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Minneapolis, MN
List of contents
Introduction
Northeast
Southeast
Midwest
Southwest
West
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Image Credits
Index
About the author
Eric Dregni is a freelance author and translator, and the author of six previous books, including The Ads That Put America on Wheels, Scooter Mania!, and Let\u2019s Go Bowling! He resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife and two sons.
Summary
Filled with color photography, entertaining site descriptions and histories, and five unique infographic map illustrations, The Impossible Road Trip is your ultimate look back at America’s most famous—and quirkiest—roadside attractions, past and present.
The great American road trip is back. With its advantages for your health, budget, and the environment, now is the time to plan the road trip you have always dreamed of taking.
Following in the great tradition of the mid-century golden age of car travel, join the new wave of road warriors with a targeted itinerary chosen from the 150 roadside attractions explored in this colorful guide. From famous to quirky and covering all 50 states, author Eric Dregni gives you an unprecedented look at the breadth of roadside attractions in the US, illustrated in part by the photography of architectural critic and photographer John Margolies (1940–2016). Specially commissioned infographic map illustrations capture the spirit of mid-century automobile travel.
Each site depicted is accompanied by a lively and insightful history and color imagery. From autumnal New England to the gothic South, from the homey Midwest to the great expanses of the Desert Southwest, the dizzying heights of the Rocky Mountains, and the breathtaking Pacific Coast, The Impossible Road Trip encompasses it all:
- Neon-shrouded motels
- Mimetic architecture
- Tourist traps
- Roadside sculpture
- And much more
You’ll see sites both famous and esoteric, including the
Cardiff Giant in Cooperstown, New York; the
five-story Haines Shoe House in York, Pennsylvania;
Solomon’s Castle in Florida; the
world’s largest fish in Hayward, Wisconsin; one of several
Paul Bunyan statues;
Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank, California; and so many more.
With
The Impossible Road Trip in hand, set out to
discover the nation’s oft-overlooked nooks and crannies.
Additional text
"Reading this book can act like a guide for what to expect to know and understand about each place’s monuments and the significance of why it was discovered, built, and rebuilt in the state it was from.
