From NYC to Dallas by way of Indy

Ok, this is pressing the limits of DayTripr, but that's half the fun, right? RoadTripr? So it's a multi-day driving trip where we stay at whatever busines traveller hotel we can find (so no hotel reservations) and we're driving (so no airline worries). The only set part of the itinerary is a day in Indianapolis to visit a friend.

Anybody got suggestions for stuff to do along the way? Roadside diners and regional speciality restaurants are definitely on the list, as well as cheesy tourist attractions. And everything has to be suitable for kids. Leave a comment, and if it looks good, I'll put it on the planning page. (Right now you have to be logged in to leave a comment, but that will be fixed soon...)

Update for 12/16: We've reached Pittsburgh (well, Washington, PA) after leaving close to six hours late. Don't ask. East on 70 to Indy, hopefully stopping at the Air Force Museum along the way. Better got motoring...

And now it's 12/18, how did that happen? Got in later than we anticipated last night, and it being Sunday and all, everything was closed. This morning, looking at Cozy Dog followed by Mel-O Cream (by way of the Dana-Thomas house) and a trip down Route 66 to St. Louis before an Interstate push on to Springfield, MO or thereabouts. It turns out Route 66 is a massively ramified idea more than it is an actual route. For as long as it existed highway engineers were re-routing and improving, so it currently exists as sort of a fuzzy probabalistic cloud around a generally Chicago-to-LA trending line on the map. Suggestion for the day: to fake your way as a Route 66 expert, use the word "alignment" in blog postings.

12/19 last day on the road and what I thought was 350 miles is really 450 miles. Darn. So no Route 66 for the day, which is probably just as well, you need a good guidebook and a wide-awake navigator to make any sort of time at all along the historical route. Even with a map and some help, I ended up getting off-track twice yesterday. ("Uhhh, I haven't seen a sign in a while, are we still on course? And, uhh, this looks like a dead end...") And... we're in Dallas. It's been a whirlwind few days, and I'll be updating entries over the next few days. I'll be making some changes to DayTripr based on the experience with this trip, thanks again everybody!

1. » Sign In and Add a Comment!
   by cks on 06 Jun 2007 at 12:00 AM
   Sadly, you have to be logged in to add comments. That's kind of silly, and it will change soon, but for now, the comment submit form will remain resolutely invisible to anonymous users.
2. » Geekita Rocks Monsterously
   by cks on 06 Jun 2007 at 12:00 AM
   Wow, Mel-O Cream is going to keep us salivating for the next several days. Mel-O Cream, it just sounds smooth and tasty. Mel-O cream.
3. » Mel-O Cream
   by cks on 06 Jun 2007 at 12:00 AM
   We ended up going to the one on Monroe Street (it was a good excuse to drive by the FLW house) and I agree, I like the cakey texture, but it was not met with universal acclaim. Thanks again for all the suggestions!
4. » Trip Back to Dallas
   by Joe on 06 Jun 2007 at 12:00 AM
   I can only think of the Air Museum in Dayton at this time. I was singularly focused in all my trips to Ohio!
5. » Indy
   by tjsnell on 06 Jun 2007 at 12:00 AM
   Air museum is supposed to be decent. I'm in Montana this week and get back Sat night so timing is going to be interesting.
6. » Pittsburgh
   by geekita on 06 Jun 2007 at 12:00 AM
   If you pass through Pittsburgh, have a hot dog and fries at "The O," a.k.a., the Original Hot Dog Shop (3901 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213; 412.621.7388)! During my grad school days, a small order of fries would yield an entire meal or two. The O's site seems to be down, so here's a link from HollyEats: http://www.hollyeats.com/OriginalHotDog.htm
7. » Springfield, IL
   by geekita on 06 Jun 2007 at 12:00 AM
   The Cozy Dog, for their corn dogs and fries, and Route 66 nostalgia (http://www.cozydogdrivein.com/). Mel-O Cream Donuts (http://www.mel-o-cream.com/). Maldaner's (http://www.maldaners.com/) near the Old State Capitol, for old boy ambience, Beef Wellington, and martinis (mmm, the Black Opal). We didn't get the chance to go, but the Museum of Funeral Customs (http://www.funeralmuseum.org/) is in Springfield. There is also Frank Lloyd Wright's Dana-Thomas House (http://www.dana-thomas.org/), although the tour is not really toddlerable. The signature dish of Springfield is the Horseshoe, a open-faced, layered sandwich: toast, hamburger patty, fries, all topped with a special cheese sauce (a.k.a., Welsh rabbit). We ate at Norb Andy's Tabarin (also near the Capitol), where I had a smaller version called a Pony Shoe. Darcy's Pint seems to be the local favorite, though. And, of course, all things Abe Lincoln!
8. » D'arcy's Pint
   by geekita on 06 Jun 2007 at 12:00 AM
   According to roadfood.com, it's a "family-friendly Irish themed bar/restaurant." We'd love a report, if you partake of the horseshoe there! http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=4175&RefID=4233 And the official site: http://www.darcyspintonline.com/ BTW, it looks like they've relocated to: 661 W. Stanford Ave; Springfield, IL 62703 (217-492-8800). If you run across a Steak 'n Shake, consider stopping for their "Steakburgers," skinny fries, and milkshakes (http://www.steaknshake.com/). And belated bon voyage! The spawn has had an upset tummy since we returned from the heartland, so I didn't get the chance to wish you well before your departure. (Viva PediaLyte!)
9. » mel-o-cream
   by dre on 06 Jun 2007 at 12:00 AM
   Oh, how I miss the Mel-O! I used to frequent a couple of them. One of them was a bit googie-fabulous, but that was almost 25 years ago. It's still open...hopefully they never remodeled! 1953 W. Monroe St. is the location. I'm looking for any locations near Cozy Dog, but I don't remember any Mel-O-Creams next to Cozy. By the way, Cozy is not in it's original location. It moved just a couple of blocks north some time ago. I liked the original location better (it had years of grime that you just can't duplicate) but the dogs taste just the same. andre
10. » oops
    by dre on 06 Jun 2007 at 12:00 AM
    There's a Mel-O-Cream ONE BLOCK from the Cozy Dog! 3010 S 6th St By the way, Mel-O-Cream donuts are pretty heavy...nothing like Krispy Kreme! I always liked the cake donuts the best, and those are probably the heaviest of the lot.