Ohio

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

O.R.C. Ann. 2019§§2950.01 through 2950.99.  AWA Compliant

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

3 days for initial reg. of residence or “temporary domicile” if in state for more than 3 days. §2950.04.  Those employed for more than 3 days or more than 14 aggregate days in a calendar year shall register w/in 3 days.Ohio SOR interprets “day” as beginning when you spend a night.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction: 1,000 ft. from school, preschool, or child day-care premises.  §2950.034. Per Ohio SOR office, applies only to certain types of resident registrants. Does not apply to visitors not yet required to register. Procedure available for removal from registry after departure.

Duration & updates:

10 years to life. Updates:T1 – annual, T2 – 6 mo.T3 – 3 mo.§2950.15.

Most recent visit: Cleveland - June 2025

Ohio’s rules for visiting registrants are a mixed bag.  The bad news is that you only get three consecutive days in-state before you will be required to register.  However, according to the state SOR office they interpret “day” as beginning when you spend a night (so the first partial day when you enter doesn’t count), and supposedly it’s the fourth day that trigger’s registration.  Still, it’s a pretty short period of time.

After that the news gets better.  There appears to be no limit on return visits per month or year, so technically you could leave Ohio for a day or two, return and start the clock all over again.  Also, although certain types of resident registrants face a 1,000 ft. residence restriction from schools, preschools, or child day-care premises (§2950.034), according to the SOR office this does not apply to visitors not yet required to register.  Lastly, if you do end up on Ohio’s registry there is a procedure available for removal after departure.

In early June 2025 I was, as usual for Ohio, in no danger of testing any of these rules.  I was on the return leg of a tour of the Northeast, entering the state from Pennsylvania on I-80 early on a Tuesday morning on my way to spend an afternoon and evening in Cleveland.  But because Ohio interprets “day” as beginning when you spend a night, this day and my entire Cleveland adventure would be “off the books” as far as the state SOR office was concerned.  Only when I awoke the next morning at the most disgusting Motel 6 I’ve ever stayed at that Ohio Registry Day 1 would begin – and I’d be out of state by that afternoon.

Century Village, Burton, OH

But my first stop was Century Village in the town of Burton, about 20 miles east of Cleveland.  This is one of those small town parks where they bring together authentic old buildings from the region and make it look like a village – and this is a particularly nice and large one.

Next stop Holden Arboretum which is also on the east side of town.  They have a trolley type ride you can take through the gardens, and adventure woods and a loop hiking trail to see the nearby canyon.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Once in downtown Cleveland my first stop was of course the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  It is Cleveland’s must see attraction and it lives up to expectations, but one thing I discovered while trying to find someplace to park is that instead of creating waterfront open spaces, Cleveland has used that prime real estate for attractions like the Hall of Fame, FirstEnergy Stadium and the Great Lakes Science Center.  The Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Art aren’t downtown, they are a few miles east, and they are of course great museums. 

Cleveland Museum of Fine Art

I’m sure the Hall of Fame and the Stadium are exciting places most evenings, but outside of its attractions Cleveland has, I would say, successfully avoided a decaying retail district by not trying to have one in the first place.  Instead it’s a successful mix of government buildings and corporate headquarters.  It was tough to find a place to eat! 

On my way westbound out of state I made one last stop at the ironically-named (for us PFR’s) Lake Erie port town of Sandusky.  I was there to inquire about a ferry to Pelee Island, which is in Ontario.  My question was, do you have to go through customs before getting on the ferry in Sandusky, or do they do that on Pelee Island (so technically you could go there and get sent back)?  Answer: Sandusky, so NO Zee, you can’t flirt with Ontario here.

However … there are a few other islands out there in Lake Erie (Kelley’s Island and the Bass Islands) that are in Ohio and look like a fun day day trip.  I took the brochures and said to myself, maybe next time.

Previous visit: May 2023

Thomas Edison's birthplace in Milan, Ohio

When I passed through Ohio in May 2023 my first priority was to find a campsite, which I did at Findley State Park.  It was a Friday night and therefore a little on the crowded side but I easily found an available site.  Also, nice bath houses with acceptable showers.  

As I noted above, this partial day would not count toward my stay in Ohio.  And since my plan was to be on my way to Indiana by the end of the next day I’d be in no danger of breaching the three day limit.  

One thing about me is I am an early riser, whether travelling or at home.  As a consequence I am liable to show up someplace before it opens for the day.  However, I decided that wasn’t a big deal for my first stop of that day, Thomas Edison’s birthplace in Milan, OH.  

Being from New Jersey, I learned growing up that Edison did all of his important work in MY state.  Therefore what additional light could be shed on him, I reasoned, by visiting a place where he did none of his work at all?  I was satisfied to take a picture of his parents’ house and the statue of him holding a light bulb and a record player in front of Milan’s city hall and move on.

