The Corridors: Eastern Route 66 (Chicago/Albuquerque)

Chicago rises along the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, the third-largest city in the United States and the acknowledged birthplace of the modern skyscraper: here, after the Great Fire of 1871, American architecture reinvented itself, giving rise to one of the most famous skylines in the world. Its beating heart is the Loop, the business district encircled by the elevated 'L' train, where masterpieces by Louis Sullivan, Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright stand side by side. A short walk leads to Millennium Park, with the gleaming 'Cloud Gate' sculpture (nicknamed 'The Bean' by locals) and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion designed by Frank Gehry. Nearby, the Art Institute of Chicago, one of America's great museums, guards Impressionist masterpieces and Grant Wood's celebrated 'American Gothic'. Along the water, the Chicago Riverwalk offers another vantage on the city, while the boats of the Architecture River Cruise glide between the façades, recounting a century and a half of building ingenuity. Toward the lake, Navy Pier with its Ferris wheel and the Magnificent Mile, the elegant stretch of Michigan Avenue lined with shops and hotels, set the rhythm of city life. Yet Chicago is also music and flavour: the home of electric blues and jazz resounds in the clubs of the South Side, while its tables serve the hearty deep-dish pizza, Chicago-style hot dogs and the food markets of lively neighbourhoods such as Pilsen and West Loop. Rising to the 412-metre Skydeck of the Willis Tower, the gaze sweeps across the lake and the boundless Illinois plain. A city of lakes and skyscrapers, of jazz and bold architecture, Chicago reveals itself on foot, amid the gusts that earned it the nickname 'Windy City' and the unmistakable energy of the American Midwest.

along Route 66, a stop at Lincoln for a photo of the imposing Railsplitter Covered Wagon. In Springfield, immerse yourself in the life of Abraham Lincoln with recommended visits to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Museum, the Old State Capitol and the Lincoln Home. Springfield, the capital of Illinois in the heart of the Midwest, is inseparably tied to Abraham Lincoln, who lived here and built his career before the presidency. The city guards his legacy at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, the only home the president ever owned, at the Old State Capitol where he delivered famous speeches, and at the solemn Lincoln Tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery. The modern Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum recounts his life through immersive displays. Along Route 66, which runs through town, vintage diners and signs survive, and the local “horseshoe sandwich” tradition offers a taste of Illinois cooking. Springfield reveals itself as a stop rich in American history and authentic Midwestern atmosphere. St. Louis announces itself from afar with the unmistakable silhouette of the Gateway Arch, the 192-metre steel arch celebrating the westward expansion of the United States. Overlooking the banks of the Mississippi, this historic Missouri city blends grand nineteenth-century boulevards, a fervent musical past and a lively dining scene. The Forest Park district, larger than New York's Central Park, is home to museums, the zoo and the Saint Louis Art Museum, all free to enter. A cradle of blues and ragtime, it preserves historic venues where live music has never fallen silent, while the famous Anheuser-Busch brewery recounts the city's beer-making heritage. Don't miss the scenic ride to the top of the arch. St. Louis is where frontier America meets the great river metropolises.

Springfield rises in the heart of the rolling Ozarks region of southwestern Missouri and is known as the "Birthplace of Route 66," the legendary highway that was named here in 1926. This welcoming American city proudly preserves the memory of the "Mother Road," celebrated in museums and nostalgic neon signs. A must-see is the colossal Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium, among the largest aquariums in the country, dedicated to wildlife and natural habitats. The surrounding area opens onto the rural landscapes of the Ozarks, with lakes, caves, and woodland trails ideal for nature lovers. The nearby town of Branson adds entertainment and live shows. Springfield is an authentic stop for those traveling the great road-trip routes of the United States.

