Six years ago, I dropped Laurie off at her book group on a Sunday evening, drove over to Nob Hill on Central Ave (Old Route 66), parked and walked the mostly abandoned sidewalks the length of Nob Hill photographing the shop windows and neon signs from the Satellite Coffee shop to Girard Blvd. at UNM. Then I walked back to my car, drove to UNM, photographed the Frontier Restaurant and the school of Architecture, and then I drove several blocks down to the 66 Diner, and photographed the last neon clad restaurant before you cross under I-25 and head into Downtown Albuquerque. By the time I finished up at the 66 Diner, I had to pick up Laurie, but over the next few nights I photographed downtown and then out to West Central  and Coors Blvd, eventually putting a small photo book together titled Route 66 Albuquerque’s Central Avenue After Dark that contains 26 photos from Nob Hill to West Central at Coors Blvd.

Teagan Geneviene, who is a faithful follower of this blog, has a current series titled The Guitar Mancer on Teagan's Books. Her story has a lot of references to Route 66, and it reminded me that while I had posted some photos over the years from my original series of photos I selected to go into the picture book, I had never posted the complete series of photos on my blog.  

Today Old Route 66 on a Sunday evening reminds me of Edward Hopper's painting Nighthawks, and the spoof of the painting by Gottfried Hemnwein's titled Boulevard of Broken Dreams. Like Green Day's song of the same title, I walked alone along the lonely street on a Sunday evening. I walked alone along "the boulevard of broken dreams." 

This series of 32 photographs is a snapshot from 2010 starting at the Satellite Coffee Shop on the eastern edge of Nob Hill, running past UNM to the 66 Diner near Central Ave. and I-25. Some of the businesses have closed their doors, the shops have long changed their window displays, yet much of the architecture and neon lights remain the same, unchanged over the years as symbols to the durability of Old Route 66 in a world of uncertainty and constant change.