I Seem to be Missing something on This Road Trip....Oh Right, My Car

Baltimore, Maryland

July 11th and 12th, 2009

So I think I can say that for the first time since moving to NYC, this weekend I missed my car. I am starting to get antsy again which means I need to jump in my car and head off to some other city. And it is ball season so it is easy to guess that I would be heading to that city to watch the Blue Jays. Of course my car is not with me so I had to find a different way.

Oh there she is. Remember this....the day I took her home. Can't believe it has been 3 years (see the very first post on this blog EVER for confirmation). Oh I miss her but we will be reunited, if only for a week at the end of August.

I guess I should start with that I decided late Friday afternoon that I wanted to head to Baltimore Saturday morning to catch a couple Jays/Orioles games. Of course normally I would have just jumped in my car and made the drive but now I can't. I looked into renting a car but it turns out that if you want to rent a car in Manhattan on the weekend, you need to do it before Friday night.

So my only choice was to hit the rails......that's Amtrak. Ok I could have taken the bus but can you really see me on a bus? Plus, I learned to enjoy train travel while in Europe but I must say it is not nearly as affordable here in the US as it is over there. And it doesn't seem as fun. Maybe it's just because I am not in Europe and I had to look out at New Jersey and then Delaware and then Pennsylvania before I found myself back in the friendly confines of Maryland (did I really just say that?).

Anyways, so after a nap on the train, I made it back to Baltimore and back to Oriole Park and was instantly reminded of a few things that I had forgotten......but shouldn't have because things don't ever really change.

The first being the humidity. Yeah, it is humid in New York but that isn't Maryland humidity. It was suppose to rain too (which it actually didn't until like midnight) which didn't help anything. I know I keep complaining but the humidity is killing me again this summer. I am really not sure how you people live here.

Ahhhh Baltimore. How I've.......missed you?

The second thing.....Baltimore guys. They never change and they never go away. I get comments for guys on the streets here in New York (and other places) but there is just something about the guys in B-more....that make me very happy I don't live there anymore.

The third thing...the homeless. Of course there are homeless in NYC but they don't seem to be as visible as they are in Baltimore. And I assure they are not as forward as they are in Baltimore. Panhandlers in NYC will never approach you and ask for money. They will just sit around and shake their cups and hope people will contribute. In Baltimore, one after another, they will walk right up to you and ask for money. They kept my wallet empty of spare change all weekend long.

Anyway, I think we all know I love Oriole Park. It really is a nice little ballpark and the tickets are so cheap (especially now that I am paying Yankee prices). The seats I paid $55 per game to sit in in Baltimore would have cost me more like $1000-1250 each in New York. And we know I like to sit close and call balls and strikes. I certainly did not have a problem doing that this weekend.

Upon arrival in Baltimore my two goals were to find tickets to Saturday and Sunday's games and find a hotel. Of course tickets were easy (always lots of good seat available) but finding a hotel that was good enough to host me for a night (I'm still a princess....you know I like my 5 stars) was......ok it was still easy but of course it was expensive. Sometimes I just wish I didn't care.

Anyone else find it ironic that my hotel room view was of the hospital I use to work at? Yeah, that is Johns Hopkins Hospital. The memories...or nightmares......I guess probably both.

Timing seemed to be the theme of my weekend. It just seemed like I was running into people at the right time. The first was this guy named Coswelll (yeah, that is an old school name....that's like my parents picked cotton old school). I totally ignored him the first time he said "Hey Beautiful" but the second time he wouldn't let me. It turned out good in the end. He happened to be a manager of a section of the concessions so yes I did get free beer all game long.

My view for Saturday's game. That's Marco Scuturo up to bat. I now have a baseball autographed by Marco. Fun story, so I'm leaving the hotel to head to the game on Sunday when this guy stops and starts talking to me, asking me if I am from T.O and stuff (imagine this is all with a Puerto Rican accent please). He starts telling me how he works for the players, is an agent and stuff like that. I figure he's lying to me. Turns out he wasn't. He is Alex Rios' agent and friends with a lot of the guys so he got me a ball and I got to talk to Raul Chavez (the Jay's back-up catcher) and I got a couple autographs. Fun, I know. Once again timing. If I had left the hotel a little earlier or a little later, I never would have run into Jose.

