Archive for January, 2021
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January 24, 2021

Larry King of the Road

The road to find out & Larry King radio; 1991. The author at Santo Domingo Pueblo, N.M.

 

It sounds like a strange thing to bring Larry King into a conversation about the American road.

But I got hooked on Mr. King in the summer of 1991 when I drove Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica, Ca. I was alone and I took my time: Saint James, Mo., Stroud, Ok., Seligman, Az., etc. My soundtrack was country and soul music, regional baseball games, and Mr. King, who had a late-night show on the Mutual Broadcasting System.

Mr. King–who died Saturday at the age of 87–featured guest authors and [...]

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January 21, 2021

Milwaukee’s Flight of Fancy

MILWAUKEE—When you’ve been in lockdown for nearly a year, the only way to go is up.

Last summer I found socially distant minor league baseball in Franklin, Wis., southwest of Milwaukee. I drove along South Howell Avenue near Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. I noticed a few airport-themed restaurants and bars along the gritty ribbon of highway. It reminded me of the 1980s and going to the Baby Doll Polka Club, across the street from Midway Airport in Chicago. I recalled a simpler time when people might stop to watch airplanes take off into places more exotic than the South Side of Chicago or the South Side of Milwaukee.

So, last Friday I drove back to [...]

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