Your Cardinals devotion is in your blood.
## Route 66 at 100 Is a St. Louis Story
Look — I'm gonna be real with you, there are some things you just *know* when you grow up in St. Louis. One of those is how deeply Route 66 runs through the veins of this city. Mike's piece in *The Call* about the Mother Road hitting 100 years? That's not just history; it's our backyard, stretching from the Chain of Rocks Bridge down to the old Coral Court Motel site out past Watson Road. For a lot of folks, that road was their first taste of America, a promise of something more beyond the city limits.
When people ask me where'd you go to high school, and then we get to talking about the city, Route 66 always comes up. It wasn't just a highway; it was the main artery for a whole lot of American dreams, and St. Louis was right in the thick of it. You drive down Watson Road today, or Manchester, and you're still tracing parts of that old path. You see the ghosts of diners and motor courts, the neon signs that used to glow so bright. That sense of history, of being a crossroads for the country? That's the Lou.
### The Mother Road's Local Legacy
* **Gateway to the West:** St. Louis was a crucial stop, the last big city before the long haul west for many. It shaped our service industries, our motels, our restaurants.
* **Iconic Landmarks:** Think about the old Meramec River US 66 Bridge, or the vintage gas stations you can still spot if you know where to look. These aren't just old buildings; they're monuments to a bygone era that still define parts of South County.
* **A Symbol of Journey:** Route 66, even today, represents that spirit of movement, of opportunity, and sometimes, of leaving home for good. It's a reminder of how connected St. Louis has always been to the rest of the country.
That road tells a story, not just about cars and concrete, but about the people who built it, the people who traveled it, and the city it helped define. It's about how we see ourselves, this stubborn, resilient city. That's the Lou — we're still here and we're not leaving.
The crew on *Morning Wire* is probably talking about some wild stuff related to this right now – you should tune in at mornings.live.