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.

Bruce Hossfield, Atwo Zee Registered Traveler

 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.

Bruce Hossfield, Atwo Zee Registered Traveler

 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.

Bruce Hossfield, Atwo Zee Registered Traveler

Pennsylvania

including Pittsburg, Philadelphia

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

42 Pa.C.S.2019 §§9799.10 through 9799.9

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

Within 3 business days of establishing residence, becoming employed, or attending school.  3 business days for updates.  If fails to establish residence but nevertheless resides in state, shall register as transient. §9799.19.

Visitors: “Residence” means place where domiciled for 30 days or more w/in a calendar year.  “Transient” means no residence but nevertheless resides in state in a temporary place or dwelling, including a homeless shelter or park. §9799.12. Per the Lancaster State Police office, PA has no specific time limit for visiting registrants but staying more than 30 days per calendar year or becoming employed or attending school establishes residency and would trigger a requirement to register. Updated June 2021.

List of registration sites: www.pameganslaw.state.pa.us/VerificationSites

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

None.  Registry website supposedly only shows:  Sexually violent offenders, Sexually violent predators, Sexually violent delinquent children.

Duration & updates:

15 years to life.  Updates: T1 – annual, T2 – 6 mo., T3 & SVP – quarterly, Transient – monthly

A Pennsylvania Update: April 2025

In theory, Pennsylvania should be a pretty easy state to get along with as a registered visitor.  Their SOR statute states that “Residence” means a place where a registrant is domiciled for 30 days or more within a calendar year.  Also, there are no statewide or local residency or presence requirements.  Thank you to PARSOL for providing me with the citations for 2 court cases that ensure this - Fross v. County of Allegheny, 20 A.3d 1193 and Lake Naomi Club, Inc. v. Rosado, 285 A.3d 1 (Pa. Cmmw. Ct. 2022).  They also have pointed out that the state SOR office is back to answering the phone these days which is also a help.  These updates are significant enough – and Pennsylvania is a significant enough state – that I am updating and re-posting the 50 State Visitors Guide chart on this site to include them.

Unfortunately “Transient” means the registrant has no residence but nevertheless “resides in the state,” but while the word “residence” is defined, the word “resides” is not, so … if you’re traveling through Pennsylvania, how long do you have to be there before you “reside” without having a “residence” …?    To the average traveler this may seem like a ridiculous question, but as registered citizens you and I know it’s far from academic.  You can’t count on the state police officer who pulls you over for having a blown tail light to give you the interpretation you wanted.

I resolved to resolve this uncertainty on a trip I made to the Northeast May 2021. After staying overnight at a PA state park campground I visited the Lancaster State Police office (which is also a Registration Verification Site) and was referred there to speak to an officer who admitted he was “not the sex offender expert” (then why was he assigned to answer this question? Was the “expert” out of the office?). 

After going back to his office and reading the statute he nevertheless opined that PA has no specific time limit for visiting registrants but staying more than 30 days per calendar year or becoming employed or attending school establishes residency and would trigger a requirement to register. That confirmed the same conclusion I reached after reading the statute.

Most recent visit: Pittsburg, May 2025

See the sights, skip the downtown

Downtown Pittsburg as seen from the Duquesne Incline.  It looks good from a distance.

As part of my 2025 Northeast road trip I passed through Pennsylvania both coming and going from Iowa.  I had, as noted above, no fear of overstaying my visitor’s grace period or of violating any state or local restriction because there are none. 

It so happened I first entered from West Virginia on the morning of the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.  My goal for that day was to visit my first Big City – Pittsburg.  Should be pretty busy on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, right?  Answer – Nope!  Not unless you count all that traffic trying to get out of town on their way to someplace other than Pittsburg for a holiday weekend!

My plan was to see the sights during the day, then go downtown to see their famous riverfront and have dinner before retiring to my waiting motel room.  My first stop, however, was the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum near Washington, PA which was on my way to Pittsburg.  If you love train museums like I do you’ll love this one.

In Pittsburg, I rode the Duquesne Incline, visited the Andy Warhol Museum (Wow!) and it wasn’t until after 4 pm that I got to the Carnegie Museums, of which there are several, and which at least on that holiday Friday were closing at 5 pm so all I had time for was art – which was great art but now I know you have to set aside at least half a day for these museums.  Next time I’m in the region I’ll do that.

Andy Warhol Museum. Notice how his training as a commercial artist (left) influenced his later work.

I didn’t go see any sports facilities or events because I’m not interested and you couldn’t get tickets for Barry Manalow that night anyway.  Instead I went downtown to experience what I had always heard was a very successful riverfront and downtown renewal.

Wow what a disappointment!  Point State Park (at the confluence of Pittsburg’s “Three Rivers”) was still undergoing renovations and was lifeless on that unseasonably cold and grey afternoon.  The keynote downtown redevelopment project, Gateway Center, is a high-rise office complex that becomes a dark and scary place as soon as all the employees escape to the burbs at 5:00 pm, and that effect was accentuated by everyone having fled to the mountains that weekend.

Downtown Pittsburg

As for Pittsburg’s anemic little downtown strip, few people were there to party that evening but I did find a good little Mediterranean restaurant for dinner.

