This past week, Q-line asked:
Do you think the Santa Monica Pier should be considered the end of Route 66 or should history prevail? Do you even care?
Here are your responses:
“Trust me, I think this is a stupid detail but what is important is the greed which prompts dishonesty as to where Route 66 really does end.”
“Yes, I sure do care that Santa Monica is once again involved in fraudulent hype, and ever to turn the almighty dollar. Let history and the historians prevail. This city gets more and more sickening by the day. No wonder so many people are moving out every day, except for of course the freeloaders and bums.”
“Our town has long ago been sold out and ruined by rampant commercialism, tourism and over development. This is just another marketing ploy for tourist dollars by the Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights City Council.”
“A song was written reminding folks, among other things, that folks could get their kicks on Route 66. And famous television newsman Ralph Story explained how folks could do so with a televised showing of all the model motels along the way, including a motel designed as teepees for those folks who enjoyed shouting war whoops while getting their kicks. Still all westerly world [ways] have to end at the ocean. Why not Route 66? I personally like to believe that it ended at the pier.”
“To me, once again Santa Monica is a corrupt city just like the Bay Side District, and I’m sure the Bay Side District informed the PRC about this Route 66 thing, so once again my hat’s off to Santa Monica for being the most corrupt city in the country. They’ve been doing a wonderful job, and I look forward to their next bogus baloney story that they’ll try to make some money from.”
“History should prevail in determining anything about Route 66. On the other hand, we live close to Hollywood, and when did that group ever let the truth get into the way of a good story?”
“I believe that the Route 66 alliance last week naming the pier as the official head of Route 66 is an abomination of history. I just don’t think it should matter except it does for financial reasons. That’s the only reason they’ve done it, and I’m just against it.”
“I don’t think that anybody is going to try to make a buck off this as you said in your little column. This is the accepted ending for over 50 years, and by making it official and by having the media attention that we did, we probably will in front of over 50 million people worldwide, and all that is going to do is increase tourism on the road. And yes, without tourists spending money all those nice places that are museums and other places will all go out of business. So yeah, I think it was the right thing to do.”
“Route 66 should not end at the pier, it should end at the end of the pier. Maybe with luck a few of the idiot New Yorkers will keep on driving and we’ll be rid of them.”
“Yes, of course history should prevail and take precedence over someone making a quick buck at the pier. Yes, it should be accurate where it ends. Route 66 should end where it ended, not where the City Council or Chamber of Commerce thinks it ought to end so they can get people to go to the pier. Rewriting history is not a good idea. Just ask the Bush Administration. So let’s be ethical and let Route 66 end where it ends.”
“This tempest in a teapot about the Route 66 new ending at the pier reminds me of the politically correct revisionist history now taught in our schools. Has the pier sunk so low as to further deceive the tourist rouges? What? We’ve run out of people from East L.A. to support a lackluster money spot. What happened to transparency and openness in our society? Things like the end to Route 66 are what they are. Distorting the little things makes me wonder what big things in this town have been distorted.”
“Sure, have the pier be the end of Route 66. Create another fantasy in Santa Monica. That’s what the city’s good at. Examples: The city is sustainable. Why, then, are they killing trees? Why then are they putting in air conditioning on top of City Hall instead of solar panels? They want to make Santa Monica a walking city, but yet their own staff gets extensive paid parking in their buildings Downtown. Have Route 66 end wherever they want. It’s part of the fantasy and the charades that take place in Santa Monica.”
“The glamor, richness and notoriety of historic Route 66 is diminished when the true map and route itself is changed to suit some expedient commercial scheme.”