My next intended stop was Seneca Caverns but here too I arrived over an hour before it was to open for the day.  I decided to keep going and substitute Indian Trail Caverns – only to discover that it was permanently closed and converted to a bat preservation reserve.  Well that’s great for the bats but a disappointment for me!  

National Museum of the Great Lakes, view from the bridge of the cargo ship, 

with downtown Toledo in the background

However, my next stop turned out the other way around.  I wasn’t expecting much from the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, but it turned out to be one of the high points of my entire trip.  Not only is it a great museum, they also have an entire cargo ship tied up to the dock next door that you are invited to tour all of (for a small additional fee) including the cargo holds!  Also a tugboat!  

In addition, this museum is but Phase 1 of a gigantic riverfront “Glass City Metropark” currently under development.  Phase 2 which includes an ice skating pond, kayak rentals, Market Hall and campground (note for future reference) was scheduled to open Memorial Day weekend not long after my visit.  By the time you’re reading this it’s all open for business!

My last Ohio stop of the afternoon was another disappointment.  Sauder Village is a completely fake German Village that charges $25 admission just so you can go spend even more money on trinkets and imitation German food.  No thanks!  I skipped it and moved on to Indiana.

 Flirting With Ontario

Including Akwesasne Nation, St. Lawrence Seaway, Niagara Falls

From the 50 State Visitor Guide : New York

N.Y. C.L.S. 2019 Corrections §§168

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

10 calendar days for initial reg., after “establishing residency” (not defined), and for updates. §§168-f, 168-k.  In-state workers required to register if present for more than 14 consecutive days or an aggregate period exceeding 30 days in a calendar year. §168-a.

Visitors: Per NY SOR office, 10 consecutive days or 14 per month. NOTE: Partial days count (except just passing through).  Procedure available for removal from registry after departure.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Certain laws may impose a 1,000 ft. residency restriction from schools and child care facilities for registrants on parole or probation.   

Duration & updates:

20 years to life.  Updates: L3 & “sexual predators” 90 days; all others annually.  §168-h.

Flirting With Ontario

A couple of years ago I visited the International Peace Garden, which is open to Americans but part of it is in Manitoba.  I blogged about that.  Since then I’ve kept wondering, are there other places along the US-Canada border where Americans are permitted inside a hermetically sealed little chunk of Canada? 

If you know of any, please let me know.  Meanwhile I have now made it a game to noodle along the Canadian border for other special places like that – beginning with Ontario.  As I flirt with Ontario I’ll report what I find here.

One thing I want to make clear is that this is just a game.  Nobody is trying to sneak across the border.  I don’t even want to do that and it would violate the rules of the game – which are that it has to be a bona fide place where any American is allowed to be without a passport.  So let’s play the game:

Akwesasne Nation (St. Regis Mohawk Nation), St. Lawrence Seaway – Most recent visit: May 2025

The weather totally sucked the whole time I was in the Akwesasne Nation. Their territory lies on both sides of the St. Lawrence Seaway and of the US – Canadian border.  In the US it’s called the St. Regis Mohawk Nation.  So in that way you can kinda pretend you’re in a separate nation when you enter the reservation, and that separate nation includes lands on the other side of the border and …

Map of the Akwesasne Nation (grey) and Robert Moses State Park (Barnhart Island)

The Akwesasne Nation’s chief sources of prosperity are: (a) it sits right at the main St. Lawrence River / US border crossing for the entire region, and (b) the St. Lawrence – FDR Hydroelectric Power Dams are right there too.  If they didn’t get a cut of that action they got totally jipped!

But for the same reasons, on any road trip through this region you’d better get used to seeing a lot of dark colored SUV’s – both Akwesasne Nation and US.  I don’t think it’s because the Akwesasne people have a special fondness for them either.  I stopped near the bridge / border crossing just to have a look and the place was crawling with them. 

Yup that's Canada all right! As seen from Robert Moses State Park.  I got closer to the water's edge than this but thought better of the idea of "suspiciously taking a photo" from the riverbank.

I also visited Robert Moses State Park which includes the dams which you can see from a distance and the canal locks which you can go to.  It’s at the Visitors Center.  Yes I saw dark colored SUV’s there too but no so many.  The park is on an island in the St. Lawrence River, the island itself is on the Canadian side of the shipping channel, so here again you can kinda pretend …

Ship coming through the lock - cool!

One thing nobody seemed to mind me doing was driving all over the park including right up to the riverbank where Canada was just a few feet away.  This park at the north tip of New York also offers camping and cabins!  When I got to the Visitor’s Center there was a cargo boat going through the locks and I got to see that.  All in all and pleasant place to pretend you’re in Canada.

