what about the plastic animals?

Trenton Makes Night and Day

If you've ever taken the train through Trenton or driven across the Delaware on US-1 you've probably seen the Trenton Makes - The World Takes sign on the Lower Trenton Bridge.  The original sign, in giant metal letters, went up in 1911, a year after the Chamber of Commerce adopted the slogan to represent the city as a manufacturing powerhouse.  Although it is short and rhymes, to my ear there's more than a hint of bitterness in the slogan.  The sign went neon in 1935 and the most recent improvements were made in 2005.

Be Prepared to See More Than You Expect

Beginning in his teens Laurence Gieringer began constructing a model village.  Over the next 60 years Gieringer built houses, barns, churches, stores, gradually adding streets, railroads, bridges, a coal mine and much more to his village.  In all there are 400 buildings in the 6000 square-foot Roadside America.  Dora Gieringer, Laurence's wife, hand made 10,000 trees and shrubs, including a garden of corn stalks.

Mr. Gieringer died in the early 1960s but Roadside America lives on almost unchanged (you can see new model cars in front of the church!).  The display is interactive!  You can operate the trains, twirl couples in a Saturday night barn dance, run a steam roller and much, much more.  Every half-hour the sun sets and a not-to-be-missed patriotic and religious slideshow begins, complete with Kate Smith singing "God Bless America".

Roadside America is located in Shartlesville, Pennsylvania, just off I-78.  If you look left and see the giant Amish couple you've gone too far.  Take the next exit and go back, as it is one of the most amazing sights you'll ever see.

Voted Best In Harrisburg

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that Harrisburg isn't a big pizza eatin' kind of town.

Fallingwater

Fallingwater was the weekend home of Pittsburgh businessman Edgar Kaufmann, Sr. and family from 1937 to 1963.  As probably everybody knows, the house was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright to sit over a waterfall on Bear Run in southwestern Pennsylvania.

I couldn't imagine living there, but the house is well worth a visit!  The setting is absolutely beautiful and Wright's idiosyncratic design is interesting.  If you can, go on a dry day.  As I found out a humid morning = a stinky Fallingwater.  Despite several fans the house had an intense mildew smell.

Leaving Connellsville

These two buildings were just over the hill from the motel I was staying at in Connellsville.  The highway split and there were businesses in the median.  I was looking at Google Maps to refresh my memory and look what was there (scroll backwards and forwards to see the car overtake the googlemobile).

The world needs more buildings shaped like the Rose Equipment building.

Connellsville Signs

I didn't notice it at the time but Connellsville has a very popular sign painter.  The same person who painted the Molinaro Law Building must have also painted the signs for Meidel's and Dr. Perez.  That sign painter had no problems painting both a flying BBQ Ham sandwich and "lose extra weight... and live longer".

Whoever the painter, they didn't get the job for The Dump Restaurant.  Wait a sec... Let's zoom in on that sign:

Yes, yes it does say "Freddy the Freeloader Goin' to the DUMP".  Appetizing!

Did you know that appetizing is also used as a noun?

Molinaro Law Building, etc.

Molinaro Law Building

Molinaro Band

Molinaro's Bicentennial Wall

Geo. Washington at Jumonville

While I didn't really care for Connellsville I loved the Molinaro Law Building and associated artwork.  The art on the building celebrates the Molinaro Band, a family-led community band.  The U.S. Bicentennial wall contains scenes of local history and interest.

Unrelated:  Joe Schumacher opened a Vietnamese restaurant in Greeley, Colorado.  As far as I know it is a different Joe Schumacher.

Welcome to Connellsville

Welcome to Connellsville

Youghiogheny Station

Adelaide Coke Ovens

Bigg Sixx Tavern

Title and Trust Co. of Western Pennsylvania building

Learning from previous trips, I decided to have a couple of minimal driving days on last fall's vacation.  I didn't do much planning but Connellsville, Pennsylvania wasn't too far from where I was headed to next. It was also on the Great Allegheny Passage bicycle trail so I could on a bike ride.

Connellsville sits astride the Youghiogheny River.  Good luck pronouncing Youghiogheny.  Connellsville reached its peak about a century ago, when Henry Clay Frick had 375 coke ovens lining the river at the mile-long complex named after his wife, Adelaide.  The population of Connellsville was over 20,000 back then, it is less than half that today.  Allegedly, when Connellsville was the king of coke it more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the world.

The place must have been hopping with railroads.  The Bigg Sixx Tavern is built into the support for an elevated railway that ran parallel to the Youghiogheny Station.  The station today showcases glasswork from local artisans.

As you might expect with a formerly wealthy town that's lost more than half its population there were lots of decrepit, but beautiful old buildings downtown.

World's Largest Big Mac Replica

The World's Largest Big Mac replica and the Big Mac Museum are both in the McDonald's on Rt 30 southeast of Pittsburgh (just off exit 67 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike).  The Big Mac wasn't invented at this McDonald's, which was a little confusing, but the owner of this franchise gathered a whole lot of Big Mac memorabilia and has it on display.  I skipped the two all beef patties and special sauce and went with small fries and a coke.

Pa Bell

Still crazy busy here.  Check out this great display at the Verizon, formerly Pa Bell, building in Pittsburgh.  The clock still works!  Anywhere any time by telephone.