Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Forbes Field

Forbes Field was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1909 to 1971. Then it was torn down as the Pirates headed to Three Rivers Stadium downtown. While Three Rivers is already gone and hardly missed, Forbes Field is still a pleasant memory to many.

Maybe that's why parts of the place are still visible to the public. Part of the outfield wall has been saved. It sits in Schenley Park, adjoining the University of Pittsburgh. Every October 13, people gather and listen to a recording of Game Seven of the World Series, ended by Bill Mazeroski's dramatic walk-off home run.

Home plate was saved as well, and it can be found in Posvar Hall across the street from the wall. However, it's not exactly where it was when the ball park was standing. Supposedly, home plate rested where a women's restroom is now. The display spot in the hall is a bit more, um, tourist-friendly. There's a nice autographed picture of Mazeroski nearby. It's all worth a look for baseball fans.

North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania: Big Mac Museum

Mmmmmm.

I'm sure I don't have to tell you folks that the Big Mac was invented in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Such an event deserves to be remember, and this one is ... but not in Uniontown, but in North Huntington.

The Big Mac Museum is part of a McDonald's on U.S. 30 just West of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. There are a variety of kiosks and exhibits dedicated to the Big Mac, including packaging and pictures. The big thrill, though, comes when entering the kids' area. The Big Mac pictured above is waiting for you.

While you can order a Big Mac there, no one seems to have a problem about someone stopping by to look around.

Gallitzen, Pennsylvania: Gallitzen Tunnels Park

It's tough not to hear about railroads when visiting Southcentral Pennsylvania. Every town likes to connect itself with the history involved, and that includes Gallitzin.

The town is located a little bit West of Altoona, off U.S. 22. Right in the middle of it is Gallitzin Tunnels Park. You take a walk on an overpass and see the tunnel that is still used by the Norfolk Southern. To its left is the remains of another tunnel, now out of use.

Adjoining the park is a restored caboose and some informational signs. Across the street is a small museum and gift shop. The workers there really are happy to see visitors; be sure to sign the guest book to let people (meaning those who keep track of attendance for funding purposes) know you were there.

Altoona, Pennsylvania: Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark

As railroad curves go, this is a pretty interesting one.

The railroad industry had a problem in the 1850's -- how should get it an east-west line in Pennsylvania? The terrain was rather rugged. Engineers eventually came up with an elegant solution. They filled in some of the gaps in the landscape, and then built a rail line that made a sweeping curve of about 220 degrees as it slowly climbed up hill and out to the West.

It worked. In fact, it became one of the busiest train spots in the country. The site has been guarded during wartime (from the Civil War to World War II).

The facility is now a tourist attraction and a national landmark. Located just to the west of Altoona, railroad enthusiasts can drop by for as long as they want and watch the trains go by. Give it an hour, and you'll see a few -- sometimes two at once. Such as is shown in the picture above. There's also a museum at the bottom of the hill.

Farmington, Pennsylvania: Braddock's Grave

British Major General Edward Braddock led his nation's forces against the French in the French and Indian War in the 1750's. An American named George Washington was one of his top assistants.

Braddock was killed in Southwestern Pennsylvania. He was buried under the road that his own men had constructed, so that the French wouldn't do unspeakable things to the body. General Washington officiated at the ceremony.

The burial site eventually was dug up in 1804, and his remains were moved nearby. The road eventually became U.S. 40, and a monument was placed in Braddock's honor. It's considered part of Fort Necessity, which is from that era and is just down the highway.

Erie, Pennsylvania: Bicentennial Tower

If you had to guess which bicentennial, you'd probably be wrong.

Erie's waterfront lookout was built for the 200th birthday of the city in 1996, and not the 200th birthday of the country in 1976. It was a good idea either way.

The tower is at the end of State Street and it's tough to miss when driving down the waterfront. There are a couple of observation towers. We would have taken some pictures the day we were there, but the area was closed off for a fireworks show scheduled for that night. Darn. You can see the Perry Monument at Presque Isle if you look carefully (might help to click on the picture to see a larger image at the lower left).