Convenience store chain store you should be forewarned about:

Stewarts Shops – What began out as a little chain of ice cream shops is now this region’s main convenience store chain that happens to include an ice cream bar.  What they don’t have is a soda fountain.  Why don’t the people of New England and Upstate New York like fountain sodas?

Niagara Falls and Gorge – Most recent visit: May 2025

On my most recent visit the weather continued to totally suck the whole time I was in the Niagara region.  I bypassed Niagara Falls itself because I had been to the falls before.  I believe it was on a trip I took in the year between when I was arrested and when I was sentenced.  I planned on a few hours but couldn’t do everything in that time.  I did go on the Maid of the Mist boat ride which visits Horseshoe Falls which is the Canadian Falls and I don’t think they’re enforcing the border that much out in the middle of the river, so there’s that.

I also did Cave of the Winds and a couple of other things but I don’t remember going to Three Sisters Islands which probably get you as close to the border as you can get on land.

Niagara Gorge and the Whirlpool as seen from the American side

In early June 2025 I decided to go to Whirlpool State Park this time instead.  The bad news is that to get there you have to drive on the most inappropriately named road ever constructed – Niagara Scenic Parkway.  Wow is it ever in bad shape!  The good news is the Whirlpool and the gorge are pretty amazing. 

Whirlpool State Park

The park overlooks the Niagara Gorge at a sharp bend where the whirlpool is.  This is without a doubt the best view of The Whirlpool (except for the cable car on the Canadian side) and that view is from the US but the thing you’re there to look at is in Canada.  Oh well …

 New York

Including Adirondack Park, Buffalo – Niagara Falls

Erie Canal

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

N.Y. C.L.S. 2019 Corrections §§168

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

10 calendar days for initial reg., after “establishing residency” (not defined), and for updates. §§168-f, 168-k.  In-state workers required to register if present for more than 14 consecutive days or an aggregate period exceeding 30 days in a calendar year. §168-a.

Visitors: Per NY SOR office, 10 consecutive days or 14 per month. NOTE: Partial days count (except just passing through).  Procedure available for removal from registry after departure.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Certain laws may impose a 1,000 ft. residency restriction from schools and child care facilities for registrants on parole or probation.   

Duration & updates:

20 years to life.  Updates: L3 & “sexual predators” 90 days; all others annually.  §168-h.

Most recent visits: Adirondack Park - May 2025

I called the New York State SOR office in June 2020 (updated in August 2023) and here’s what they told me: visitors get 10 consecutive days or 14 per month before being required to register. Translation: like many other states, New York’s SOR office is simply applying their requirements for new residents and in-state workers to visitors too.  It also follows that if, like hundreds of thousands of others, you’re a New Jersey or Connecticut resident commuting daily to your job in New York, you’ll also have to register in New York.

The nice lady at the SOR office also said that partial days do count (except “just passing through”); e.g. if you’re staying in NJ or CT and making daily trips into NYC to see the sights or to work, each one of those trips will count toward your allowable total.

Care for a little bike-railing?

In late May 2025 I entered New York State from Massachusetts for a five day tour (including partial days), the main destinations of which were Adirondack Park and the Buffalo – Niagara Falls region.  On this trip the only clock that mattered was the 10 consecutive day clock, and even on this ambitious trip I would be spending only half the allowable time in New York.

On Day 1 I just found a hotel to stay at but that was a destination so it counted.  Day 2 I took a leisurely trip north through the east half of the park.  Instead f having park attractions, most are privately operated.  Examples:  Revolution Rail, where you can spend a few hours rail-biking (!); Natural Bridge and Caves Park (very nice); US Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid.  High Falls Gorge is part of the park.  That night I camped at Coles Creek State Park along the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Natural Bridge & Caves Park

Day 3 I cruised through the west half of Adirondack Park, south on Routes 56 & 30 and west on Route 28.  I had visited the Wild Center and Adirondack Experience Museum on a long ago previous visit so I just made note of them this time.  This region has many lakes and rivers with water sports and campgrounds.  I needed to get closer to the NY Thruway so I’d be closer to my next destination of Buffalo – Niagara Falls.

By the way: The weather totally sucked the whole time I was there.  Late May is too early to visit this part of the country!

Small Town Notes:

Gloversville – The infrastructure built to support the previous mining and logging economy is more than the current tourist and recreation economy can sustain.

Malone – Okay

Fort Covington – Wow, and not in a good way.  And does there have to be a pot shop on every corner?

Potsdam – Looking good, but not because of tourism.  It’s a college town.

Most recent visit: Buffalo – Niagara Falls, June 2024

Day 4:  The weather continued to totally suck the whole time I was in Buffalo – Niagara Falls.  Temperatures were in the 40’s and overcast and it was also Sunday, so as you can imagine the place was mostly a ghost town.  I admit that didn’t allow Buffalo to shine its best light – I can only tell you what I saw.

