It’s hard to grasp the changes Los Angeles has undergone since 1926, when Route 66 came into existence.
But pockets of the past remain on the Mother Road as motorists head west toward its terminus near the Pacific Ocean.
The Drive: Route 66 changed with the city over the years. Its original, 1926 alignment veered from Colorado Boulevard on the way from our last stop, Pasadena, to Los Angeles. But realignments in the mid-1930s briefly used the landmark Colorado Street Bridge to get from Pasadena to Los Angeles and passed through the Los Angeles neighborhood of Eagle Rock.
Our destinations: Our first stop is the Bucket, 4541 N Eagle Rock Blvd., which was built in 1935.
The Bucket is an example of programmatic architecture, a gimmicky style that thrived in the 20th century and left Southern California with eateries shaped like giant burritos and doughnuts.
The Bucket, is shaped like a lunch bucket, the metal containers people used to carry meals to work. They are now more likely to be called lunch boxes. The roof was intended to suggest a bucket’s rounded lid. It had an ornamental hinge on the side of the building. Social media sources say there was once a handle on the roof, but early photos don’t show it.
Time and remodels have ruined the effect, but the building remains. Painted red, white and black, its front entrance has been replaced by a walk-up window and a covered patio on the side.
Despite ownership changes and a five-year closure, 2013-2018, the Bucket is still serving what it was always known for, burgers. It used to serve a fondly remembered Cardiac Burger – a cheeseburger with something like a pound of ground beef plus bacon, ham, grilled onions and mushrooms – but that item is no longer on the menu. But you can get the Eagle, a bacon cheeseburger with Thousand Island dressing topped with French fries. It goes for $9.10 for a single, $10.25 for a double.
Surrounded by apartments, the Bucket has a small parking lot, but street parking is possible. bucket1935.com
Parking is practically impossible at our next stop, 3524 W Sunset Blvd. in Silver Lake.
That’s where you’ll find a 100-year-old diner called Millie’s Cafe. It was originally a lunch counter with eight or nine stools, according to classified ads in 1920s newspapers. Beyond that, the history is murky. But a former owner, Paul Keevil, said it was once called Devil’s Mess, based on a notepad he found while doing renovations. Newspaper stories have also called it the Nook. Those names didn’t appear in a spot check of old phone books or business directories.
At any rate, it became Millie and Jack’s in the 1960s and has been some form of Millie’s ever since. Nobody seems to know who Millie was.
The lunch counter remains, watched over by an ancient portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt. In its modern form, there’s also a small dining room and sidewalk tables, which most customers seem to prefer. But if you want a real Route 66 experience, you can watch short order cooks fry potatoes up close and personal at the counter.
This is a breakfast spot, and it doesn’t serve hash browns on weekends because they take up too much of the griddle. They’re made to order Monday through Friday.
The Devil’s Mess is a signature scrambled egg dish, made with Cajun-style turkey sausage and white cheddar cheese. The menu also includes several egg bennies and omelets, as well as pancakes, French toast and waffles. Meals start around $20.
To find nearby parking, unless you’re lucky, you’re looking at circling the building for a long time. Be aware that residential streets are hilly, winding and sometimes very narrow. I settled for street parking nearly three-quarters of a mile away. The walk took me by a Hollywood landmark, the site where the Laurel and Hardy classic “The Music Box” was filmed in 1932. In the short, the comedy duo struggles to get a piano up a steep flight of steps.
Our next stop: In two weeks, we’ll follow Route 66 into West Hollywood, where we’ll find more movie and dining history.