Stoud, OK part 2

In case you lie awake at night wondering what Stroud, OK looks like, here are a couple photos I took on the way to the Chinese restaurant (one of the few viable dining options).

Stroud, OK

In case you didn't know, a room at the Hampton Inn in Stroud, OK costs $89 ($101.01 with taxes). And in case you were wondering what the view was like, I've included a couple photos of that as well.

other side of the Archway

An expanse of asphalt baking in the hot August sun.

inside the Archway, part 2

inside the Archway

There is still a McDonald's, but now it shares the space with a Subway. Mediating between the two is Will Rogers himself. Compared to my memory of the old one, the new space is cleaner, brighter and overall healthier - physically and spiritually.

Will Rogers Archway

This is possibly my favorite building in Oklahoma. It hovers over the Interstate and sort of welcomes travelers to the southwestern U.S. For a long time it was the largest McDonald's in the world, which is what it was on my first visit back in the 1980s. Then in 2014 it was renovated and renamed "Will Rogers Archway". This current version of the building is slightly more tasteful and has more architectural gravitas. But don't get too excited; it's still part of a near treeless expanse of concrete baking in the hot sun.

welcome to Oklahoma

After driving through hilly and rainy Missouri, flat and sunny Oklahoma was a welcome change. At least from the point of view of driving the Interstate, I preferred it. I also had a fond memory of the famous "Glass House", now known as the "Will Rogers Archway". This is located in the northeast corner of the state, where I-44 dips down at an angle to merge with I-40 in Oklahoma City. Of course, all of these roads trace old Route 66 which ran from Chicago to Los Angeles back in the day.

La Quinta of Terre Haute, IN

Very adequate and inexpensive.

Mellon Square Coffee

Mellon Square Coffee is located right inside the Omni William Penn Hotel. I grabbed a cappuccino right after checking out. It wasn't until I was well on the road that I realized this was no ordinary cappuccino. It seemed to be seasoned with something that gave it exceptional flavor. This one one of my two most notable cappuccinos of 2024. The other occurred a month later (and will be blogged about later).

 

The Terrace Room

The Terrace Room is the Omni William Penn's elegant dining room and restaurant. One wall features the mural "The taking of Fort Pitt" (above) depicting George Washington's siege of abandoned Fort Duquesne (the foundation of Pittsburgh) in 1763. The mural was painted by Hungarian artists Andrew Karoly and Louis Szanto around 1950. Breakfast was served in this stately room, but dinner surprisingly was served just outside of it (bottom photo).

William Penn Hotel, part 2

The elegant interior of Pittsburgh's Omni William Penn Hotel. Opened in 1916, this place was the brainchild of steel tycoon Henry Clay Frick.

Omni William Penn Hotel

The red brick exterior of this very historic hotel on Mellon Square in downtown Pittsburgh.

downtown Pittsburgh

The scenery in and around Mellon Square in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

driving through PA

 

NJ countryside

A nice slice of New Jersey countryside in the pouring rain.

good barnage

Thanks to my cousin for showing me some good barnage in rural New Jersey!