Niagara River Gorge

I decided to go to Niagara Falls first.  But because I’d already been there a few years ago I decided to go to Whirlpool State Park this time instead.  The bad news is that to get there you have to drive on the most inappropriately named road ever constructed – Niagara Scenic Parkway.  Wow is it ever in bad shape!  The good news is the Whirlpool and the gorge are pretty amazing.

My second stop was Martin House, Buffalo’s Frank Lloyd Wright designed building (you see them throughout the Midwest).  Because it was Sunday the last tour had been at 2:30 pm but the Barton House was open.  Unfortunately no indoor photography! 

Martin House

Next stop – Erie Canal Discovery Center, disappointing because the exhibit is small and the canal lock next door is still undergoing renovation which looks like it’s gonna take a while.  However on weekdays there are canal cruises, walking tours and nature trails.

As is my custom my final stop of the afternoon was Downtown Buffalo which like I said was a real ghost town.  Although, that made it easier for me to walk into the Anchor Bar without a reservation to have my required dinner of Buffalo Wings.  I rode Buffalo’s above & below ground subway and found it to be clean and had more people riding than I would have expected at that hour.  As I looked out the window at Buffalo’s main streets it seemed clean and well kept, but most of the storefronts were obviously empty.

Wings at the Anchor Bar

My last stop of the evening was Canalside, Buffalo’s attempt at a trendy waterfront district.  There is a Naval & Military Park next door.  The problem is twofold:  Despite the City’s best efforts it’s disconnected from downtown so it can’t help revitalize anything, and like so many American cities Buffalo’s interstate highway system barricades the city from its riverfront.

As I admit, I didn’t see Buffalo at its best.  The morning of Day 5 I was on my way to Pennsylvania.

Small Town Notes:

Ellicottville – A successful ski town.

Salamanca – Doing okay.  Seneca Nation headquarters.

Previous visits: Dec. 2023 & Apr. 2024

In May and December 2023 I made trips to the Northeast that illustrates how these counting rules work.  In December I traveled from Florida with my now ex-wife but still Best Friend Forever to visit relatives and participate in a Wreaths Across America event on Long Island.  We first stopped in New Jersey to visit with my sister-in-law, but she lives so close to the New York state line that when we took her out for lunch the restaurant was in New York State. 

Arriving at Orient Point from CT on the Long Island Ferry

That was a destination, right? – so that lunch trip counted toward my allowable 14 days per month.  That may seem like an idiotic way to apply their registry rules, but it’s not my job here to defend any state’s rules.  Instead my job is to explain how I navigated those idiotic rules while in New York so you can do so too.  Still, that was just one day, so it didn’t make a big difference toward my 14 day total.  By the end of the day we were on our way to our reserved hotel room in Connecticut.

Two days later we returned to New York State, this time on the Long Island Ferry from Connecticut.  We spent the entire day visiting my BFF’s relatives, so that was a destination and that made this Day 2 of my allowable 14 days. 

I want to interject here that unlike many of my BFF’s friends and relatives, who hate me to the point where they aren’t even allowed to know we spend any time together, this particular group has a family member who has now served 10 years of a life sentence for what as you can imagine must be a very serious crime.  Although there are many differences between his offense and mine, including the fact that they all believe he’s innocent, an I’m not, still they now have a life experience that makes them more understanding of my situation and I was welcome in their home.

Also, news flash – between 12/23 and our most recent visit in 4/24 the police have arrested a second person in the same decade old crime spree that led to this family member’s arrest.  That second person has now pointed investigators at the same third person as the “real perpetrator,” giving new hope to my BFF’s relatives.

After our day-long visit my ex and I retired to our reserved hotel room.  Our intention was to participate in a Wreaths Across America event the next day at Long Island Cemetery where her father is buried. 

Frank & Sons - Everybody's favorite bakery in Mastic, LI

However, overnight my BFF became very seriously ill.  I had become similarly ill two days earlier – at the restaurant where we took my sister-in-law to lunch.  At the time I wondered if it was food poisoning, but now that my ex was also ill it was obviously some kind of 24 hour bug.  The bad news was that due to a pre-existing medical condition she became much more seriously ill than I had.  We were unable to attend the Wreaths Across America event which had been the primary purpose of our trip!  Instead she spent the entire day either in bed or running back and forth to the bathroom, and I spent my Day 3 of my allowable 14 days in New York caring for my best friend.

Here I would like to use this story of an unexpected major change to our travel plan to illustrate how such a change could affect you as a registered traveler.  The silver lining to our experience was that her illness happened on a day we were already intending to spend in New York State, at a hotel where we already had the next night reserved.  Although it took my ex several days to fully recover, she was feeling well enough to travel as planned by the following day.

