Sometimes, pop culture works to define a town simply by virtue of lyrical whimsy. It’s even better when one of the nation’s finest vintage hotels sits alongside historic Route 66. And in a nod to everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving movie, you can get there from Amarillo by plane, train or automobile.
These ingredients leave only one destination: Winslow, Arizona. Cue the ear worm. You’re welcome.
By car, Winslow is about 550 miles (eight hours) from Amarillo, and a straight shot west on Interstate 40. The town has historic value in that Winslow-Lindbergh Regional Airport played an important role as a key stop for the 1929 Lindbergh Line, which shuttled passengers cross-country on planes by day and trains by night.
Yeah. That Lindbergh. The original Transcontinental Air Transport hangar is still standing, and the airport welcomes private planes.
If trains are your thing, consider driving to either Las Vegas (New Mexico), or Albuquerque, ditching your car, and hopping a westbound Amtrak. The train service has a stop in Winslow at the historic La Posada Hotel, which I highly recommend for your lodging.
La Posada, which translates to “The Resting Place,” is a 1930-railroad depot that was renovated starting in the late-1990s. The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad came to town in 1881; it became known as the Santa Fe in 1897. We know it as the BNSF today.
The Santa Fe made plans to build the luxurious La Posada in the late-1920s. In 1930 it opened for business, leased to the Fred Harvey Company, which had long established itself as a premium hotelier and restaurateur along railroads. Mary Colter was the architect, an early example of a woman breaking gender barriers. Harvey Girls served the food.
The hotel remained operational until 1957. By then, the car had replaced the train as a common means of transport. Besides, I-40 quickly diverted traffic, and all businesses along Route 66 through town—including La Posada—took a direct hit. The railroad used the building as office space and storage for 27 years. Sadly, they recklessly destroyed many of the original flourishes Colter had installed. Eventually, the railroad considered the old depot an albatross, and planned to demolish it to get it off the tax rolls.
In 1997, husband/wife team Allan Affeldt and Tina Mion, along with business partner Daniel Lutzick, bought it and systematically began a years-long restoration. They lived onsite, overseeing every aspect of the work, which included restoring details the railroad had removed. The hotel now offers more than 50 rooms, as well as The Turquoise Room restaurant and its award-winning culinary creations, served by modern Harvey Girls in period dress.
La Posada boasts 12 acres of meticulously kept grounds, growing some of its own food in season. The old depot is now the Affeldt Mion Museum, and the hotel is Mion’s own private gallery, with scores of her awe-inspiring paintings adorning the walls.
One block west of the hotel is Standin’ On the Corner Park, the result of that lyrical whimsy. Jackson Browne had started writing the lyrics in 1971 while broken down in Flagstaff. But writer’s block befell him, and he could not get past the first verse. He handed it off to Glenn Frey after a chance encounter; Frey was a magician, knowing that the song needed a geographical reference, but that Winslow simply rolled off the tongue better.
Go ahead and sing it out loud. You know you want to.
Browne gave the completed song to Frey and the Eagles, who released it in 1972. Their massive first release inspired Winslow to create the little park in 1999. Statues of an unnamed guitarist that uncannily looks like Browne, as well as a more recent one of Frey, stand in front of a wall mural that illustrates the song. A flatbed Ford sits curbside. The result is one of the most popular photo spots along all of Route 66.
While The Turquoise Room could easily meet all of your dining needs, other options are recommended as well: Relic Road Brewing Company, Brown Mug Cafe, and Falcon Restaurant & Lounge all offer tasty local cuisine. The Old Trails Museum provides historical context to satisfy that hunger.
Lastly, if you drive, be sure to visit Petrified Forest National Park, as well as the restored Painted Desert Trading Post, of which I am part of the ownership group. Take Exit 320 (Pinta Road, if it is dry) north one mile from I-40 to the gate. Call or text the number on the sign for the gate code, then drive 2.7 miles west to our open-air museum and homage to mid-century roadside businesses. We re-created 1942.
Along the way you will have gotten your fill of the Mother Road and railroad history, along with gastronomic memories to write home about. Still humming that song? I know I am.
