East Liverpool, Ohio

If day 1 provided you with enough time to explore Pittsburgh, begin day 2 by heading west on US 30.  This route will take you through past Pittsburgh's busy airport area, then quickly plunge you into a rural wilderness.  Curvy route 30 will wind its way to the tip of West Virginia.  But before beginning your journey down the Mountain State's panhandle, continue across the Ohio River into East Liverpool.

East Liverpool offers several good antique stores, but you may better enjoy your visit with a walk along this aging town's streets.

Many brick buildings show their age through advertisements painted on the side. 

Most are no longer being maintained, however they can still be clearly seen from blocks away.

I found one intersection on the edge of downtown East Liverpool that had an interesting set of traffic lights.  First, each direction had only one light, instead of two which is the standard almost everywhere.  All seemed to be hanging on by a thread.  But here's what I found most interesting: as I watched the light change, I noticed the yellow light would come on for a few seconds before the green light went off.  Maybe it was just a malfunction, or perhaps it's an outdated way of letting traffic know the light is almost yellow.

As you wander around East Liverpool, don't limit yourself to the city streets.  The town's alleys are also quite interesting.

This is perhaps the town's boldest painted brick wall, advertising Crook's, which I believe was a furniture store.