Conference moira::parenting

  How about Niagara Falls?  Buffalo, NY has a pretty decent zoo (at least
compared to anything in New England)  Come to think of it, Cleveland, OH
has a nice zoo and it's pretty close to the interstate.  Cleveland also
has the rock and roll hall of fame.

Elizabeth

How far into Indiana are you going?  South Bend has the Studebaker Museum if 
you're going that far.  I realize it's at the end of the trip, but it might be 
worth a stop.

Dave

    If your son enjoys baseball, there is the Baseball Hall of Fame in
    Cooperstown, NY.  I haven't driven the NYS in a few years, but I
    believe you will see signs for caverns that aren't too far off the NYS.
    
    

re .3:

Howe Caverns.  Good stuff for a 10-year-old, but I don't think it's
very close to the Thruway.  Likewise Cooperstown.

    Hershey PA has a great park with rides and such.  Also, in Lancaster
    County PA, you can get an idea how the Amish live and if he likes
    trains, there's a great model train set up.  It's called the Choo Choo
    Barn (I think the town is Strasburg).  It has an entire town model 
    with trains.  Very cool.  My 3 and 8 year old loved it when we went a 
    few months ago - so did mom, dad and grandma.
    
    Harley-Davidson also has a manufacturing plant in PA and they offer
    tours of the facility.  
    
    Call the Chamber of Commerce of each state and get a state vacation
    book.  They are full of wonderful sites for family fun.
    
    Enjoy!
    
    Chris

The places in .5 are good, but not anywhere near I-90 when it goes through PA.  
If you were heading out I-80, they'd be close, however.  The idea about the 
Chamber of Commerce is a good one, they usally send out tons of flyers and 
information.

Dave

    Not so much for a young boy (maybe) but the national Womans Rights
    national park in Seneca Falls, NY.  Lots of interactive displays, and
    the fountain wall with the "Declaration of Sentiment" was definitely
    worth the trip.  There are also the falls and a batch of other stuff,
    but we were on the road headed back to Colorado when we stopped. 
    
    Niagra Falls is awesome.  There were also advertised thingies to see
    and do in Ohio.  The tollbooths all had vistor's information when we
    drove through.  
    
    have a good trip.
    
    meg

>    Niagra Falls is awesome.  There were also advertised thingies to see
>    and do in Ohio.  The tollbooths all had vistor's information when we
>    drove through.  

The best views of Niagara Falls are actually from Niagara Falls Ontario ...
so a lot of Niagara Falls visitors try to enter Canada.  Ensure that you
have some form of identification that identifies you as American ... such
as a birth certificate, or a citizenship certificate, or for resident aliens -
a green card.  Drivers' licenses will not suffice ... because they are no
indication of your nationality (eg I am Canadian living in the US abd have a US
drivers license.  Other people here for extended visits have to get US drivers
licenses ... so they don't prove nationality.  While for most border crossings 
you are only asked your citizenship, just occasionally, you are asked to 
produce id, both going into Canada, and returning to the US.

So, if you go ... make sure you have the paperwork ... you could even have
problems getting back into your own country!!!  There is NOTHING WORSE than
being held at the border for hours while you attempt to prove your status!

That said, it is otherwise very easy to make the crossing ... so enjoy
Niagara Falls!

Stuart

I haven't been to Canada for a couple of years, but I've never had problems
with ID.  I don't remember being asked for _any_ ID.  I'm a US citizen.

    I was just there this weekend and was not asked for an ID.  HOwever,
    you will probably be asked for a birth certificate for your child.
    
    Holly
    

If you can get hold of AAA tourbooks, they are a great resource.
They have information about each state, and also suggest specific
activities for children.
We have exactly the ones you need (we did this trip last week -
MA to Chicago, but it was a marathon, not the leisurely one you 
plan) so if you want them, please let me know.

- Pradnya

Hi Richard,

While Cooperstown is probably further out of your way than you'd like, there's
Springfield, MA and the Basketball hall of fame if that holds any appeal. 

I agree Niagra Falls is a great choice.  On the American side, you can take 
an elevator to the bottom of the falls, put on the special raincoats they
give you and walk out *under the falls*.  It's quite loud and wet, but fun.
You can get as close as you want, or stay as far away as you want.

Lake Erie State Park further south also has a nice little beach.  It's in
NY just north of the Pennsylvania border.  It's fun to go in the evening to 
see the sunset over the lake.  It's a lot like seeing a sunset over the 
Pacific ocean.

Sandusky, OH has a great amusement park called Cedar Point.  It is huge and
you might want to spend more than a couple hours there.

I also remember going to the Toledo Zoo, but that was 15-20 years ago.  I 
have no idea of its current status.

Enjoy the trip! :-)
Ann

re ID to cross cdn border ...

It is rare to be asked for ID to go either direction ... but it does happen
and there is nothing worse than being detained by immigration as you endeavour
to prove you are who you say you are and that you have legal right to enter a
country (even more so if that is your home country�!)  Remember that, for
immigration and customs there is a very strong sense of guilty until proven
innocent!

Stuart

    A voter registration card is enough proof to cross the border. Or you
    can carry a birth certificate.  We went across last summer, we had
    copies of the kids' birth certificates [notarized] and voter cards for
    ourselves, I don't remember if they asked to see anything, but they did
    ask me where I was born.  This was coming back into the states in NY.
    
    sandy

    I-90 isn't the Pennsylvania Turnpike.  The Pa. Turnpike is I-76, and
    bisects the southern third of the state.  I have driven it many, many
    times.
    
    Kate
    ex-Pittsburgher

    Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions posted here.
    
    Just in case anyone else is expecting to go in that direction
    here's what we actually did.
    Day 1: Leave Littleton MA, drive to Howe caverns, then on to
           Utica to overnight.
    Day 2: To Niagara falls, then on to Hamilton Ontario Canada
           to overnight
    Day 3: In Hamilton visit Dundurn Castle, Royal Botanical Gardens,
           and African Safari Park, then on to Sarnia/Port Huron to
           overnight.  Enjoy waterfront in Sarnia.
    Day 4: To MSU in East Lansing to view Kids botanical gardens
           (outstanding!) and then on to Indiana.
    
    Return:
    Day 1: Leave Indiana, drive to Niagara falls to overnight.
           View Falls at nigh and take the skytower elevator.
    Day 2: Visit Buffalo zoo, then back to MA.

    Somewhat unrelated, but this weekend I drove the MassPike
    back from Syracuse, NY.  What's the gigantic contruction
    project right on the Pike at Lee?
    bob