Suppose that hadn’t been the case?  Suppose I had ended up having to take my BFF to a hospital for several days – as has happened in the past.  Not only would that have been super expensive, it would have extended our stay in New York State by several days AND extended my travel for several days beyond what I had reported in Florida. 

Suppose also that instead of New York we had been in a state with super-short grace periods for visiting registrants, where I had only hours to leave before an obligation to register would take affect?  Tennessee (48 hours), Wyoming, Nebraska and Kansas (all 3 business days), Illinois and Florida (3 days aggregate per calendar year) come to mind.  My registry status could have been called into question just when my ex-wife needed me most.  This is why you must be very careful about the rules of your destination state while traveling.

Nevertheless, on the morning of Day 4 of my allowable 14 days in New York my BFF and I set off early – we had to be home in Tallahassee by the end of the next day because each one of us had family obligations starting the day after that.  And we made it! *Whew!* 

 Previous visit: May 2023

Fort William Henry near Lake Champlain

In May 2023 I was staying at my brother’s house in New Jersey for four consecutive days to attend his interment and celebration of life.  His house is so close to the New York state line that the closest town is in New York.  I was helping my sister-in-law out with the preparations and clean-up and that took me on daily trips into New York State, each with a destination e.g. the Shop Rite supermarket. 

Presumably every time I went with her to town to pick up food or gasoline that was a “partial day” trip that counted toward my allotted 10 consecutive days or 14 per month, because technically I wasn’t “just passing through.”  I had a specific destination in New York State.

On the fourth day it was time to say goodbye to my sister-in-law and travel north up the New York Thruway on my way to Vermont and Maine.  If I had done no sight-seeing in New York State that day it would have been considered “just passing through” and according to the SOR office would not have counted toward my total. But instead I stopped to see Fort William Henry, a French & Indian War site, and that meant I had a “destination” in New York State.

Not to worry – that’s a total of four consecutive partial days, well below my allowable total of ten consecutive days.  Fine.

 The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY

Then I returned to New York two days later to continue my journey.  Because I had spent one full day and two nights outside New York, that meant I was able to re-start the ten consecutive day clock.  The 14 day aggregate days per month clock, however, continued at Day 5.  Confused yet?

On this pass through New York I entered from Massachusetts, spent two leisurely days traveling across Upstate New York before exiting on I-90 into PA and Ohio.  That’s two days on the consecutive day clock and two additional days on the aggregate day clock for a total of six days.  Again, not to worry – it’s still well below the 14 aggregate days you and I are allowed to be in New York without triggering an obligation to register.

Among the stops I made on this second pass through New York State were: Erie Canal; Cherry Valley Museum, which wasn’t scheduled to open until Memorial Day but there were people getting the place ready who invited me in for a tour; Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame; Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark, and if you don’t know who Gerrit Smith was you should look him up; Seneca Nations Onohsagweide Cultural Center; and two privately operated rock outcroppings – one called Rock City Park and the other called Panama Rocks.  Both really impressive.

Is this a dinosaur at the Museum of Natural History?

No! It's The Oculus across the street from Ground Zero!

On another previous trip to my brother’s house in New Jersey I wanted to spend a day visiting a few sights in Manhattan.  It had been years, meaning since before I got arrested and went to prison.  I commuted to Hoboken on one of New Jersey’s many rail lines and took a PATH train to Lower Manhattan.  After disembarking at the World Trade Center I visited Ground Zero.  Then took a subway uptown to Times Square, which I took in while having a chili dog and a pretzel for lunch.  Hey, what else would you have in New York, right? 

I spent most of that afternoon at the Museum of Natural History, but also had time to walk the length of Manhattan’s Hi Line linear park.  Then it was back to Hoboken, where I ate dinner at a Cuban restaurant (again, what else, right?).  Then boarded my commuter train back to my brother’s house.

All together a great day in New York City and only used up one partial day with destinations.

 Connecticut

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

Conn. Gen. Stat. 2019 §§54-250 through 54-261

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

Registration for all is required “without undue delay,” but probably 3 days. 

Visitors who “travel in this state on a recurring basis for less than five days” shall “notify” law enforcement of “temporary residence.” §54-253(d). 

Per Conn. SOR Unit, FAX to “SOR” – 860-685-8349 – name, DOB, conviction info, state, cell #, dates in state, location of stay in Connecticut. Some municipalities in CT have presence restrictions for schools, public parks, libraries and even town halls(!). Several of these ordinances have been challenged and withdrawn. More challenges are underway. Updated Aug. 2024

Connecticut’s “travel in this state on a recurring basis” language is unique. CT SOR Unit says it means visitors staying less than 5 days should “notify” but need not register, even if such short term “traveling” occurs multiple occasions per month or year.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

No state restrictions but watch out for local regulations.