Kansas City, in Missouri, spreads at the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas rivers, a city famed for its many fountains, which earned it the nickname 'City of Fountains', second only to Rome. The home of jazz, it preserves in the 18th & Vine district the rich African-American musical heritage and the museum dedicated to baseball's Negro Leagues. Its legendary barbecue cuisine is among the most renowned in the United States. Between art, music, sport and culinary traditions, Kansas City is a vibrant, welcoming metropolis in the heart of America.

Joplin rises in the southwestern corner of Missouri, at the crossroads of four states, in a region of gentle hills once made prosperous by lead and zinc mining. A historic stop on the legendary Route 66, the town preserves the charm of small-town America, with murals, vintage signs and stretches of the Mother Road running through its centre. Among its green spaces, Grand Falls stands out as the largest continuously flowing waterfall in Missouri, while local museums recount the mining past and the legacy of figures such as George Washington Carver, born nearby. A welcoming crossroads between Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Tulsa surprises with its remarkable Art Deco architectural heritage, a legacy of the golden oil age that earned it the nickname “oil capital of the world”. Set on the banks of the Arkansas River in northeastern Oklahoma, the city alternates the geometric façades and 1920s skyscrapers of downtown with a surprisingly rich cultural scene: the Philbrook Museum, housed in a sumptuous Italian-style villa, and the Gilcrease Museum hold art collections of international standing. Tulsa reveals itself in revitalized districts like the Brady Arts District, amid murals, live-music venues and the legacy of jazz and blues. It is also a symbolic stop on the legendary Route 66, preserving neon signs and vintage diners. A mosaic of history, art and American spirit along the Mother Road. Oklahoma City spreads broad and modern across the heart of the Great Plains, capital of a state where cowboy culture meets contemporary urban energy. The revitalised Bricktown district, with its old brick warehouses overlooking a navigable canal, brims with restaurants, bars and galleries. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum tells the saga of the West, while the Oklahoma City National Memorial honours, with quiet intensity, the victims of the 1995 bombing. Those drawn to tradition will find a tribute to the state's native nations at the First Americans Museum. Local cuisine celebrates grilled meats and Southwestern flavours, best enjoyed in classic steakhouses and the still-active stockyards. Oklahoma City is an authentic stop along the routes of Route 66, balancing frontier spirit and renewal.

After leaving Oklahoma City, continue along Route 66 until you reach Hydro, Texas, and visit Lucille's Service Station. Built in 1929, it is one of the few remaining historic service stations on Route 66 in Oklahoma. Continue along Route 66 to the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton. Here you will find memorabilia that tells the story and legends of the most famous highway in the United States. As you cross the state border towards Amarillo, Texas, you will travel through a part of Route 66 rich in vintage icons and references to the Wild West. Long stretches of the old road still remain, in various places with the original pavement. Amarillo rises in the heart of the Texas Panhandle, a land of endless prairies and Route 66 legends. A historic crossroads on the famous "Mother Road", the city preserves the rugged, authentic spirit of the Wild West, with its legendary steakhouses and sprawling ranches. A few kilometres south opens Palo Duro Canyon, the second-largest canyon in the United States, a spectacular red-rock gorge crossed by trails for hiking and horseback riding. Not to be missed is the quirky Cadillac Ranch, an art installation of graffiti-covered cars planted in the ground that has become an icon of road-trip culture. Amarillo is an authentic stop for those crossing the great American plains in search of endless horizons.

Albuquerque stretches along the Rio Grande in New Mexico, where Native, Hispanic and Anglo heritage blend beneath an immense, luminous sky. Its ancient core is Old Town, founded in 1706, with the church of San Felipe de Neri, earth-coloured adobe buildings and pueblo craft shops. High above, the Sandia Peak Tramway — one of the longest aerial tramways in the world — climbs to the crest of the Sandia Mountains for sweeping desert views. The city is famous worldwide for the International Balloon Fiesta, when hundreds of hot-air balloons colour the autumn dawn. New Mexican cuisine carries the aroma of green and red chile, sopaipillas and pueblo dishes. Amid red mesas, art and Native culture, Albuquerque is the gateway to the authentic Southwest.