Route 66 is about to turn 100-but you've never seen it like this

"Route 66. The name alone evokes nostalgia for a simpler, freer time in American history, when roadies stopped for a hot dog with ketchup, then drove into ocher sunsets suspended over the Mojave desert."

""Route 66 is more than just this 1950s sanitized version of American history," he says. "It's diverse, it's evolving, and I like to say that no matter who you are or where you're from, somewhere on Route 66, you'll find your reflection.""

"His team's mission has now culminated in Route 66 Rewind: a browser-based experience that lets users drive across 33 landmarks along the route from their own (virtual) vintage car or motorcycle. You can steer the wheel, pick a radio station, and see how the Midpoint Cafe or the U-Drop Inn looked in previous decades."

Route 66 gained mythical status after its 1926 construction, attracting visitors seeking nostalgic Americana from before the interstate era. Preservation advocates emphasize that the route remains inhabited and active, not frozen in a 1950s image. Rhys Martin, manager of the Preserve Route 66 program at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, frames the corridor as diverse, evolving, and reflective of many people. A collaborative project with Google Arts & Culture produced Route 66 Rewind, a browser-based experience that recreates 33 landmarks using archival photographs turned into videos with Google's Veo, radio music composed by the Lyria model, and interactive vehicle controls.

Read at Fast Company