So, very impetuously, we decide to take a quick trip to Baltimore to visit Liz and Andrew. It’s a rarity that scheduling between all of our jobs and Tommy’s school work out, so carpe diem, I say. Tommy stays home to mind the dogs and not wreck the house, while Patti and I settle in for the 8 hour drive, which should be shorter, but traffic is a bitch—(damn, Fredericktown!)—and we arrive whole, minus a few sanity cells.
The kids have a boffo apartment in the historic area of Ridgley’s Delight, a long double from Camden Yard, where the Red Sox are dismantling the O’s as we unpack. Somehow the building has designed 4 for flights of stairs into a two story townhouse, according to my knee-o-meter, but hey, we’re here, so let’s drop the bags and
bounce.
It’s mid-afternoon and we break into the pre-designated teams: Patti and Andrew will drive to the Art Museum, and Liz and I will walk a few short blocks to the National Aquarium, posted as the center piece of the revitalized inner-harbor. Our family is famous for this sort of efficiency. The cheers from the stadium accompany us as we walk through the charmingly gentrified neighborhood that opens up to a vibrant vista of shops, restaurants and water. Public art pieces are interspersed with pedestrian friendly concourses alive with Sunday shoppers, eaters and gawkers (we will champion all three, for sure).
I dig aquariums, and this one is Kong-scaled, brimming with functional beauty. It sits right on the harbor, flanked by a submarine on one side and a sailing ship (the last commission one
in the US Navy) on the other. The building itself is a modern glass and steel affair, with a long covered walk-way over the water. The place is jammed, but runs quite fluidly, if you don’t mind stepping on a few pre-teens while you make your way up seven stories by escalator and down by ramps. As you ascend, each floor offers a different set of tanks and creatures, all logically arranged by type and area. The descent is ingeniously designed as the center of what can only be described as a race track aquarium; a huge donut that the fish can swim continuously through. The gentle ramps allow you to admire the beasts as they school, eat and propel at maddening speeds. It’s really remarkable and about 3-4 stories high, so the fish can live at a depth that most closely mirrors their natural digs. Under this tank a few floors down is another one, this time filled with all manner of sharks, menacingly circling, their dream lunches gazing on.
We now cross the covered walkway to the other building for the scheduled dolphin show. Usually I find these rather boring, but this one was well paced and the stars were seriously smart and entertaining, and I am glad we did this. At show end we move on to special jellyfish exhibit, which is really the jewel of this operation. On display are representatives from all over the world, many which I have never before seen. As dangerous as a few of the species can be, their beauty and gracefulness is beyond dispute. As they expand and contract, rise and fall and pulse, I find myself mesmerized by the show. We finish in the Australian exhibit with more land critters than wet, but very interesting nonetheless. This was a terrific afternoon, especially because of the company I was keeping.
A little time to kill now before our missing players meet us for dinner, Liz and I wander around, but generally towards that great big guitar on the reclaimed powerhouse complex. While I find the food atrocious, I love to purchase a Hard Rock Café shirt in every city I go to. I know,…whatever. Bag in hand, we enter the Barnes and Noble in the same building, a two story affair that maintains the historic character of the trappings. I have never seen one like this, and it’s really cool. Of course the product is the same, but I am a book store junkie, and there are few things I enjoy more than wandering the aisles. If you could get smarter just by walking through the books, I would have invented teleportation by now. Liz picks up a few items for Andrew and we make our way outside to wait.
They had a big time at the museum ( I want to go next trip), and reunited we all examine dinner options. The only drawback to the Inner Harbor complex is the proliferation of chain restaurants (Cheesecake Factory, Sullivan’s etc.) in lieu of local places that could provide actual atmosphere that is not manufactured according to ‘corporate’. I assume that the rents are high, but really, the city should investigate seeking genuine character in eating establishments. We settle on Potbelly’s, a local small sandwich chain right on the water. The food is unremarkable, but reasonably priced and hits the spot. Walking back home, we hit a place for dessert (just a beer for me. It’s been a good day.
The next day we walk a bit, go to the historic market, and shop some. Along the way we spy a church with an old cemetery, so of course we have to stop. Patti and I are both suckers for old graves—she likes to read them, I enjoy not being in one—and the atmosphere is usually
quite peaceful. Anyway, as soon as we enter the gate, there is the grave of Edgar Allen Poe. It was damned considerate to put this where we could find it easily. I mean, we weren’t even looking for it, so what are the chances we would just happen to go down this street? I have always enjoyed Poe, as any writer that can combine wine and masonry is tops in my estimation, so this is a bonus round. Later, as we go by Camden, I get a few pics of the ball field for Shelly and Mark, as well as the statue of Babe Ruth. Salad for lunch back at the flat.
