REMEMBER
Albuquerque (ABQ) boasts the longest single-city urban stretch of Route 66 at 16 miles. Albuquerque is also the only place on the Mother Road where the highway crosses itself. Be sure to stop at the neon Route 66 crossing sign on your group’s historic cruise through town.
ADVENTURE
Old Town is Albuquerque’s original city center and its cultural hub. The Old Town corridor of Route 66 includes ABQ BioPark, featuring a zoo, aquarium, and botanical garden. Museums in this area include the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. But some travel experts say historic Nob Hill best embodies the vintage spirit of Route 66 as the area buzzes with kitschy neon signs, locally owned galleries, and eclectic shops.
SAVOR
The 66 Diner will transport you back to the 1950s with its traditional diner fare, vintage jukebox, soda fountain, and midcentury knickknacks. Lindy’s, across from the KiMo Theatre on Fifth Street and Central Avenue, is the longest continuously operating diner on New Mexico’s Route 66 and serves up diner grub plus New Mexican and Greek food in a time-tested haunt with vibrant walls and retro accents. In north Albuquerque, the El Camino Dining Room, a diner from 1950, dishes up savory New Mexican fare. The sign out front appeared in AMC’s “Better Call Saul,” and the diner’s interior appears in several scenes. Around the corner from the neon adobe arches of the Route 66 Gateway on West Central, Mac’s La Sierra is famous for steak fingers and all-day breakfast. Check out the giant cow, formerly on the roof, now next to the restaurant’s signage.
Main Image: Nob Hill; Credit: Visit Albuquerque/New Mexico Tourism Department
