Going the way of the (football) Cardinals
June 18, 2011 4:56 PM   Subscribe

St. Louis to Phoenix: Road-side diversions, good places to stop for the night, and can't-miss dining experiences?

I'm taking my first long-distance road trip from Chicago to Phoenix during the last week of June. I'll be stopping in St. Louis for a few days to visit my parents, and then heading out to Phoenix. I can take up to four days to make the drive from St. Louis.

Have you made this trip? Do you have advice on the drive, places I should spend a few hours, awesome roadside motels, or amazing local eats? Places that aren't safe for a mid-20s woman traveling alone? Things you wish you hadn't wasted time on?
posted by honeybee413 to Travel & Transportation (10 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Response by poster: Also, here is my route. All of Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico are new states for me, and I've only ever flown to Phoenix, so all of eastern AZ is new to me, too.
posted by honeybee413 at 5:07 PM on June 18, 2011


In (near) St. Louis, the "new" Cyrano's, for a Cleopatra, or a World's Fair Eclair.
posted by paulsc at 5:43 PM on June 18, 2011


Disclaimer: I am a resident of Lawrence, KS. I'd be happy to have you in town for an evening. If you decide to stop in Lawrence, MeFiMail me and we'll figure something out.

I think you should consider taking I-70 and then I-35 through Lawrence, Topeka and Wichita. If you're aggressive enough you should be able to push on to Wichita by the end of your first day. Wichita is seriously underrated as an oasis. It is not known for its middle eastern cuisine, which is why you'll be able to get a seat quickly at the Bella Luna Cafe. Also, if you're in the mood to drink you can scratch that itch at The Anchor. (If you have to have locally brewed beer, visit River City.)

From there you're on your own. Cheers!
posted by cog_nate at 5:46 PM on June 18, 2011


Best answer: Roadside curiosity: Amarillo - Cadillac Henge

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Note that your route passes through Joplin, Missouri.
posted by coffeefilter at 5:53 PM on June 18, 2011


Best answer: From St. Louis, it will take about 8 hours to drive to OKC. I've been there a couple times and found the local residents to be fun & friendly. You can stretch your legs walking around Bricktown, but be sure to pay your respects at the national memorial: it's beautiful at night and I found it to be deeply moving. When you get into New Mexico, it's a short detour from your route to stay in Santa Fe, which I'd recommend over Albuquerque. When you get to Arizona, stop in Holbrook to take in the giant animatronic dinosaur and other roadside attractions recently mentioned on the blue. The route you indicated shows you going SW at Holbrook - that route might get you to the Phoenix area a little quicker (it depends on where in Phoenix you're heading to) but I recommend staying on I-40 all the way to Flagstaff. Flagstaff is a college town with lots of places to eat and stay. In heading south to Phoenix, you can take short detours off I-17 to get to Sedona, Jerome, and Arcosanti - see here and here for more ideas. Brace yourself for the heat - at the end of June, the high in Phoenix typically tops 110.

I wish you much better luck than the Cardinals have had.
posted by kbar1 at 6:06 PM on June 18, 2011


Looks like you'll hit Springfield, MO right around lunchtime. If you're into bbq, try Crosstown Barbeque. Buckingham's is another well-known local chain, but Crosstown wins on flavor and hole-in-the-wall-with really-nice-owners ambiance.

If you want to try a truly unique local dish, search out some cashew chicken (NYT, explains the dish), maybe at Lucy's or Mr. Yen's.

If you just want a decent diner, there's Ziggie's.

As for Joplin, if you can stop long enough to volunteer and help, I bet you'd be welcome, but I hear they're kinda tired of tornado-damage sightseers. A friend from Joplin has set up a Facebook page which is one of the best sources I've seen for day to day info.
posted by underthehat at 6:29 PM on June 18, 2011


For good eats in Arizona I should have mentioned Salsa Brava in Flagstaff and the Haunted Hamburger in Jerome.
posted by kbar1 at 6:39 PM on June 18, 2011


You need to stop and get BBQ at the Elbow Inn in Devil's Elbow, MO.
posted by jeffamaphone at 6:50 PM on June 18, 2011


Best answer: I'll second the Santa Fe recommendation. While there's plenty in Albuquerque and all over the rest of the state to enjoy, when my wife (St John's grad) and myself (lived in ABQ/Los Lunas/Bernalillo for my first 33 years) need a Pulp Fiction-style concentrated New Mexico injection, we go to Santa Fe to get it.

Get off I-40 in Tijeras (the other side of the mountain from Albuquerque) and drive up North 14. Stop off for a green chile cheeseburger at the Mine Shaft Tavern in Madrid. When you get to Santa Fe, kick around the plaza and people-watch for a couple of hours, maybe hit a museum or two. Book an evening outdoor tub (or even stay over) at Ten Thousand Waves if you can. On the way back down towards I-40, get off I-25 around Algodones and take Hwy 313 the rest of the way down through Albuquerque; it turns into Fourth St. south of Sandia Pueblo so Sadie's Concinita is right on the way too.

You're making the classic Route 66 pilgrimage over most of the trip (including a lot of the Santa Fe side trip I describe above, which is the original alignment of the highway) so if you're looking for other ideas those are the sorts of guides I'd look at.

Most of my drives from ABQ to/through Phoenix over the years were overnights so I avoided the mountain route south out of Holbrook and stuck to the interstates. The southern route looks like it could be pretty, though. Someone who knows the area better might have more to say on that. It's also pretty well north of where the fires are right now but anything could happen between now and then so keep an eye on things.

Have fun! It sounds like a great trip!
posted by Lazlo at 11:39 PM on June 18, 2011


Response by poster: Thanks, everybody! Awesome suggestions. I have updated my route to include Santa Fe, and even driving a little farther north to hit the Four Corners monument. Why not have a picture of myself in four states?
posted by honeybee413 at 9:25 PM on June 19, 2011


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