David Malcolm Rose: The Lost Highway
When I started driving around this country in the late sixties the interstate was the exception rather than the rule. Even where the interstate was complete, the interchanges were barren. In order to get gas, food, or lodging, one had to leave the four-lane and drive a mile or so into town. Twenty years brought about a complete reversal in many places. All services became available along the limited access highway while many of the small businesses that once served motorists were abandoned.
One could still get a tank of gas, burgers and fries, and a room for the night at almost every exit, but, in all probability, it would be a Shell Superstop, Burger King, Holiday Inn, or some other chain outlet. The interstate system provided a breeding ground and conduit for the chains that came to dominate almost every aspect of our lives.
The nation rapidly became homogenized. The services were still there, but the independent operator was gone. Gone also, to a great degree, was individual thought, originality, and regional diversity.
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When I started driving around this country in the late sixties the interstate was the exception rather than the rule. Even where the interstate was complete, the interchanges were barren. In order to get gas, food, or lodging, one had to leave the four-lane and drive a mile or so into town. Twenty years brought about a complete reversal in many places. All services became available along the limited access highway while many of the small businesses that once served motorists were abandoned.
One could still get a tank of gas, burgers and fries, and a room for the night at almost every exit, but, in all probability, it would be a Shell Superstop, Burger King, Holiday Inn, or some other chain outlet. The interstate system provided a breeding ground and conduit for the chains that came to dominate almost every aspect of our lives.
The nation rapidly became homogenized. The services were still there, but the independent operator was gone. Gone also, to a great degree, was individual thought, originality, and regional diversity.
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