Baltimore Trip

My trip to Baltimore was good. Drove around the B'more, Annapolis, Chesapeake, D. C. areas to see as much as time allowed. Took a 3 hour night tour of D. C. landmarks. Spent most of one day in Annapolis, drove the Bay Bridge (Chesapeake) 3 different times. Visited Fells Point, Little Italy, Camden, Inner Harbor, Federal Hill, and downtown Baltimore. Drove through some magnificently beautiful coastal farm land NW of Baltimore and stopped in old, tiny bayside townships. Also drove through the north Baltimore residential area around Charles Street---gorgeous old homes, located in wooded areas, winding roads, hills, many private schools, and old churches. Visited the Johns Hopkins complex, old cobblestone streets engineered for horses and buggies.

The D. C. tour was great...I realized that one could spend a month in D. C. and still not see everything the city has to offer. The Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and Korean War Memorial were humbling experiences as well as a visit to the Iwo Jima statue.

All people I encountered were polite and helpful and everyone was interested in conversation. My hotel (within walking distance of Camden Yards and Inner Harbor) was just across the street from Baltimore Firehouse 1. Downtown Baltimore was constantly singing the siren song.

It was crowded, but people took obstacles in stride. It was commonplace to find cars parked in a traffic lane---no one objected...just drove around the car in due time. Traffic flow was great in Baltimore...probably because everyone is not dependent on driving---bus lines, light rail, taxis, and walking all made up transportation.

I ate crab cakes in an Annapolis tavern (circa 1700's), visited Edgar A. Poe's burial site, ate and drank at the Annabel Lee Tavern (a mandatory stop for a meal if you are in Baltimore).

A downtown water-main broke and shut down lots of Inner Harbor including the National Aquarium, Maritime Museum (Taney), so I was unable to visit on-board the USCG Cutter Taney.