Yesterday we slept in (we even missed breakfast) and then headed to Baltimore. Baltimore has 2.7 Million residents in the metro area, which makes it the 21st largest metro area in the United States. It was founded in 1729 and is located in the north-central part of Maryland, off the Patapsco River, which is an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. It is the largest seaport in the Mid-Atlantic and was once the second leading port of entry for immigrants (thanks Wikipedia). Today, many DC commuters live here and Oriole baseball reigns supreme.
We headed to the city without any plans for the afternoon. We knew the Harbor was famous, Mark wanted to try Maryland's world famous crab cakes, and we had a concert to be at by 6:30. We toyed with the idea of taking a tour, but logistically we couldn't make it work. We parked a few blocks from the Harbor and headed that way. I got a little frustrated with the lack of plans and put Mark in charge.
The Harbor is beautiful, but I honestly did not like it that well. It is very cookie cutter. Chain stores and restaurants surround the water. It is like the Plaza in Kansas City with a giant body of water dumped in the middle of it. There's a Cheesecake Factory, Ruths Chris Steakhouse, McCormick and Schmicks, M&S Grille, etc. When we travel we like to eat at local places, so nothing here really appealed to us.
Baltimore is also known for its huge aquarium, kids' activities, and art museums, but we are not that into any of those things and it was a pretty nice day, so we just strolled around the water. The water is dotted with ships: a few old time replicas, a few tour boats, and several personal watercraft. On land, there were lots and lots of people and many runners. We came across some paddle boats that were set inside these dragon things that looked just like the Viking Voyager ride from Worlds of Fun. Here is a picture of the Harbor. This is just from my phone, there are way better pictures on Google.
We got to the other side of the Harbor and came across a giant hill. We climbed all 42,038 steps to that hill and looked out over the water. It was beautiful. It turns out that the hill has a lot of history. During the war of 1812, it served as a vital look out point while defending the US from British invasion after the Brits burned Washington DC. Francis Scott Key was a lawyer who witnessed the battle from on board a ship while negotiating the release of a prisoner. It was from here he wrote the Star Spangled Banner.
Today, the hill offers a pretty park that attracts soccer players, picnickers, runners, and kids. It also offers pretty views of volleyball courts and the Harbor:
From the hill, we wandered into some neighborhoods off the Harbor. Mark abused his in-charge powers to deny me a bathroom break for 5-7 minutes, which turned into 10 minutes, which turned into a long time. We got a glass of wine in Little Italy at a place called La Scala. We sort of wanted to go to an old neighborhood called Fells Point, but we were tired of walking and that was in the opposite direction of where we needed to end up, so we turned around.
We came across a place called Mos Fisherman's Wharf Restaurant and Mini Market. Mark saw someone eating crab cakes through the window and decided this was where he wanted to eat. The crab cakes were good- it was my very first time trying them- but my steak and the overall experience was just okay.
After dinner it was concert time! I am sort of obsessed with Sara Bareilles, probably best known for her hit "Love Song" (I'm not going to write you a love song/cause you asked for it/cause you need one....) I've been a big fan for about three years and have seen her twice before, and this girl bleeds talent. Not only is her voice amazing, but she plays at least four instruments and as if that's not enough she writes all her own lyrics too. She was nominated for a Grammy this year and will be opening for Sugarland this summer, but I really love to see her in small venues and it was not a coincidence that our trip was planned for when she would be here.
The concert was at a place called Rams Head Live! Rams Head is in a district called Power Plant Live! and it is EXACTLY like Power and Light in Kansas City. Some of the surrounding bars are Howl at the Moon, Angel Rock Bar, PBR Big Sky Bar, and Mosiac. Sound familiar? I saw somewhere that it is owned/managed by the Cordish Company, the same people that manage Power and Light. Rams Head was actually pretty cool, three levels of standing room and balconies. Sara put on an amazing show as always:
The show was a little long and we did not get back to the hotel until very late, which is why I'm just now blogging.
Overall, we had a good time in Baltimore and I'm glad we took a day to visit. I think we're going to go back after work on Wednesday to go to an Orioles game at Camden Yards. However, I think the trip could have been enhanced with a little more planning so that we could have optimized our time there and really learned about the sites we were seeing.
Today, tomorrow, and Wednesday we are working so I probably will not be blogging. The most exciting thing I could tell you from today are the weird street names I am noticing. So far I have seen Gay Street, Battery Avenue, Temporary Road, and Frying Pan Road. I am not making these up!
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