 25, 04:41 PM · #
I hope to make it to the Denver panel discussion. Good luck avoiding problems from the forecasted snow! It’s supposed to be our largest snowfall of a very dry year.
— Kevin J Jones · Mar 25, 10:37 PM · #
Carhenge.
— jacobus · Mar 26, 03:47 AM · #
I went to college in Missoula for about 8 years. But if you are taking the northern route i suggest you visit the inuit provence of Nunavut. I think there is some kind of federation, self-governance thing going on up there which might be inspiring to you as a conservative. Maybe you can remake the conservative movment on an Inuit model. And then you could swing over to the Aluetians for some cheap fresh snow crab.
— cw · Mar 26, 12:51 PM · #
I second the recommendation to explore what’s going on with the Ann Arbor News (http://annarborchronicle.com/ is an interesting local counter-point, which was launched prior to the news of the News’s closing.) While in Ann Arbor, eat at Zingerman’s, of course. Also, you should check out what’s going on in Grand Rapids – urban revitalization, a fiercly localist contingent, surprising big (for a city like GR) happenings on the art & music scene, etc. A good place to start for background: g-rad.org.
— jbc · Mar 26, 02:37 PM · #
I know nothing about the Ann Arbor News situation, nor about Michigan generally. In fact, I’m a pretty parochial New Yorker, so not going to be too much use to you in deciding whether Ottumwa or Ogallala would be a better place to be sure to stop on your way.
My suggestions for the trip from Denver to L.A. have nothing to do with what you’re looking for an everything to do with places I thought were beautiful/interesting the last time I was in that vicinity:
- Great Sand Dunes in Colorado – Bryce Canyon in Utah – Red Rocks Canyon in Nevada – Deep Springs College in eastern California (nearest town is Bishop, CA)
And I heartily endorse all the recommendations for places further north: Glacier, Badlands, Grand Teton – all fabulous.
— Noah Millman · Mar 26, 08:31 PM · #
As far as the death of newspapers, you can’t make a trip through Chicago and not see the Tribune. A national brand in bankruptcy seems like it would be something of interest. Plus, since they own the LA Times you could compare the two newsrooms takes on Zell, management, and all the rest.
— Scott · Mar 26, 11:22 PM · #