American Road--before the Interstate
925046
A book for all western history buffs--the "military road train" wanted to prove that coast to coast travel could be done, of course having repair and recovery vehicles along with them helped a lot.--the Lincoln Hiway (another good look at historic travel in the '20's)--came along and became part of the interstate hiway system
3113143
Good to have when you travel the interstates which we try to avoid. However the RV friendly designations are not always accurate as some are too tight to get in or park at when you are prlling a 5th wheel.
1093961
If you're looking for a tin sign that captures a bit of Americana, this is a wonderful scene. The classic 4-4-0 steam engine pulling three coaches is a look back at an earlier America when railroads and the trains that ran on them were what connected the country. Although the background scenery suggests a western locale, trains like this were used all over the country in the late 1800's.

It's a nice piece of art for a rail fan or someone looking to evoke an earlier age in America in the days of steam.
3410306
I wanted to read about the ultimate American road trip. This is IT. The book runs on three levels - the road trip itself - a penetrating review of key facts onthe history, people and technology involved (  among other things Idid notknow that Studebaker  And John Deere made waggons ) andthird and last worldly wisdom and musingsfrom the author about life ingeneral. A good read
2448009
Ten years ago (before smart phones) my daughter and I took off on a road trip from San Bernardino to Virginia Beach. With only a map and a GPS, we made our way on Highway 40 (Formerly Route 66) all of the way to Oklahoma City where we left it and headed East. It was an awesome time, and after reading through this book, I know we might have taken a few more side trips if we had been aware of them.

HOWEVER, be aware that the information on pricing in this book can be out of date, and will quickly go out of date. I'm not certain when it was written, but the average price of gas (from $4 - $5) is not indicative for our area - where gas is currently $2.35. Listing specific pricing for tourist attractions without a date on the book (eg. Route 66 Road Trips 2015) could be problematic over time.

I like the fact that the map in the back folds out without tearing out, and I enjoy the photos and the writing. I wouldn't use it as my only resource, but it is a great one to have around.
681793
You can't see what freeways are barely any interstate labeling. I just wanted this so i could navigate out of the bay area if/when the big disaster earthquake happens and cell towers, etc are all down/jammed up and it doesn't really work very well for that. :/
2735919
The folks along Rte. 66 told me this was THE map book to have and certainly, it would have been very difficult to follow the road without it.  I didn't realize that there were several 66s as various communities re-routed
their segment of the highway over the years.

There are directions for driving west to east and east to west as well.
4400745
The idea of examining American geology a slice at a time by following I-80 from east to west was brilliant.

In this particular volume, McPhee deals with the Great Basin portion of that travelogue geology. There's a lot more than meets the eye -- especially the untrained eye not native to the Great Basin -- in the mountains and valleys of the Silver State, McFhee shows.
2203080
Ever wonder what it would be like to find and drive all the abandoned rt 66 alignments? These guys did it so you don't have to.
Not always a fun or easy journey.
Not a scholarly tome, but containing enough names,  places, and dates to make for a knowledgeable trip.
Reading this book is the next best thing to making the drive.
2244876
Mr. Lewis' book is an interesting narrative of the building of the  interstate highway system.  His depictions of the stories leading to the  building of the system are interesting and informative, although he spends  quite a bit of time (almost too much) background on some of the early  players.  More examples such as the New Orleans narrative, would have been  interesting, such as an in-depth history of the battle for the DC inner  beltway. Overall, the book is very good, but a bit slow and heavy in person  narratives at times.
1012184
At this point Im still processing all that this book offers. First let me say that if you travel by auto, RV, MC or Truck this book list every exit on the Interstates and parkways thruout the USA. If you are driving down I-95 and need a hotel, gas station, restaurant etc, really anything it listed in this book!! Check it out!!
1333413
I heard Earl Swift interviewed about this book on the radio (I think it was NPR) while making one of my monthly treks somewhere between I-45 and I-44, but didn't order it until a few months later.  I wish I hadn't waited.  It is a fascinating story of the evolution of roads in the U.S. from dirt tracks (and sometimes less) to the network of state highways, federal highways and Interstates that many of us - myself included - take for granted today.  The book is both informative and entertaining.  It covers the people, the organizations, the decision-making, the engineering, even the social movements that affected the design and development.  Mr. Swift effectively paints the big picture while simultaneously including intriguing details, my favorite of the latter dealing with the methods considered in order to excavate the Bristol Mountains in CA for I-40.

Like many other reviewers, my only complaint is that the number of maps is too small.  I think occasional nation-wide maps showing the status of the federal highways and then the Interstates, whether at key points in the evolutionary history or just even time increments, would have been a great complement to the words Mr. Swift already provided.
3003133
Used the map while on the road. There were smaller maps available from the hotel that were better for driving in town.
2826912
- it's not completely what I expected.
- too much talking and too less images of the road
- i wouldn't really reccomend it as a guideline for Route 66
4975699
I love it. I wish it showed some of the smaller roads as I plan on walking across 9 states with this map. We will see how it goes.
4613159
We drove over ten thousand miles in the last two months going acros the country on Route 2 and returning on Route 20 plus many side trips and some time in the Maritime Provicences.  I drove and my wife read about what was coming.  We found it fairly handy.  Many of his resturant suggestions were very good. We found several errors like the address for a resturant listed that turned out to be an old garage on a graveled back street one block long.
1113633
I enjoyed this book much more than the previous reviewer, but he has a point.  FAST FOOD, like the other titles in the "Road and American Culture" series, should not be confused with the typical book on  "roadside Americana":  it's not  a lighthearted, heavily  illustrated volume designed to evoke nostalgic memories.  If that's what  you want, search for titles written by John Margolies or Michael Karl  Witzel, or published by Chronicle Books.
This is a serious examination of  casual dining in America, from the lunch wagons which once served urban  laborers through the chains which now cluster near every exit along the  Interstate.  Taken on its own terms, the book is a success, assembling more  information (well-annotated, with an excellent bibliography) than any  previous title on the topic.  Just be sure you know what you're getting  into!