My view for Sunday's game. Yeah. I had a good time. Ahhhhhh, the Baltimore Orioles...keeping the Blue Jays out of last place for years to come. Of course if I had chosen to sell this ticket, I could have used a free ticket from Jose because Alex (that's Alex Rios, the Jays' right fielder) always leaves him two. But my seat was better, so I kept it.

Vernon Wells. He totally knows I am taking this picture.

That's Aaron Hill and Lyle Overbay. The original plate ump got injured so this is during a break in play while one of the other guys throws on his gear.

Rookie pitcher Ricky Romero. If he can stay healthy, we might of a chance.

Another rookie pitcher (that really is the theme of our season) Marc Rzepczynski. And yes I did spell that correctly.

After the game. Yeah, we lost both games but I still have team spirit.

So my weekend in Baltimore was....well it actually ended up to be very expensive, but totally worth it. I thought I had found myself settled in Manhattan. Turns out I was wrong. Appears I still have a need to travel. I guess that will help make decisions in the next few months a lot easier.

Julie

Around B-More

May 13th and 14th, 2008

Ok so my time is Baltimore seems to have been spent in other cities. I have had a hard time finding time to do some things. The spring has been very wet so wandering around the city the way I usually do just has not happened. Leave it to baseball however to get me out of my house. The Red Sox were in town and even though they are not my team (the only thing worse than cheering for the Red Sox is cheering for the Yankees) I figured it would be a good game. Plus because the Orioles are the lesser of 2 evils I figured I could even cheer for the home team. Tuesday was a very nice night and the plan was to head to one game and then check out the city on wednesday. However, the Orioles won tuesday's game in come from behind fashion so I decided I had to check out wednesday's game as well.

I do believe this is the Orioles' Brian Roberts heading up to bat but I am not completely sure.

On Wednesday, I had sometime before the game started so I wandered around downtown Baltimore first. The first place I headed to was the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum. Although Herman "Babe" Ruth is most famous for his baseball playing days in Boston and New York, he was in fact born in Baltimore and learned to play baseball just down the street from where Oriole Park now stands. (I think I mentioned this in a blog last year but that was a while ago so here is a bit of a repeat). The house he was born in is also just down the street from the ballpark and actually very easy to find.....you just have to follow the baseballs painted on the sidewalk and you will end up right at the front door. They really have done a great job with this little museum. It is full of old jerseys and bats and gloves and of course tells the entire life story of The Babe. There is also a wall that has a plaque for every one of his 714 homeruns. It is funny 714, does not look as impressive hanging on a wall and although that record has now been surpassed twice (of course first by Hank Aaron and most recently by Barry Bonds) it is very impressive. It was a very enjoyable little stop on my tour.

One of Babe Ruth's game jerseys and bat

My walk of downtown Baltimore then took me to the grave site of Edgar Allan Poe. He of course was the great American poet whose works includes The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart. He was also an editor and literary critic. He was born Edgar Poe in Boston in 1809. After his father abandoned the family and the death of his mother a short time later he was taken in by the Allan family in Richmond Virgina. Edgar took the name but was never formaly adopted by the Allans. His writings took him to many different cities including Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City. His life was an interesting one which included 4 marriages, including his final to his 13 year old cousin in 1835, several children born out of wedlock, a stint in the military and many years of alcoholism and erratic behaviour. He died at age 40 in Baltimore in 1849 due to unknown causes. He was found wandering the streets incoherently but he was never coherent enough before his death to explain. Newspapers reported his death being due to "brain congestion" (often seen with alcoholism), but it has also been contributed to cholera, drugs, heart disease, rabies, suicide, syphillis, epilepsy, and TB among other things. All medical records including his death certificate have been lost so the cause of death will remain a mystery.

As I continued my walk around downtown Baltimore I passed by a few other things as well. Here is a sampling.

This is Baltimore's City Hall

This memorial is dedicated to "The Negro heros of the United States". It sits in front of City Hall.

This 65.5 metre (215 feet) structure is a shot tower. It was used in the 19th century to produce ammunition pellets for muskets. Molten lead was poured through perforated pans from pouring stations near the top of the tower. The pellets were rounded by the swift passage down the shaft. They cooled and solidified in the quenching tank of water at the bottom. This tower was built in 1828. It is the last remaining tower in Baltimore which was once home to 3 shot towers. This tower would have produced close to 500,00 25 pound bags of pellets a year and was once one of the largest suppliers in the US. It remained in operation until 1892 and then was abandoned by it's owners due to rising costs. Eventually it was scheduled for demolition before a group of citizens purchased it and turned it into a musuem. I drove by this tower everyday on my way to Hopkins and was sure that it was a look -out tower but was corrected once I took the time to visit it.

