This writer spent the better part of a year once traveling across New York State looking for town welcome signs that actually told a bit of history of the place.  From the tip of Long Island to the St. Lawrence River the variety of places I came up with is astonishing.  I turned that research into a popular and fun book called "Signs of Distinction" published by the State University of New York (Amazon).  The ones I came up with in Upstate New York are very interesting.  This gallery looks at a bunch of them.

Here are eight places that claim to be the "birthplaces" of an odd collection of people and historic happenings.  Maybe you know some of these.  But, I am guessing that they might be as surprising to you as they were to me when I first stumbled upon them a few years ago.  For example, the birthplace of pasteurized milk.  Very cool.  It is located in a tiny map dot in the rural hills of Delaware County.  Just one building, standing silently along a back road with a NYS historical marker telling of its tale.  And how about teh birthplace of the "world's largest sign?"  And what the heck is that anyways.  You will see it in this gallery.

These are all a bit of "head scratchers" but for any road warrior in Upstate New York, these are always treasures to come up on.  If you know of a "birthplace community" in Upstate New York, please visit our Facebook page and give it a shout out!

Wow! Look Who/What Was Born in Upstate New York!

Upstate New York can lay claim to being the birthplace of many famous people and many famous things. And also a lot of infamous ones to. This is a fun gallery of a selection of "birthplaces" in our region. You may have heard of some of them, maybe not. As for me, I was more than a little surprised when I stumbled upon many of these while doing research for my many Upstate New York books. The biggest surprise? Guess where the "Birthplace of the Electric Age" is? How about in the remote forests near the Adirondacks and Lake Champlain! It is an incredible story. Check it out here.

Gallery Credit: Chuck DImperio

"Roadtrip!" 10 Must See Items For Your Next Visit to Utica!

Utica is the tenth most populated city in New York State. Situated in the beautiful Mohawk valley, with the farmlands of Schoharie Valley below it, and the mighty Adirondacks just to the north, the city offers much to interest and entertain you for a weekend visit here, or longer. This gallery is a short starter list of ten things any new visitor to the city should seek out. It includes the wonderful Utica Zoo, the Munson art museum with world class painters represented on its walls, and even a train ride up and into the Adirondacks in all seasons. And, of course, you can't talk about Utica without mentioning some of their signature foods. Take a look and see which ones we highlighted.

Enjoy your next roadtrip to the historic city of Utica, NY.!

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

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