One of us has discovered that Gettysburg is only about an hour away, so that shoots straight to the top of the list.
History is cool and all that, but I’m all about the spooks! Gettysburg is reportedly the most haunted place in America, so I am anticipating our arrival at the park will be other-worldly. Instead, a rather ordinary welcome center greets us, so we opt to drive the (free) 16 mile battlefield loop. There will be plenty of scenic stops, and I have about 4 gigs in my camera ready to capture some spirits. The route takes you in and out of the park and through the town of Gettysburg, so it is a bit jerky in spots. They could have picked a more convenient spot for a battle, in my opinion, with a bit of planning, but we soldier on.
If you are at all
concerned with the world-wide granite shortage, don’t worry, it’s all here. Sixteen miles and 50,000 statues that mark every event from crazed battles down to “soldier tied shoe in this spot”. It’s interesting, but over the top. However, at every interlude that invites us to get out of the car, Liz and I are both taking pictures of every field, tree line, statue and fence that we can. I am even taking shots of people ahead of me, just in case there is a ghost on their ass. I have not thoroughly examined the booty yet, but one shot does have something peculiar in it. I’ll post it sometime, when I am feeling short of ridicule.
All done with the park, we head back to Baltimore and dinner at a n Irish pub that Shelly had found and sent Liz a gift certificate to. The name of the place is Life of Reilly, and while a bit slow on service, the food and drinks are good. The neighborhood is decidedly just this side of gentrified ghetto, but we escape in good form.
Lady and Mango, as always, greet us back at the base and of course one or the other has peed on the floor. This seems to be a regular drama, as they both look guilty—perhaps they are protesting—but they are so damned cute, what can you do?
We are up early for some last bits of sightseeing before our afternoon departure. We end up at Geppi’s Entertainment Museum in the Camden train station building. It’s really fun, filled with comic books, movie posters, toys and the such from years past. There is a whole room dedicated to the Wizard of Oz with several Frank Baum first editions, so Patti is thrilled. I myself covet the Illya Kuriyakin doll from the Man from U.N.C.L.E. but settle on few Daredevil postcards for Tommy.
We finish with a rather disappointing lunch at a hotel restaurant before heading back to pack the car. During our visit Liz’s car was towed because of some ridiculous parking laws, so she will be happy to get her spot back. Hugs and kisses all around and we GPS ourselves back to Charlotte from an all-too-short but fabulous visit.
The kids have a boffo apartment in the historic area of Ridgley’s Delight, a long double from Camden Yard, where the Red Sox are dismantling the O’s as we unpack. Somehow the building has designed 4 for flights of stairs into a two story townhouse, according to my knee-o-meter, but hey, we’re here, so let’s drop the bags and
bounce.It’s mid-afternoon and we break into the pre-designated teams: Patti and Andrew will drive to the Art Museum, and Liz and I will walk a few short blocks to the National Aquarium, posted as the center piece of the revitalized inner-harbor. Our family is famous for this sort of efficiency. The cheers from the stadium accompany us as we walk through the charmingly gentrified neighborhood that opens up to a vibrant vista of shops, restaurants and water. Public art pieces are interspersed with pedestrian friendly concourses alive with Sunday shoppers, eaters and gawkers (we will champion all three, for sure).
I dig aquariums, and this one is Kong-scaled, brimming with functional beauty. It sits right on the harbor, flanked by a submarine on one side and a sailing ship (the last commission one
in the US Navy) on the other. The building itself is a modern glass and steel affair, with a long covered walk-way over the water. The place is jammed, but runs quite fluidly, if you don’t mind stepping on a few pre-teens while you make your way up seven stories by escalator and down by ramps. As you ascend, each floor offers a different set of tanks and creatures, all logically arranged by type and area. The descent is ingeniously designed as the center of what can only be described as a race track aquarium; a huge donut that the fish can swim continuously through. The gentle ramps allow you to admire the beasts as they school, eat and propel at maddening speeds. It’s really remarkable and about 3-4 stories high, so the fish can live at a depth that most closely mirrors their natural digs. Under this tank a few floors down is another one, this time filled with all manner of sharks, menacingly circling, their dream lunches gazing on.We now cross the covered walkway to the other building for the scheduled dolphin show. Usually I find these rather boring, but this one was well paced and the stars were seriously smart and entertaining, and I am glad we did this. At show end we move on to special jellyfish exhibit, which is really the jewel of this operation. On display are representatives from all over the world, many which I have never before seen. As dangerous as a few of the species can be, their beauty and gracefulness is beyond dispute. As they expand and contract, rise and fall and pulse, I find myself mesmerized by the show. We finish in the Australian exhibit with more land critters than wet, but very interesting nonetheless. This was a terrific afternoon, especially because of the company I was keeping.