Duration & updates:

10 years - life. §§54-251, 54-252. Confirm address quarterly by return of mailing from state. §54-257.

Most recent visit: May 2025

Connecticut’s SOR law states that visitors who “travel in this state on a recurring basis for less than five days” shall “notify” law enforcement of “temporary residence.” §54-253(d).  This statutory language is unique among the 50 states. Connecticut’s SOR Unit staff says it means visitors staying less than 5 days “should notify” but need not register, even if such short term “traveling” occurs on multiple occasions per month or year.

Mystic Harbor

In May 2025 I was coming and going from my visit with my brother and sister-in-law in Rhode Island.  Coming from New Jersey it was “just passing through” with no destinations and I don’t think even Connecticut cares about that.  Going from Rhode Island I wanted to stop for lunch with my able travel blog assistant Brian who lives in CT before heading for the Adirondacks.  So that’s a destination, right?  But it can’t possibly be “travel[ing] in this state on a recurring basis for less than five days” because, well, there’s no recurrence.

Mystic Seaport

I had all morning coming from Rhode Island and anyway my gps said the fastest route took me down I-95 all the way past New London before heading north to my lunch date, so I stopped to see Mystic. 

Connecticut law has no residency, presence or loitering restrictions for registrants, so I was able to go wherever I wanted with the only restriction being time.  The harbor and downtown are very quaint.  Yes there is a place called Mystic Pizza – at least now there is.  Mystic Seaport is a historic village with costumed staff.  There’s an aquarium but I didn’t have time to go there.  Non-pizza food is also plentiful but I couldn’t indulge because I had to head off for my lunch date.

Previous visit: December 2023

In December 2023 I traveled from Florida with my now ex-wife but still Best Friend Forever to visit relatives and participate in a Wreaths Across America event on Long Island.  Because my siblings live in New Jersey and Rhode Island, while her cousins live on Long Island, we decided to visit my siblings first, then take an early morning Long Island Ferry from New London, CT. 

Leaving New London on the Long Island Ferry

This meant we’d be “travel[ing] in this state on a recurring basis for less than five days” (three partial days) but in my estimation never established a “temporary residence” (an undefined term in CT statutes) because we stayed at two different hotels in two different parts of the state (Hartford and New London) and spent most of Partial Day 2 in Rhode Island with my brother.  Therefore I decided no notification was necessary on this trip.  

Connecticut law has no residency, presence or loitering restrictions for registrants, so we could have visited any of its cities, historic sites or attractions.  Maybe we will on our next visit.  First thing in the morning of Day 3 my BFF and I boarded the Long Island Ferry and were off to Long Island.

 Massachusetts / Boston

Benjamin Franklin

From the 50 State Visitor Guide:

A.L.M. G.L. 2019 Part I, Title II, Ch. 6, §§178C thru 178Q

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

2 days for initial registration by mail if moving to the state; 10 days for change of residence or employment address within the state. Those residing elsewhere but employed in the state must register w/in 2 days by mail. Those planning to work or attends college in the state must register 10 days before commencement by mail.

Visitors: Law requires registration of “secondary addresses,” defined as place of residence for 14 or more aggregate days in a calendar year, or a place routinely resided in for 4 or more consecutive or non-consecutive days per month. §178C.

Confirmed by Mass. SOR response letter (2020).

Per the MA SOR office this means you’re welcome to come for your vacation(s) of up to 14 days aggregate per year, but if you’re coming and going “routinely” then the 4 day per month rule applies.

Per Rolfe Survey, visiting registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED.  However, Tier 1 registrants are not placed on the public website. §178D(e).

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

None. 

Duration & updates:

20 years to life.  §178G. Annual updates: Unclassified & Tier 1 – mail;

Tiers 2 & 3 – in person. Homeless & shelters – every 30 days. §178E;§178F1/2

Most recent visit: May 2025

There is, as they sometimes say, good and bad news about Massachusetts.  Let’s do the bad news first, because for a visitor at least it’s not all that bad.

If you must be in Massachusetts on a recurring basis, e.g. for business or to care for an aging relative, you can only visit for up to four consecutive or non-consecutive days per month.  More than that and you’ll have to register.  On the other hand, if you are coming to Massachusetts for our annual ski trip to the Berkshires you get up to 14 days for that.

Note that in both cases these numbers of days are per the MA SOR office.  The state law actually reads, “4 or more” days and “14 or more aggregate days” which implies that you should subtract one day to avoid a registry trigger.  Just something to keep in mind.

Furthermore, as noted above, if you do wind up on Massachusetts’ registry they won’t take you off when you leave the state and it’s 20 years to life.