The area around the tower has a hotel, some shops, marina, etc. It's a clean, functional, people-friendly area. That serves as a nice contrast to other parts of the Erie waterfront, which has surprisingly few areas for public access. So at least they are trying.

Erie, Pennsylvania: Presque Isle State Park

Presque Isle is, according to the travel book, French for "almost an island." Fair enough. It's a long peninsula that extends southwest to northeast into Lake Erie.

No matter what you call it, it's a great spot. There are seven miles of beaches, and lots of trails. When we went on a hot Sunday morning in August, it seemed like all of Erie was either going for a bicycle ride or enjoying the beach. There's a marathon held each year here that has to be the flattest course in the business.

Pictured here is the Perry Monument. Commodore Oliver Perry kept his fleet in the protected waters here during the War of 1812. Then he guided the ships out and headed down the Lake, where he won a big battle over the British around Put-in-Bay, Ohio. The Commodore got a monument there and here for his trouble.

And don't go looking for Presque Isle Downs and Casino in the park. It's on the other side of Interstate 90, a few miles away.

Oil City, Pennsylvania: McClintock #1

Consistency is a virtue, even in oil wells. Maybe, particularly in oil wells.

Say hello to McClintock #1 of Oil City, Pennsylvania. It's still pulling up oil, about 150 years after it first hit a gusher.

It takes a sharp eye to find it. It is just off Pennsylvania State Highway #8 a couple of miles north of Oil City. There is a small sign along the road. Visitors go around an industrial building, cross some railroad tracks, and seek the parking lot to the right. It's a very short walk from there to the well.

Apparently oil from the well can be purchased at the Drake Well Museum in Titusville. There's a museum in downtown Oil City, which obviously has seen some tough times economically. So you should take a look around the city and spend a few tourism dollars there.

Titusville, Pennsylvania: Drake Well

A revolution of sorts started right here in 1859. It also made a bunch of guys in the Middle East really happy many, many years later.

This is the spot around Titusville, Pennsylvania (NW part of the state) where Colonel Edwin Drake established the first commercially successful oil well. The stuff was on the land and in the water in the region, and Drake decided it might be worthwhile to drill several dozen feet down to see if he could hit something. Drake was lucky -- another spot would have missed the reserve -- but he hit a gusher.

I supposed someone would have discovered the stuff somewhere eventually, but it's still fun to stand on that very spot. A park has been established on the property that runs by Oil Creek. There's a museum with a video that explains everything in 15 minutes, some history of the region, plenty of oil drilling devices from the past, even some picnic grounds.

The oil strike caused many people to move into the region in the 1860's, and millions of barrels were pulled from the ground and shipped to refineries in Pittsburgh. Once we figured out the internal combustion engine, well, America would have a whole different look in the 20th century.

Sometimes it's nice to take a look at where we came from, even if Titusville is a little out of the way for most.

(P.S. If you are in the area, you might have an interest in a nearby town called Pithole. A classic oil boomtown, it started from nothing around 1860, went to 15,000 in population within a few years, and then went back to zero as the oil ran out. There is a small museum there, so those that like ghost towns might want to made the sidetrip.)

Queenston, Ontario: Brock's Monument

Are you sick of going to historical markers in which the Americans are the good guys?

This is your place.

Brock's Monument towers 185 feet over the countryside on top of a hill in Queenston, Ontario, just north of Niagara Falls and near the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge. It's a tribute to Major General Isaac Brock, a British military leader who died during a battle in the area during the War of 1812.

The Americans had crossed the river in October 1812 in an effort to gain a little ground in British territory. The Brits came fighting back and threw the evil Americans back into the sea ... well, they did force a retreat to the U.S.

The monument went up in the 1850's. You can climb to the top if you want, but there is a charge of a few dollars.

Damn yankees.