Exactly Where Does Route 66 Terminate? It's Complicated.

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A 360 degree view of the original Route 66 terminus in Los Angeles

We're in California, L.A. to be exact, standing on the corner of 7th and Broadway.

A small sign up a street lamp post celebrates this spot as the original terminus of Route 66. Back in the day (1926 - 1939) it was, but those were the glitter days when the Jewellery District sparkled and Theatre District was, well, theatrical.

Motorists arrived at the center of it all. Then the route was extended to the Pacific Coast Highway. But it was still a mile from the ocean. So in 2009 it was decided to make the Santa Monica Pier the new official end. Back in downtown L.A. Saturdays can appear quiet at 7th and Broadway, but there are fascinating things to see within a few steps of Ezat Delliani Square.

Leading off a morning street market, you won't find a more quirky place than the 22,000-square-foot 'The Last Bookstore.' It rambles on like an Alice in Wonderland fantasy in a historic former bank building.

Further along the street, crowds were queuing outside The Orpheum Theatre with its classic Beaux-Arts frontage. It was once home to the famous Orpheum vaudeville circuit in the 'Roaring Twenties,' now refurbished for modern events within its elegant French Renaissance interior.

Across the street from the Orpheum we came across a chess match outside a cafe embedded in yet another gorgeous piece of architecture. Another excuse for an extended walkabout?

What's a quick peek at L.A. without a freeway shot?

Photos © Gary Crallé

2026