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Not the interstae really very often has they tried to avoid goig thru toans .That is ebcause of hazardous materials ften travel that was alos.But i some cases they went right thru thru polical pulk but now most have Loops that avoid the twons. Still one can atke many of the old state highways thru mnay of the most popualtr regions. That is evry commo here i Texas and you basic go from toen to town travelig thru many towns. It kind of like mnayb atke the old favorite rute 66. here i Teas their are mnay so called trails like the hill coutnry trails mnay travel i spring to se the wild flowrs and historcal sites.That use to be the way americans got into the family summer trpis ;seeig all the sites and entertainment venues along the way. Its i mnay areas has made a come back and some of the attractis of old doig good business.
Are you writing on a smartphone? what's polical pulk? I can guess the rest I'm on a smartphone myself--computer croaked...
Are you writing on a smartphone? what's polical pulk? I can guess the rest I'm on a smartphone myself--computer croaked...
Texdav trade mark is many spelling mistakes, not sure whats the problem,crackers in the keyboard,typing too fast,faulty eyesight., ya get used to it..
As for driving on Interstates, if i'm on em its because i'm in a hurry and not really interested in side trips..
If i have the time its definitly not on the interstates,i usually take the road that was there before they built the interstate, much more interesting than mixing with every one driving like madmen on the interstate and stopping at those gawdy exit towns with all that crappy chainstore food.
Recommended reading for backroad potential is "Blue Highways" by William Least Heat Moon.
If I'm on an interstate to begin with, that means I have time restraints so it's a simple on and off.
Like others if I'm spending the night and I know where I'll be spending the night I will attempt to fine a local restaurant.
For those commenting on the chains that the OP mentioned. If you are on a time limit, it's easier to find a place that you KNOW has food that you like. For me, after 8-9 hours of driving the last thing I want to do is to try to find a local diner. I want to eat something I know I like then crawl into bed. I might ask the desk clerk the next morning but if I'm in a hurry, then the chains will do just fine.
Now....if I don't have time restraints, I wouldn't be on an interstate to begin with so yes I'd be going thru small towns, eating and sleeping with the locals.
I follow the exact opposite practice if I can, as someone who appreciates the differences in regional and cultural geography. To me, the interstates serve as a conduit between regions where everything is the same. As Charles Kuralt once famously said: "Due to the creation of the Interstate Highway System, it is entirely possible to cross the United States without seeing anything at all." And Mr. Kuralt was most certainly right in his assessment, as I see it. Today, if you follow these shielded interstates, you'd come to the conclusion that a lot of Virginia on I-81 looks a lot like I-5 in central Oregon. Or that I-70 in Kansas is the same as I-5 in the central Valley in California. The reality is that if you were to leave this highways, and venture 10 miles or so off of them into rural outposts, you'd begin to appreciate and understand the cultural differences between our regions. I find that fascinating, and I certainly cannot judge an entire state based on a 75 mph jaunt over an interstate highway with the aforementioned franchises to write or speak articulately about the body of geography I've circumnavigated.
Traveling on the interstate and eating in chain restaurants isn't "traveling" at all. It's just moving from place to place.
At least for dinner, We always locate a local place to eat on the internet, or from my scribbled notes from "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives". Have a nice trip.
If you are driving through Knoxville TN at lunch or dinner time I stongly urge you to get off the interstate and visit Market Square for a bite to eat. You are sure to find a restaurant to suit your palate and it is the best people watching around.
Sure this message is motivated by a desire for your tax dollars to help retire our convention center debt, but it is also a sincere PSA that there is a great alternative to the chain fare, just 5 minutes off the interstate. There is ample parking at nearby city garages and at night it is free.
I do indeed take detours off the highway and usually drive into the town or city to find local restaurants. Sometimes its a local country diner that looks cool since i truly love homestyle country cooking. Sometimes I would ask a random local what their favorite local place is. I DO go to chains also if its a chain that does not have locations where I live, for example going to White Castle in Ohio, Jack in the Box in Texas, and Del Taco in Utah and Nevada.
Where I live, a lot of the business is concentrated along the Interstates and other major highways since its easier for business that way. Here in Maryland, north of Baltimore what happens especiallly with I-95 is the highway goes by a few miles out of town, and everything between the town and the Interstate becomes built up including all the shopping centers and housing developments.
Even with the US Highway system, not the Interstates, the Business Route often goes through an abandoned, depopulated town center while the "bypass" is where the main businesses are, though many towns do have wonderful historic districts. In the East and South, the Interstates tend to be boring with mostly endless woods on both sides, even compared to a two-lane highway going through the same forest that has more turns and hills. In the West though, even the Interstates offer great vistas because of the open terrain. Some Interstate routes ARE pretty like I-81 through Virginia and Tennessee, and I-70 the entire way between Kansas City and Utah with the Plains, Rockies, and the deserts. I-15 between Salt Lake City and LA is also very nice.
If I'm on an interstate to begin with, that means I have time restraints so it's a simple on and off.
Like others if I'm spending the night and I know where I'll be spending the night I will attempt to fine a local restaurant.
For those commenting on the chains that the OP mentioned. If you are on a time limit, it's easier to find a place that you KNOW has food that you like. For me, after 8-9 hours of driving the last thing I want to do is to try to find a local diner. I want to eat something I know I like then crawl into bed. I might ask the desk clerk the next morning but if I'm in a hurry, then the chains will do just fine.
Now....if I don't have time restraints, I wouldn't be on an interstate to begin with so yes I'd be going thru small towns, eating and sleeping with the locals.
^This. Like another poster said, I only take exits that have gas and food within 1 mile of the interstate. When I'm on the road I mean bizness
I have taken tons of cross country trips via America's Interstate Highway and rarely do we get more than 2-3 miles off the Interstate unless it is required to get to a specific attraction. How about you?
Think of the typical Interstate off ramp. Just off the highway is everything you need. Cracker Barrel, TGIF, Ruby Tuesday, Denny's, Bob Evans, the list of chain restaurants go on and on. And pretty much every chain of motels too. While the address of these chains may link to a specific town along the road, the actual community itself and it's downtown is maybe a fifteen minute drive and 99% of the places to eat and stay are right on the highway. The few times I attempted to see the actual town I was discouraged because the town itself was run down and ugly.
Can you relate, or do you make an effort to see the actual town in the place you are staying right off the Interstate Highway?
Often I'm in kind of a hurry to get somewhere but this is one reason I prefer camping along the way. Even a KOA campgrounds is just off the interstate but you get a better feel of the outdoors, the night sounds of the locale, but even better is to find a state campground where you can hike or sit and enjoy the scenery.
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what's polical pulk? I can guess the rest 
I'm on a smartphone myself--computer croaked... 
