I sure miss John Hughes, and the great comedies that he created. As an "old fart," I still crave the need to watch an adult comedy that actually makes me laugh. John Hughes was a true expert at creating that type of movie. Unfortunately for me, the public supposedly grew tired of the type of film that Mr. Hughes made, sometime around the late 1990's. The few pictures that he created in the early 2000's were disappointing at the box office. 

John Hughes, and also myself, grew up in the Chicagoland area. In my tiny little mind we had a kindred spirit. I loved everything that he created, and I loved the fact that he desired to showcase the Chicagoland area in his movies. If it is possible to be a patriot of a metropolitan area, then John Hughes was definitely a patriot of Chicagoland area. He was very proud of his roots.

As a tribute to one of his best films, I have tracked down the motel that he used in his film Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and I have posted several photographs for your enjoyment.

The movie used two different motels. The first motel was supposedly in Wichita, Kansas, and was across the street from a pig farm. This was the motel where the two lead characters (John Candy & Steve Martin) were able to get a room, after they became stranded because of a weather detour. In reality, the motel is located in Braidwood, IL. It is on the east side of I-55, and is about 12 miles south of I-80. The address is 140 South Hickory Street, Braidwood, IL.

I have already written a blog post on the second motel that was used in the film, which is located in unincorporated Gurnee, IL. In the movie, the motel was located somewhere between St Louis and Chicago. That was the motel where they backed their rental car into the room, because they were trying to rock it back and forth to get it out of a snow drift. Click on the link to take you to the previous blog post: PLANES TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES


  














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