A little time to kill now before our missing players meet us for dinner, Liz and I wander around, but generally towards that great big guitar on the reclaimed powerhouse complex. While I find the food atrocious, I love to purchase a Hard Rock Café shirt in every city I go to. I know,…whatever. Bag in hand, we enter the Barnes and Noble in the same building, a two story affair that maintains the historic character of the trappings. I have never seen one like this, and it’s really cool. Of course the product is the same, but I am a book store junkie, and there are few things I enjoy more than wandering the aisles. If you could get smarter just by walking through the books, I would have invented teleportation by now. Liz picks up a few items for Andrew and we make our way outside to wait.
They had a big time at the museum ( I want to go next trip), and reunited we all examine dinner options. The only drawback to the Inner Harbor complex is the proliferation of chain restaurants (Cheesecake Factory, Sullivan’s etc.) in lieu of local places that could provide actual atmosphere that is not manufactured according to ‘corporate’. I assume that the rents are high, but really, the city should investigate seeking genuine character in eating establishments. We settle on Potbelly’s, a local small sandwich chain right on the water. The food is unremarkable, but reasonably priced and hits the spot. Walking back home, we hit a place for dessert (just a beer for me. It’s been a good day.
The next day we walk a bit, go to the historic market, and shop some. Along the way we spy a church with an old cemetery, so of course we have to stop. Patti and I are both suckers for old graves—she likes to read them, I enjoy not being in one—and the atmosphere is usually
quite peaceful. Anyway, as soon as we enter the gate, there is the grave of Edgar Allen Poe. It was damned considerate to put this where we could find it easily. I mean, we weren’t even looking for it, so what are the chances we would just happen to go down this street? I have always enjoyed Poe, as any writer that can combine wine and masonry is tops in my estimation, so this is a bonus round. Later, as we go by Camden, I get a few pics of the ball field for Shelly and Mark, as well as the statue of Babe Ruth. Salad for lunch back at the flat.One of us has discovered that Gettysburg is only about an hour away, so that shoots straight to the top of the list.
History is cool and all that, but I’m all about the spooks! Gettysburg is reportedly the most haunted place in America, so I am anticipating our arrival at the park will be other-worldly. Instead, a rather ordinary welcome center greets us, so we opt to drive the (free) 16 mile battlefield loop. There will be plenty of scenic stops, and I have about 4 gigs in my camera ready to capture some spirits. The route takes you in and out of the park and through the town of Gettysburg, so it is a bit jerky in spots. They could have picked a more convenient spot for a battle, in my opinion, with a bit of planning, but we soldier on.
If you are at all
concerned with the world-wide granite shortage, don’t worry, it’s all here. Sixteen miles and 50,000 statues that mark every event from crazed battles down to “soldier tied shoe in this spot”. It’s interesting, but over the top. However, at every interlude that invites us to get out of the car, Liz and I are both taking pictures of every field, tree line, statue and fence that we can. I am even taking shots of people ahead of me, just in case there is a ghost on their ass. I have not thoroughly examined the booty yet, but one shot does have something peculiar in it. I’ll post it sometime, when I am feeling short of ridicule.All done with the park, we head back to Baltimore and dinner at a n Irish pub that Shelly had found and sent Liz a gift certificate to. The name of the place is Life of Reilly, and while a bit slow on service, the food and drinks are good. The neighborhood is decidedly just this side of gentrified ghetto, but we escape in good form.
Lady and Mango, as always, greet us back at the base and of course one or the other has peed on the floor. This seems to be a regular drama, as they both look guilty—perhaps they are protesting—but they are so damned cute, what can you do?
We are up early for some last bits of sightseeing before our afternoon departure. We end up at Geppi’s Entertainment Museum in the Camden train station building. It’s really fun, filled with comic books, movie posters, toys and the such from years past. There is a whole room dedicated to the Wizard of Oz with several Frank Baum first editions, so Patti is thrilled. I myself covet the Illya Kuriyakin doll from the Man from U.N.C.L.E. but settle on few Daredevil postcards for Tommy.
We finish with a rather disappointing lunch at a hotel restaurant before heading back to pack the car. During our visit Liz’s car was towed because of some ridiculous parking laws, so she will be happy to get her spot back. Hugs and kisses all around and we GPS ourselves back to Charlotte from an all-too-short but fabulous visit.
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