Advertising - the lifeblood of American economy and a constant companion on Route 66. When I say "looking for", I don't really mean to portray it as a difficult chore to be undertaken only by those with the keenest of eyes. No, Route 66 is crammed full of signage. In fact, it is almost overwhelming at times, especially in the roadside developments that signal one's arrival in each town of any size that actually sits on 66. If the road runs through the town, each side of the road will become cluttered with car dealerships, gas stations, muffler and brake shops, fast food joints and motels. Alongside these will be strip malls and larger malls featuring well-known chains such as Walmart, Target, Walgreens and CVS. If 66 passes close by the town, these strip developments will run the length of the town's limits before fading out and returning the views to lush fields or dusty scrublands. If each sign represents a shout for one's attention, these strips in turn represent advertising as a cacophonous blizzard of sound, colourful trademarks all crammed together, some perched on tall towers in order to escape the crowd and catch the consumers' eye. It is a dizzying array and never ceases to amaze me. However, this is not a new thing: the eye-catching signs may be thicker on thee ground now, the advertising hoardings more high tech and driven by digital displays, but Route 66 has always featured businesses vying for custom from consumers passing by in their cars.
Motel and diner signs are some of my favourites on 66. Many feature neon lighting, something that was widely used in advertising businesses from the 1920s to the 50s - the heyday of Route 66. As such, they look entirely at home alongside the Mother Road: they are both of its time and an integral part of it. Many signs feature arrows that swoop down to point to the establishmeent they want you to be. "This is the motel for you!" they seem to shout, although arrow after arrow all make the same claim. Many of the signs that once looked modern or even futuristic, now look hopelessly dated, albeit in a fitting kind of way since driving Route 66 by trying to stick to its original course is an exercise in living in the past. In this way, the signs are entirely appropriate.
Once out of town, the noise of advertising drops but never to silence. An attraction on or near Route 66 is coming up soon (well, about a hundred miles or so 'soon') and so must be advertised by billboards. Fast food and gas (they belong together!) coming up in 30 miles. And so on...and on. Never mind that palce you just stopped at, the next place is amazing says the advertising all along Route 66. It is a busy commercial enterprise but, you know, I don't mind it. Whereas somewhere like Las Vegas is constucted entirely from neon and lights, it already has your money, guaranteed. If you are in Vegas, you are going to spend and probably spend a fair amount. That city is already rich yet, brazenly, it wants more and more from you. The attractions along the old 66, by contrast, are all fighting to get people passing through to stop: these are businesses that have, literally, been bypassed and now have to work to get their income to survive.
My favourite signs of the trip? The 'Burma-Shave' signs that consist of five small roadside signs, the first four of which each contain the line of a poem related to driving (usually telling you to concentrate on the road, ironically) and the fifth simply stating 'Burma-Shave'. They started in the 30s and have kept going ever since. Again, entirely appropriate for a time-travelling trip down 66. I'm also a sucker for advertising painted on the sides of buildings and there were quite a few good examples along the way. I love how they can vary from those that have been kept pristine by continued repainting over the years to those (my favourites) that have been allowed to fade to near-invisibility, their message like a ghostly echo from Route 66's past.
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