Day 8

Day Eight – Tuesday 22^nd April

Williams, AZ

(Williams, Arizona)

If it wasn’t for Williams proximity to the Grand Canyon it’s highly likely once it had been bypassed by I-40 the town would have died like Siegelman and this mural therefore seemed to me to be tinged with sadness. Williams like the rest of Route 66 is longing for the glory days when it was one of the main attractions, not just a conveniently located stop.

            Route 66 is very strong in the identity of Williams, all of the shops sell memorabilia and tourist gifts emblazoned with the Route 66 logo and the town is clearly proud of its history, in particular being the last town bypassed by I-40. Perhaps because that is all that Williams has to offer, it didn’t seem to have any form of industry particularly and survives only because of the tourism in the summer months.

            You can tell that Williams is a town that thrives on industry not just because of the number of motels and tourist trap shops, one particular store lured me in with the promise of the world’s biggest Route 66 sign, but because all the restaurants had gift shops attached to them. In fact the gift shop in Cruiser’s Café was actually bigger than the restaurant itself, or at least it seemed to be. Tourism is this town’s life blood. Even Sultana the town bar sold souvenir baseball caps.