Driving from Albuquerque to Los Angeles, Interstate 40 passes just north of Winslow Arizona, which is mentioned in the Eagles song “Take it Easy:”
“Well, I’m a standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona and such a fine sight to see- It’s a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford slowin’ down to take a look at me!”
Based on the lyrics, I felt the need to take a quick tour through town in search of Curbside Classics. Because of the song, there’s a downtown mural that contains both the girl and the flatbed Ford, but it lacks the depth and honesty we treasure here at Curbside Classics.
I think this shot of the Winslow Inn parking lot is more to our liking. While the Mercury appears to have several issues preventing immediate use, the Chrysler in the background had the driver’s window open, ready for cruising. Perhaps we can send the owner out to search for the real Flatbed Ford.
There, fixed it for you
Nice shot, would have been perfect without the Explorer and the bike. Great colors on everything.
I hate the freakin’ Eagles.
Nice cars, though…
I’ve hated them ever since oh…1982 or so. The rock stations here always have cuts from their 70s greatest hits album on heavy rotation. Every day. For 30 years. It’s been trendy to hate them for the past few years and I’ve been accused to being a hipster for that. Nope, I was just way ahead of the curve. Local rock radio is why I always rip out the stock am-fm radio of a new-to-me car and put in something that can play music I program.
Good call on channeling The Dude.
Oh come on! Don’t you want to hear “Hotel California” for the billionth time. It seemed that ever old rock radio station for 20 years had to play that song at least 10 times a day, a song that the first million times I heard it I liked. Repetition is what made top 40 radio station’s work but there is a limit. Also liked “Take it easy” altho I aways pictured the flatbed Ford to be an old rusted out pickup with a homemade bed, Like this:
Reminds me of the episode of Seinfeld where Elaine’s ‘sensitive’ boyfriend always falls into a deep, meditative trance whenever he hears ‘Desperado’. So, Elaine decides she has to have her own, deep, meditative Eagles’ song and settles on ‘Witchy Woman’…
Jerry: Witchy Woman? I’m not sure I remember that one.
Elaine: You know (sings) Oooh, Oooh Witchay Woman
Jerry: Oh, right, Witchay Woman.
They did cover Tom Waits’ ‘Ol’ 55′. Not that he liked their version.
Tom Waits. Isn’t he that guy with the voice that sounds like he eat a whole pickup load of gravel? I like his songs thou.
“Well, I’m Broughamin’ on the corner in Broughamslow Arizona, such a fine Brougham to see. It’s a Brougham, my Lord, on a flatbed Ford, slowin’ down to take a Brougham at me…”
There, I fixed it for you…
Ah, perfect.
“Come on Broughamy, don’t say maybe, I gotta know if your sweet d’Elegance pillowed leather is gonna saaayve me!”
“Welcome to the Hotel Brougham de Villa…”
I love you guys.
I think the hotel is more impressively vintage than the cars. Love the bright yellow doors.
Five minutes earlier, Frank Cannon made sure the bad guy’s Marquis wasn’t going anywhere…
“Fresh air?…When I get through with you, the only fresh air you’re gonna get will be in an exercise yard.”
Perfect!
But, I can’t help but think this is the next scene….
HAHA.
You always know where the bad guys hangout is in an old Quinn Martin show,
LQ Jones and Connie Steven are hiding out in room 102, counting the bank loot…
And then Simon Oakland shows up for his cut…..he’s the explosives expert ya know…..
The only problem is, Herb Edelman as the bank manager, can identify all three of them…
Whoa, this could be a 2 part episode….
They make it to the airport without a hitch, but Karl Malden is hot on their trail…will he make it in time? Tune in next week for Act II!
No worries, Joe Patroni is piloting their flight…
LQ in rapture ’cause now he can finance ‘A Boy and his Dog’.
Judging from layer of dust and the sunbaked appearance of the paint, that Mercury hasn’t moved in quite some time.
Dave, this makes you the second CC’er to make it there: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/curbside-roadtrip-route-66-winslow-arizona-standin-on-that-corner/
Very nice post-
The Roadtrip author (GGH06) had more time to explore the town, and in both cases Winslow delivered a variety of Curbside Classics.
The whole scenery and bright “Technicolor” colors say Blue Velvet or Anton Chigurh.
should have taken the 1 mile detour to see the Wigwam Motel on Hopi across from the Safeway in Holbrook, AZ
wigwam 2
wigwam 3
My wife and I stayed at the Wigwam in the summer of 2008 during a vacation in the Southwest.
If I recall correctly, there is a plaque or sign in Winslow commemorating the Eagle’s song.
I definitely sound like a dick, but I am curious to what has Winslow got to offer for someone to vacation there? Excluding visiting friends and family of course.
It’s close to the petrified forest, the Arizona meteror crater, the Twin Arrows Indian Casino, Flagstaff and Sedona.
Of course, most people simply stay in Flagstaff or Sedona and stop in Winslow if they need gas….
Looking at Google street view, that farther car appears to stay at this hotel.
Wigwam Motel
811 W. Hopi Dr., Holbrook, AZ 86025
I need to find some pictures I took a couple of years ago, lots of ’50s cars outside of the rooms.
Love the attitude that those wheels give to the Chrysler. I am going to go out on a limb and ID that Chrysler as a 77 due to the Russet Sunfire paint color that it appears to be. I still have a Dupli Color can in my basement from my ownership of that New Yorker’s 4 door brother.
Fabulous photography.
Sienna with bone vinyl top I had a 73 Valiant Regal & a 78 Chrysler Centura those colours the colours made it to OZ even if the cars didnt, and my brother drove a Cordoba in those colours down your left coast.
Seriously, if not for the early ’00s Ford Explorer, I would have thought this picture was taken in the 1970s.
Just returned from a road trip to Santa Fe NM from Sedona AZ. After spending hours on I40, I came to realize that I40 in AZ and NM were boring for lack of interesting cars.
I love the rock in front of the passenger front wheel, like that car is going to roll away with the flat tire and the huge heavy ass.
I see a Christmas bow on a door, could these rooms be available on the monthly and yearly plan?
Jeff Bridges says “take it easy” in the movie Starman. Their destination is Winslow.
Coincidence???
Can someone enlighten me as to why people chose to live in Winslow AZ? What’s there? What’s the allure?
It isn’t LA. There’s few people. Some actually like the climate.
Can someone enlighten me as to why people chose to live in Blue Earth, MN? Or Holdridge, NE? Or Mudlick, KY? Sometimes people are born somewhere and never find any reason to leave.
Actually, the locals call Blue Earth, Minnesota “Blurth.”
My folks grew up about 25 miles east of there, and when they give driving directions that include Blue Earth, they have to conciously say “Blue (pause) Earth.” If they don’t, the folks recieving the directions look for “Blurth” on the map.
I’m not sure why you would want to live there, but I’ve seen some spectacular winter sunsets during my visits.
because you don’t have to shovel sunshine, or scrape heat off your windshield in the morning.
According to Winslow’s web site the economy and the population has picked up since the 2000’s because of the song making the town famous. So you see the Eagles and that song being replayed for so many years done some good. Like free nation wide advertising.
Winslow is on old US 66, so it has depended on travelers stopping for gas, food, lodging for decades. Not cut off too far from I-40, as some other towns were.