The Berghoff restaurant, which occupied a section of old Route 66 in Chicago for 107 years, closed earlier this year.

However, the Chicago Tribune reports that the space has reopened as the Berghoff Cafe.

Everything is pretty much the same as it was before in this jammed cafeteria-style eatery in the lower level of the Berghoff complex at 17 W. Adams St. The transformation of the Berghoff will eventually incorporate three distinct entities: this "new" Berghoff Cafe, the Century Room and 17 West.

Lunchers have been packing into the Cafe at an estimated 500 a day, according to restaurant spokesperson Jennifer Connelly. And, indeed, when this reporter arrived at 11:20 a.m. for a light lunch of Wiener schnitzel, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, beet salad, German potato salad, apple strudel and a Berghoff Root Beer (diet, of course), she was already facing a healthy line. But the food was worth the wait.

Although four sandwiches have inched up in price, the rest of the cafe's mostly sandwich, salad, pizza and pasta menu (with two German daily specials) has remained the same. The cost for my hefty Teutonic Berghoff Cafe lunch: $20.12 with tax.

The Chicago Sun-Times report contains this interesting snippet:

Indeed, so little about the new Berghoff Cafe, which opened quietly Tuesday, was different from the old, "It's a mystery to me why they ever closed," said longtime Berghoff customer Arthur Raphael, 66.

The main difference, one not overlooked by customers, seemed to be the absence of the Berghoff's longtime unionized workers.

A busboy who worked in the restaurant for 30 years said he and a few of his fellow staffers applied and were re-hired for the downstairs cafe.

"The prices appear to be the same, but not the employees," said Raphael, an attorney whose office is less than a block away. "It's a shame they're not here."

…

The old Berghoff was one of the few Chicago restaurants to still employ union cooks and servers, leading some observers to wonder whether the closing had more to do with rising employee costs.

"We had to do it the way we did it," Carlyn Berghoff said of the speculation.

Is it rash of me to accuse the Berghoff's owners for briefly closing the restaurant to bust the union? I don't know what other conclusion I would draw.

The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge that connects Madison, Ill., and north St. Louis, Ill., is part of an old alignment of Route 66. It's now used as part of a Trailnet walking and bicycling trail that connects the St. Louis Riverfront Trail and the MCT Confluence Trail.

On Monday, Trailnet will begin fees of $2 for vehicles and $10 for big vehicles that carry 15 passengers or more from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in its parking lot on the west side of the bridge. Walkers and cyclists who enter the bridge from the trails won't be charged.

According to a news release from Trailnet:

"We decided to provide this service to ensure a convenient and comfortable parking experience for those visiting the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge," said Wayne Goode, President of the Trailnet board of directors. "The bridge will continue to be open during regular operating hours, a half hour before sunrise and a half hour after sunset. The lot will be monitored from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., when the parking fee is in effect."

The parking lot had been the site of several car burglaries. So a "monitored" lot for what I consider to be a nominal fee is a good thing. And those who want to avoid the fee can simply schedule their visit to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge around those hours.

(Hat tip to Lynn "Lulu" Bagdon for alerting me to this.)

The Geezer Riders considered their ride to Oatman, Ariz., one of the highlights of their Route 66 trip because of the rugged Black Mountains surrounding it, the semi-wild burros roaming the streets and the quaint businesses. Here's the story on it in the Mainichi Daily News of Japan.

Here is the report about the Geezers' ride through the Mojave Desert, including a stop at the Bagdad Cafe. They noted that road conditions were a bit rough, which were caused last spring by record rains. 

On the final leg of their trip through the Los Angeles metro area, it sounds like the Geezer Riders bypassed the old road and went on the freeways instead. Too bad. They missed a lot of interesting things that way. 

Compugrrrl has posted nice images in recent days on the New Mexico PhotoJournal. On Friday, she posted a photo of a long-shuttered diner in Glenrio (even though it's just within the border of Texas).

She also has images from the Blue Swallow Motel and and the Route 66 monument, both in Tucumcari, neon from the El Don Motel and Monterey Non-Smokers Motel in Albuquerque, and more.

According to film reviewer Brent Simon of Now Playing magazine, the new Robin Williams comedy "R.V." has a brief Mother Road reference:

In the end, too, after the secret of Bob’s meeting comes out, a moralistic ending gives way to a cast karaoke version of “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66,” a la the Farrelly brothers’ effusive end-credit celebrations.

Considering that "R.V." is receiving reviews that range from mediocre to dreadful, this might be one of those movies to rent on the cheap from your local DVD store instead of shelling out $8 for a ticket.