So be mindful of your time in Massachusetts, and document your whereabouts to be able to prove you haven’t overstayed your welcome.

The good news is that at least at the state level there are no residency or presence restrictions to be concerned about (although I do not know about local restrictions). So presumably when you visit Boston as I did with my brother in late May 2025 you don’t constantly have to be looking over your shoulder to make sure you haven’t accidently walked into a park or library.

Two Pauls. One is Revered.

Here’s the problem with visiting Boston:  Your family is always going to want to walk the Freedom Trail.  Don’t get me wrong – it’s a great thing and everyone should do it, but whether your family tries it on their own or goes with a tour or on-off trolley it takes all day so you won’t see anything else.  In fact I have done this twice with my family and never gotten any further than the Old North Church. 

If you want to see any more of Boston than that it’ll take at least two days, probably three.  Now you need to ask yourself, am I staying this long as part of a one time vacation or as part of an on-going business or family commitment?  The answer to that question tells you which rule to follow.

USS Constitution

In May 2025 I invited my brother on a trip to Boston while my car was getting repaired in Rhode Island – “Just two old geezers, no wives or grandchildren, we don’t have to make anybody happy.”  Because he had accompanied my family on our previous Freedom Trail walk, I said, “And let’s skip that part of the Freedom Trail and see something else.”

We arrived in Boston by train and relied on transit while there.  Our first stop was the USS Constitution, which is on the part of the Freedom Trail you can never get to on the first day.  I’d never been there before and yes it’s great.  Then, however, I decided to walk to the Bunker Hill Monument and managed to go off-course by a few blocks.  It’s a monument, right? You’d think it would be easier to find but instead we wandered through Charlestown which I wanted to do anyway (maybe not my brother …).

Van Gogh self-portrait at the Museum of Fine Arts

Next stop Museum of Science.  It’s a must see museum but as with all science museums there a lot of school groups around and many of the exhibits are aimed at educating kids.  It’s a little too family friendly for me.  Then we took the subway to the Museum of Fine Arts which was having a Van Gogh exhibit.  By the end of that it was 5:00 and we two old geezers were beat.  We ate at the closest pizza joint and started our transit and train ride back to Rhode Island.

Which just goes to show – if the Freedom Trail is Day 1 and what we did was Day 2, there’s still a lot to see in Boston.  The harbor boat tour itself will take most of a day.  So plan your Boston vacation accordingly.

Previous visit: July 2022

I visited Boston with my family in July 2022.  On that morning my brother, whom I had stayed with overnight in Rhode Island, accompanied me to Boston, where we met up with the rest of my family and spent the day being tourists.  Boston is a great place to do that.

There is a parking garage underneath Boston Commons.  It’s expensive, true, but really convenient.  Instead of taking one of those expensive (up to $100 per person!) on-off tour trolleys I convinced my family to walk (most of) the Liberty Trail, which begins at the Boston Commons Visitor Center where we picked up a Liberty Trail guidebook.  Now we could just follow the red line and see every attraction any Boston tourist is supposed to see.

Italian pastry shop in Boston's North End

Quincy Market.  Faneuil Hall.  The Old North Church.  We ate lunch at an Italian restaurant in the North End as every tourist is supposed to, and bought cookies at an Italian pastry shop.  After lunch we all got on the Boston Subway at nearby Haymarket Station and went to see Harvard. 

My teenage granddaughters were especially excited to go see America’s oldest and most famous university.  It is a place with which, believe it or not, I am familiar, so I served as tour guide as we explored Harvard Yard and some of the educational buildings that surround it.  Then it was on to the Harvard Coop, which grandma had been talking up for days in advance.  She spent a fortune there on trinkets, T-shirts etc., and you will be as pleased as I was to know that the teens found books – yes books! – to suit their thirsty young minds.

Then it was back on the subway to return to Boston commons and our cars.  My brother continued on the subway to South Station where he got on a train to go back home to Rhode Island while the rest of us continued on to New Hampshire (my second time there, see my NH blog post).

 Rhode Island

From the 50 State Visitor Guide:

R.I. Gen. Laws 2019  §§11-37.1-1 through 11-37.1-20

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

24 hours for initial reg. and updates for all registrants who are moving to state, working in state, or are students.  §11-37.1-4. 

Statutes make no specific provision for visitors.  However, RI SOR office states thatvisitors in state for not more that 10 bus. days or two weeks (whichever comes first) must “check in” at local police department within 24 hours for “temporary registration” which does not go on the registry. Return to “check out” when departing the state.Also, there appears to be no limit on number of repeat visits per year.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Level 3 offenders barred from schools and parks. Level 3 also can’t reside within 1000 feet of a K-12 school. Note: this restriction was enjoined in 2015 pending a trial on the merits. Lawsuit still pending in 2020 & injunction still in place.

