It was a warm but comfortable summer night when the little lady and I pulled into the town of Williams, Arizona. Williams has always been one of my favorite destinations because it is the home of the Grand Canyon Railway, which is one the best tourist railroads in America. I also have a soft spot for Williams because in the early 90s my car broke down just outside of town and I ended up being marooned there for almost a week. Despite not having any wheels I spent my time walking around the town, eating in every single restaurant, watching the trains depart and arrive every day and basically soak in the atmosphere. Most people would have been very put out by the whole experience, but to tell the truth it ended up being one of the best vacations of my life.
I guess that in some way I feel like I actually lived in Williams, if only for a week.
This time through my wife and I were traveling from North Carolina to our new home in California and I just managed to get us there in enough time to be able to spend the evening taking in some dinner before exploring around.
On this particular summer evening the town of Williams was the place to be. The main drag that was once part of the historic Route 66 was a sea of glowing neon, classic cars, bikers, tourist packed sidewalks, tourist packed bars and restaurants, historical buildings and Alien Jerky. To be honest with you, to this day I have no idea why the town was so overflowing with people and at the time neither one of us cared to ask. We were just having too much fun experiencing it all.
The only downer was the meal we had. Come to find out that the diner at the end of the strip that was the best place in town to eat in the 90s and become the worst place to eat in town in the 2000s.
How bad was it you may ask?
So bad that we wished that we had just rummaged under our car seats for old French fries for dinner. So bad that we barely touched it and so bad that our dog wouldn't go near it. Somehow through the grace of God we dodged food poisoning that night.
I hope this doesn't lead you to believe that the food in Williams is all bad because our breakfast at another restaurant was amazing.
We had so much fun going through every store and historic building on both sides of the street the trauma from our so called meal faded very quickly. Maybe if you fill you guts with beef jerky from another world you can be cured of anything? Maybe Williams is just such an interesting place that it would be almost impossible not to enjoy the experience?
I have often thought that if I could figure out a reason to move to Williams I would settle the family there. For some reason the place just feels like home. Maybe it's the crisp mountain air or maybe it's the trains coming in and out? Maybe it's the history? It certainly isn't the diner down the road. I don't know but I always stop in Williams every time I travel out west.
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