Sorry I cannot remember what this memorial is for but it was random so I had to take a picture.

This is part of the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police Memorial

Some random artwork. I could not find a sign so not sure what it is called or who the artist is.

From there it was back to Oriole Park for some more baseball. It was another come from behind win for the home team which I truly enjoyed. Quite funny becuase there were probably more Red Sox fans there than Oriole fans (which is very often the case in visiting ballparks when the Red Sox are in town) but the locals went home happy and that is all that counts.

Baltimore pitcher Daniel Cabrera and second baseman Brian Roberts

Boston's Manny Ramirez at bat

Julie

Jackie Robinson Day

April 15, 2008

It just wouldn't be April in Baltimore without a trip to Oriole Park at Camden Yard. The Blue Jays popped into town for a short 2 game series to play the surprisingly good Orioles (let's face it we all thought they would be the worst team in the league this year but as it turns out not so much) and I had to work both days. However I willingly gave up my friday night off so that I could catch the game on tuesday. (is that dedication or what?) Of course April 15th in major league basball is Jackie Robinson Day. On April 15, 1947 Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play major league baseball. The league retired his number throughout baseball in 1997. On April 15th any player who wants to wear it in tribute is allowed to. In the Blue Jays' case Frank Thomas, Vernon Wells and Shannon Stewart (who acutally didn't play) all wore 42.

The view from my very good seats.

April 15th at Oriole Park also happened to be free t-shirt give away day so although I was dressed in my Blue Jays' best, I still came away with a free Orioles t-shirt. (If anyone but me is counting I now have collected 2 free ball hats and 2 free t-shirts at ball games since last year) .

Vernon Wells warming up before the game.

Well anyone who saw this game (let's face it no one did because everyone was watching hockey) it was an excellent 11-3 win for the Jays. I sat with a group of very fun (and pretty cute) boys who came up with some of the best heckling I have heard in a good long time. I of course was not completely immune from the heckling (they called me Joe Carter for most of the game but they still bought me beer so it all worked out) however I did impress them with my baseball knowledge and although they were heckling my team I have to admitt they were pretty funny. Still have to figure out what they said though close to end of the game because apparently Vernon Wells almost came into the stands with a bat after them but we will leave that for another day. Most exciting thing was how close I actually came to catching a foul ball. It actually bounced of the hands of the guy behind be and landed at the feet of the guy in front of me.

Frank Thomas sporting Jackie's #42 awaiting his turn at bat. He of course was released by the Jays about a week after this game so I am going to have to watch Oakland A's games if I want to see him play again.

Anyway, it was a a really fun night at the ballpark. Hopefully there will be a few more of those before I leave Baltimore at the end of May.

Julie

Back to the Aquarium

March 6, 2008


Well it is spring time in Baltimore (it feels that way most days anyways) so I had to head back to the aquarium. Keisha and I finally found some days that we both had off (which has proven to be harder than we expected) and headed for a visit. This is actually Keisha's second time living in Baltimore but she did not make it to the aquarium last time she was here so it was new to her. For me it was the second time around and as expected not much has changed....but still fish are fun so I enjoyed it.

Don't ask me why, but the little frogs that just hang out behind glass always make me smile.

One of the many, many fish at the aquarium.

I love this aquarium. I wish I could have made mine at home look like this.

Hanging out in Australia....okay just the Australian exhibit. I think they removed some of the big snakes since last year and I know they did remove the giant bats.

There is a new attraction though, The 4D movie. Now of course most of us have seen at least one 3D movie so we were very curious to see what that 4th D would involve. We very quickly learned after the movie started as we were sprayed with water...as the whale swam across the screen, and our feet were run over, as the rats ran across the screen and my absolute least favourite, we were poked in the back, as the snake on screen looked to strike. Keisha and I spent parts of the movie with our feet off the floor and leaning forward. It was a very interesting experience to say the least. There were a few kids in the theatre that had to leave. It scared them a little and not much of a warning as to what we would see. If you are around though, check it out.

Keisha and I waiting for the movie to start.

