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For Bobby Troup, an aspiring songwriter from Pennsylvania, the decision to drive west in 1946 set off a chain of events that helped turn the road into a symbol of footloose American freedom.

Once the Penguin Coffee Shop, and now Mel's Drive-In, this Googie gathering place marks the unofficial end of the Mother Road.

And where you still find remains of these events, from the Dust Bowl exodus to Japanese American incarceration.

First erected in the early 1960s as an advertising gimmick, these giants are rising again thanks to preservationists, kitsch aficionados and savvy entrepreneurs.

If you've ever daydreamed about covering some part of the famous roadway, hop on in.

We chat with a retailer in Oklahoma, a treasure-hunt winner in New Mexico, a barber in Arizona and a hoarder of road wisdom on the Santa Monica Pier.

Find two of L.A. Times restaurant critic Bill Addison's favorite restaurants in New Mexico along Route 66 in Albuquerque. Both are quirky, atmospheric and have a sense of place.

The heavy commercial fire in downtown Sunday, which rekindled due to paper products inside the building, left one firefighter injured and resulted in a total roof collapse.

The vision of a Nevada gambling hub south of Las Vegas along the Interstate 15 Freeway was perhaps done it by Southern California tribal casinos offering much shorter drives and similar, if not superior services than Primm.

He wanted me to start spending more time at his place. But I discovered he was texting 13 other women and even told one of them: 'I wish I were with you tonight, but Em is here.'