Route 66 - Central Avenue - What to see on Route 66 in Downtown Albuquerque

Route 66 Memorabilia and a "Pueblo Deco" Theater

Route 66 Beckons

We were headed from the Albuquerque Airport to Santa Fe when we saw the unmistakable brown signs reading “Historic Route 66.” With a fascination for everything Route 66, we had to take a detour off I-25 to I-40 and within minutes we were on historic Route 66 headed down Central Avenue to old downtown Albuquerque.

A Flash From the Past

We parked on the street and decided to walk to see the historic buildings and detail. This part of Central Avenue reminded me of the downtown areas of my youth with family-owned department stores, a dime store, and a few soda fountains where shoppers could have a cherry coke and a turkey sandwich. The area also was one that was ripe for revitalization but wasn’t quite there yet.

Central Avenue's Rich History

Central Avenue, it seems, has had quite a history. Once a major road into early Albuquerque, a dusty trail leading down to the river became more important as Albuquerque grew throughout the 1700s and 1800s. According to an excellent history of the area, by Robert Wood et al. (City of Albuquerque website) “merchants, immigrants, and even armies plodded along some of the same stretches that are often jammed with traffic today”.

Central was originally named Railroad Avenue, as businesses and homes were built around the rail yards. Later, people were drawn to Albuquerque for the health-giving dry air and the Presbyterian Sanitarium was built. As a result of that early sanitarium and others, Railroad Avenue became popularly known as "TB Avenue." In recognition of that street's emerging role as the main street of Albuquerque, it was renamed Central Avenue in 1907.

But it was the era when Route 66 was realigned bringing tourists straight down Central Avenue that we were interested in. In 1937 Route 66 was straightened out and brought tourists through the area, actually saving them 107 miles of travel, which they loved. The now famous Route 66 roadside architecture provided places to stay and to eat.

Walking Route 66 History on Central Avenue

Come walk with us. Most of the links in this article click through to selected photos that we took along Central Avenue and compiled into a photo album of the excursion.

Dine on Historic Route 66

By now it was time to stop for something to eat. On the corner of 4th and Central, a very important Route 66 crossroads, we found out, was Nick’s. Here at 400 Central Ave beside a historic brick building there were outdoor tables. Since it was a sunny day, we were drawn to the restaurant and an outdoor table. We received a warm Greek welcome and found that the menu was a mixture of classic Greek foods and classic Route 66 American dishes. I opted for Greek and my friend went for the American classic breakfast. While we waited for our meals, we enjoyed the historic photos inside Nick’s that depicted the history of the building.

Curio Shops Beckoned Tourists

Well fortified with Nick’s cooking, we decided to walk some more and noticed a large neon sign with a Plains Indian style head beckoning tourists into a curio shop. This was typical Route 66! Pueblo Indians didn’t wear headdresses (War Bonnets, the Route 66 Tourists would probably have called them) like this. But the shop owners knew what would sell. On farther down the street was Lindy’s, also a historic corner restaurant. Lindy’s Coffee Shop was opened in 1929 and was originally known as the Coney Island Café. It was a true Route 66 era restaurant and still advertised “the best chili in town.” We were told it used to be open 24 hours a day for weary travelers.

Continued: More Central Avenue Ambling