Throwing in a PA side trip

While on my way from Iowa to the June 2026 NARSOL Conference in Baltimore, I happened to pass near Fort Necessity National Battlefield in Pennsylvania.  It's the battle that George Washington lost and just barely got out alive from during the French and Indian War.  It was interesting.  Here's a photo:

Musket demo at Fort Necessity.

Most recent visit: Allegheny Mountains, May-June 2025

Saturday of Memorial Day weekend my goal was no more ambitious than to explore the Allegheny Mountains of western PA on my way to a waiting bungled reservation at a Motel 6 near Wilkes-Barre.  There are two big federal and state forests – Allegheny National Forest and a cluster of connected state forests – and it’s all quite beautiful.  The only problem is there aren’t many significant destinations, either natural or man-made, so I spent most of that day pleasure driving and looking at small towns.  The next morning I was on to New Jersey.

On the return leg of my Northeastern US road trip I entered Pennsylvania from New York State.  Again my goal was only to explore a different part of the Alleghenies on my way to a campground near Sharon, PA.  The next morning I was on my way to Cleveland.

Small Town Notes:

New Bethlehem – Good.  Local industry – Smuckers.

Ridgway – The whole downtown is a National Register District.  It’s not fair to the other towns.

Johnsonburg – Good.  Local industry – paper mill.

St. Mary’s – good.

Renovo – An old company town composed mainly of row houses.  The crumbling downtown runs alongside the old railroad.

Bradford – Nice downtown but otherwise just okay.

Kane – Good.  Had lunch at a “garbage cuisine” storefront.

Greenville – No judgement.  Has a lot of brick streets.  Growth over time has created small town sprawl without benefiting the town itself.

Previous visits: Philadelphia, 2023-24

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.  We had decided ahead of time to reserve a hotel room one night in Philadelphia so we could take in a few sights the next morning before continuing on to New Jersey.

Independence Hall, Philadelphia

As with our previous stops in Virginia, my ex-wife had never been to Philadelphia’s historic sites before and she was very impressed with Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.  I was too even though I’d seen them before.  At lunchtime we asked one of the sales ladies at the Liberty Bell gift shop where to get a good Philly Cheesesteak and she suggested the Reading Terminal Marketplace.  Wow!  It’s like other downtown markets such as Faneuil Hall or Charleston Market, but even bigger with all kinds of stuff – including several Philly Cheesesteak options.  I also bought baked goods at one of the semi-authentic looking Amish stalls.

We spent a couple of hours just at the Reading Market but after that it was time to get moving – we had a hotel reservation that night in far northern New Jersey.

You MUST have a Philly cheese steak sub!

In April 2024 my bff & I were again traveling from New Jersey and decided to stop in Philadelphia again to see a few sites we had missed on the previous trip, specifically Betsey Ross’s house and Benjamin Franklin’s Museum.  Then we visited Valley Forge on our way to the same hotel in “downtown” Intercourse where she had stayed two years before (see below).  Although she enjoyed all the stops we made, she was disappointed that left no time for touring Pennsylvania Dutch country, neither that afternoon nor the next morning on the way out of state.

Previous visits: 2022-23

In July 2022 I traveled thru Pennsylvania while tagging along with my family on their trip to the Northeast.  My ex-wife likes Pennsylvania Dutch Country very much.  I find it to be hopelessly commercialized.  What must it be like to be an actual Amish or Mennonite person trying to go about your life surrounded by billboards and tacky trinket shops and fake buggy rides? You have my sympathy, folks.

So-called "historic train ride" in Strasburg, PA

Nevertheless she had reserved a hotel room right in “downtown” Intercourse.  I stayed at the very same state park I had the year before, about 40 miles away.  We spent way too much time at that tacky tourist village in Intercourse, but the upside to that place is that trapping all the tourists there keeps us away from the locals.

Later that day we were all rushing eastbound on I-78.  They spent the night at a hotel in Stroudsburg while I had reserved a campground in nearby Hickory Run State Park.  We were splitting up after that – they were on their way to Long Island to spend four days with my ex-inlaws, while I was headed for Maine to go whale watching. 

On the southbound leg of our Northeast trip we came back thru Pennsylvania, this time to visit Hershey’s Chocolate World and Hersheypark.  I was roped into this part of the trip because our granddaughter wanted more than anything to ride on some of the scariest rollercoasters in that theme park, and although Mom insisted that she be accompanied by an adult neither she nor Grandma were willing to do the accompanying.

American Antique Car Assn. Museum, Hershey PA

Wow, some of those rides were truly terrifying!  I told my granddaughter that going on them was something I would consider to be an item on my bucket list, but don’t expect me to do that again!

In May 2023 I again passed through Pennsylvania on my way from West Virginia to New Jersey.  This time I could skip Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and would have skipped Hershey too until I saw a sign for the American Antique Car Association Museum.  Wow – way cool!

From there it was on to Hickory Run State Park to stay the night before proceeding to New Jersey.  It also so happened that on the return leg of my journey, which took me through Upstate New York, I made a little side trip into Upstate PA to see the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania.  Yes there is such a thing and it’s really spectacular!

The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, in Leonard Harrison St. Pk.

Bruce Hossfield, Atwo Zee Registered Traveler