Where in the World are George and Franco?

Every day, people passing through Pittsburgh International Airport ask when our beloved George Washington and Franco Harris statues will return to their rightful place between the escalators in the Airside Terminal.

The pair have been on hiatus since March 15, when staff from Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh whisked them away for a little R ’n R: refurbishment and repair.

But apparently the two pals had plans of their own. It seems that, after getting back into shape, our nation’s first president and one of the greatest Pittsburgh Steelers of all time decided to hit the road for another kind of R ’n R: rest and relaxation.

How do we know? As it turns out, they’ve been sending us postcards all summer.

After 13 years of hearing passengers talk about all the great places they’ve visited, the father of our country and Mr. Immaculate Reception decided to check out a few locales themselves.

This is the first postcard we received, written by Col. Washington:

“We love the ocean! It’s great that Allegiant announced new flights to West Palm Beach! We rocked our shades, but Franco said he was too hot in his uniform. I told him to enjoy the sun – it’s a lot better than crossing the Delaware in a leaky canoe on Christmas Day! Wish you were here! G-Dub and Franco”

Well, it’s great to hear from the boys, and we’ll share a few other postcards from their excellent adventure on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram over the next few days. And if you happen to spot these two hanging out anywhere near you, take a pic for social media and tag it #WhereAreGeorgeAndFranco.

“Never been to @CityofSeattle! We barely got past the Mississippi River in my day. Thanks to @AlaskaAir for the flight – coffee’s great, @space_needle‘s cool, but it’s got nothing on Mt. Wash ???? and our view of the ‘Burgh. See you soon!”

See you soon?! #WhereAreGeorgeAndFranco pic.twitter.com/XKyFA63oxn

— Pittsburgh International Airport (@PITairport) September 4, 2019

“I said I would never stand on British soil, but it’s time to drop that grudge. Franco wanted me to see Big Ben, so we hopped the @British_Airways flight to @HeathrowAirport. He was confused – he said, ‘G-Dub, I just meant we should drive to Latrobe.'” #WhereAreGeorgeAndFranco pic.twitter.com/pnggr4UKQQ

— Pittsburgh International Airport (@PITairport) September 5, 2019