![\"alte](\"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/alte-tankstelle-an-der-route-66.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"cozy](\"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/cozy-dog-diner-preisliste.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"historic](\"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/historic-route-66-sign.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIllinois: The impressive charme of the Midwest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Starting in Chicago you can follow the Historic Route 66 through the whole state of Illinois and it really feels like time traveling through the America of the past century. Every city along Route 66 in Illinois has its very own charm and its own history in relation to the road which not only crossed almost the whole country but also people’s lives. And it’s been these people who made this trip so special! In Chicago already, I noticed how friendly and polite people were. Living in Berlin, a city known for its rudeness, it almost irritated me how strangers treated me on the streets: People would hold the door or just say a nice word – and I thought how bad things must be back in Berlin if these little things already made such an impression on me.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"maisfeld](\"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/maisfeld-in-illinois-1600x1067.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nIn Chicago, people would just stop by to just say ‘hey, I love your skirt’ or a shoe salesman once gave me a high five, just because he liked my shoes. Unthinkable in Germany. Traveling through Illinois, as we drove out to the vast of the Midwest, it even got more obvious: People are just nice. Friendliness all over!<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"auf](\"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/auf-der-historic-route-66-in-illinois-1600x1067.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nAnd that’s where the positive energy and zest for life of the Midwest really hit me: Not once, not one single time, have I had the feeling of being treated badly or ill-humored. It almost seemed unreal. Everybody was so positive and out-going that it has been contagious. And for the first time, I understood why some people are so fascinating by this country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Route 66 – A road full of American history<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Actually, the Route 66 doesn’t exist anymore officially. Over 4000 kilometres of brick road weren’t comfortable anymore through the years, and with time the road was re-routed a few times, renovated and in the end substituted by different Interstate Highways.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"alte](\"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/alte-motel-schilder-in-illinois-1600x1067.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nInaugurated in 1926 as the only direct connection between the East and the West of the US, the Route 66 was a infrastructural revolution at that time. And now – it’s a road legend, with warm-hearted people, lots of amazing stories and a huge amount of vintage flair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stay tuned for more stories from Route 66<\/strong> and my personal recommendations on what to see in Chicago<\/strong> and Illinois<\/strong> – soon here on the blog!<\/p>\n\n\n\n * Disclaimer: I travelled to Chicago and Illinois on invitation by the <\/i>Illinois Office of Tourism<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Did you know that Route 66 starts right in the heart of Chicago? At The Bean around the corner, so to speak? A few days in Chicago can be perfectly combined with a short trip along Route 66: A real American road trip. Just like in the movie.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11054,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"A road trip from Chicago through the whole of Illinois: Route 66 is one of the most famous roads in the world! What makes this road so special... ","_seopress_robots_index":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2423,488],"tags":[2211,2249],"class_list":["post-11578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-road-trips","category-united-states","tag-illinois-en","tag-route-66-usa"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":2423,"label":"Road Trips"},{"value":488,"label":"USA"}],"post_tag":[{"value":2211,"label":"Illinois"},{"value":2249,"label":"Route 66"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/roadtrip-route-66.jpg",1200,800,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Tatiana","author_link":"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/author\/tatit\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":2423,"name":"Road Trips","slug":"road-trips","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2425,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Road trips are the perfect way to truly get to know a country and its people! Here you'll find inspiration for your next travels and exciting route suggestions. ","parent":2420,"count":11,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":2423,"category_count":11,"category_description":"Road trips are the perfect way to truly get to know a country and its people! Here you'll find inspiration for your next travels and exciting route suggestions. ","cat_name":"Road Trips","category_nicename":"road-trips","category_parent":2420},{"term_id":488,"name":"USA","slug":"united-states","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":490,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Road trips, megacities, or endless expanses: The USA is truly the land of unlimited possibilities. A trip to the USA leaves no one unimpressed! You can get some tips for your vacation here, especially regarding city trips in the USA. New York is one of my favorite cities! \n\nNew York<\/a> | Chicago<\/a> | Miami<\/a> | Boston<\/a> | Route 66<\/a> | Washington DC<\/a>","parent":1144,"count":21,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":488,"category_count":21,"category_description":"Road trips, megacities, or endless expanses: The USA is truly the land of unlimited possibilities. A trip to the USA leaves no one unimpressed! You can get some tips for your vacation here, especially regarding city trips in the USA. New York is one of my favorite cities! \n\nNew York<\/a> | Chicago<\/a> | Miami<\/a> | Boston<\/a> | Route 66<\/a> | Washington DC<\/a>","cat_name":"USA","category_nicename":"united-states","category_parent":1144}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":2211,"name":"Illinois","slug":"illinois-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2213,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"Illinois and its capital Chicago<\/a> are a destination that may not immediately come to everyone's mind when traveling to the USA. Nevertheless, the Windy City and its surroundings are worth the trip! Discover the metropolis of Chicago and then start a road trip along the famous Route 66!","parent":0,"count":11,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":2249,"name":"Route 66","slug":"route-66-usa","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2251,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":8,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11578"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11578\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":184799,"href":"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11578\/revisions\/184799"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"gemini](\"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/gemini-giant-wellington-illinois.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"oldtimer](\"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/oldtimer-an-der-route-66.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n