Other registrants including visitors – can’t reside within 300 feet of K-12 school.

Only Level 2&3 offenders are placed on the public website. §11-37.1-12.

Duration & updates:

10 years to life.  Updates: SVPs – quarterly.  All others – quarterly for first 2 years, then annual. §11-37.1-4.

Rhode Island - small but mighty cool to visit

Most recent visit: May 2025

Rhode Island has one of the shortest visitors grace periods of any state – just 24 hours!  However, when I conducted my first research for this travel blog in the summer of 2020 I called as many state SOR offices as would answer the phone to clarify what their policies actually were, and I found that Rhode Island is one of a handful of states that, by policy, claimed to treat a statutory very short visitor registration requirement as a “duty to check in” but holds registrant visitor information pending a commitment to depart within a specified time.

The friendly RI SOR office lady said 10 business days or two weeks, whichever comes first.  At departure she claimed it is discarded or filed without ever going on the registry.

The other states that have this type of “visitors’ registry” are Alaska, Nevada and South Dakota.  Aside from having a very short grace period these states also share another thing – their state laws compel the SOR office to remove people from their registries when they leave the state.  So the motivation for this visitors’ registry is work avoidance.  Why would the SOR bureaucrats want to go through the work of adding people to their registry, only to have to remove them a week later?

Dear friends: I agree with everyone who keeps cautioning me that you can’t take at face value anything that some random SOR office lady tells you on the phone.  I’m just reporting the news here.  And I can also tell you that when I called the RI SOR office back in the Spring of 2021 they gave me the same answer.

I can also now report that just a few days ago (in 2025) I spoke to a person who traveled to Rhode Island for about a week, went to the local sheriff’s department to register unaware of any visitors’ registry, but the sheriff’s department placed him on it anyway and told him, “No, you’re not going on our permanent registry.”  So folks, this must be a thing.

Although Rhode Island is a tiny state, the question of what their registration policy is concerns me more than it might the average registrant because I have a brother and sister-in-law living there.  I visit them once or twice per year but so far have kept my visits to less than 24 hours and never tested the visitors’ registry.

In May 2025 I was traveling in the Northeast and visited my brother and sister-in-law, crossing the Rhode Island state line from Connecticut at about 1:00 pm, visiting and staying the night.  Beforehand I had told my brother, “Hey, tell ya what.  Let’s you and me go to Boston the next day – just two old geezers, no wives or grandchildren, we don’t have to make anybody happy.” 

But you see, that meant we’d be leaving RI by mid-morning, thus stopping the RI clock several hours short of 24, only to be restarted at zero when we returned that evening because as noted above, there appears to be no limit on the number of repeat visits per year.  As long as I was out of Rhode Island sometime the following day it would again be less than 24 hours.

Interestingly, one of the things I wanted to get done while I was in Rhode Island was get my car’s wheel alignment worked on.  To do that we got up early on the day of our Boston trip, dropped the car off at a local Toyota service department and took a bus and train to Boston and back.  My brother dropped me off at Toyota the following morning, I picked up my car and left the state.

So my car was in Rhode Island for the entire time I was jumping in and out of the state.  That doesn’t count against me, right?

Previous visit: A walk through Downtown Providence – 2024

I haven’t posted about this trip before because it was part of the Epic Fail that was my 2024 Northeast US trip.  My car was in auto repair hell and I had to get it fixed and out of the state by noon the next day.

Providence's Canalscape

However, that evening my brother took me on a (way to long) walking tour of Downtown Providence, which is actually pretty nice.  They have an unpronounceable river/canal running through their downtown that they have canalscaped to great effect.

Now that I’ve promised to see more American cities I found some of the photos I took on that trip and here they are.  I told my brother that next time I come to Providence I’m going to see the sights and report on it like I have elsewhere.  Does he want to come with me?  Apparently not!

Previous visit: July 2022

In July 2022 my Rhode Island side trip was a little complicated but still didn’t test Rhode Island’s visitor registration policy. 

I was there to visit my brother & sister-in-law and to meet up with my own family who had spent the previous four days with my ex-inlaws on Long Island while I was having an epic fail trying to go whale watching in Maine.  We all met up at a very nice restaurant and had a family dinner and visited together.  Then I stayed the night at my brother’s house while the rest of the family stayed at a hotel (my ex-wife is allergic to cats).

The next morning my brother (but not my sister-in-law) accompanied me to Boston, where all of us met up again and spent the day being tourists (see my MA blog post).  Once that was over my brother got on a train to go back home to Rhode Island while the rest of us continued on to New Hampshire (my second time there, see my NH blog post).  As you can see, on this trip I spent less than 24 hours in Rhode Island.