I tried to take the glasses home but they wouldn't let me. Too bad because Keisha and I would have worn them to lunch.

Julie

Visiting Annapolis #2

February 11, 2008

The Maryland State House

Annapolis also happens to be the capital of Maryland so no trip would be complete without a tour of the State House. I must say this is the smallest State House I have visited thus far.

Basically it is just one main corridor with the Senate Chamber on one side and the House of Representatives on the other. Upstairs there are just a few offices including that of the Governor. Shortest tour I took considering the history this building has seen. The Maryland State house served as the Capitol of the United States from November 1783 until August 1784. It is the oldest State House in the country that is still in legislative use. It was in this building that in December of 1783 that George Washington resigned his commission (of course he later went on to become American’s first President).

They are currently restoring the room where this resignation took place (when I was there just a lot of plaster and bricks). I know it will look much better than this once the restoration is complete. Small building with a lot of history.

Here is a memorial dedicated to Thurgood Marshall. It sits in front of the state house.

Annapolis is also part of another very important story in history. It was at the Annapolis harbour on September 29, 1767 that the slave ship the Lord Ligonier arrived with 98 slaves. One of those slaves happened to be a seventeen year old Kunta Kinte. Of course the story of Kunta Kinte is told in the pages of Alex Haley’s Roots.

The Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial sits just off the water and commemorates not just Kunta Kinte, Alex Haley and the story of their family but it commemorates all of those who arrived on American soil by way of slavery, the struggle for freedom and how all of this has made the United States what it is today.

Visiting Annapolis #1

February 11, 2008

So Annapolis has been on my list of places to visit since moving down here in September 2006. From Pikesville it is only about a 45 minute drive so I finally took sometime to go for a visit. Annapolis is a pretty small place and everything is pretty much within walking distance of each other (once you get into the downtown area), which was good because I think I picked the coldest day of this very mild Maryland winter to go visit and really did not want to be walking that far.

Of course what first comes to mind when I think of Annapolis is the rich history and a beautiful community…..oh who am I kidding it’s all about the Navy boys. Annapolis is home to the US Naval Academy. Of course I had to take a tour. There are very high standards to get in but I was interested to learn that being able to swim is not one of them. It is a requirement of graduation but you have 4 years to learn how to do it. It costs about $300,000 to educate each student at the academy but there is the 5 year commitment required upon graduation in exchange for the education.

The Submarine Monument

The Naval Academy Chapel. You will find all the usual Tiffany stained glass inside as well as a single pew that remains empty at all times as a memorial to all prisioners of war and those missing in action.

Physical fitness is a very big part of a students'day. Through intramurals, club sports or varsity athletics all students are required to participate. Winning is obviously the focus but the wins and losses that matter the most are against their biggest rival Army. Like most, the school is very proud of their athletic accomplishments. They have had 2 Heisman Trophy winners, countless national champions, and have even had athletes eventually go to the Olympics and other international events. The only name on the wall I recognized though was David Robinson who played for the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs.

The Heisman Trophy

Athletics are not the only focus and the school is very proud to have graduated (according to my last list of stats which may not be updated) 52 astronauts, 2 nobel prize winners, 45 Rhode Scholars, 73 Medal of Honor Recipients, 5 state govenors, 21 members of congress, 9 Commandants of the Marine Corps, 27 Chiefs of Naval Operations, 6 ambassadors and 1 President of the United States (the list had a bunch of other things too but I think you get the point).

Captains Row:home to some of the instructors...they of course have to have the rank of Captain to be able to live here. Instructors with lower ranks and civilian instructors are housed at other locations.

Looking up the stairs from the Rotunda of Bancroft Hall looking into Memorial Hall. Memorial hall is dedicated to alumni who gave their lives in defense of their country.

Tecumseh Court. The statue is of Indian Warrior Tecumseh who stands watch over the site of the noon meal formations for the Brigade of the Midshipmen. Tecumseh is bedecked in full war paint before home footbal games and the traditional game against Army was well as other major events. Before exams and football games pennies are thrown his way for good luck.

Julie

One more Baltimore Stop

I totally forgot to mention my other stop in Baltimore before I left the city. It was at The Walters Art Museum. Really it was like any other ary museum you will visit with a wide range of galleries. They included European Art, Asian Art, Egyptian art (including a mummy), Renaissance and Baroque Art and The Medieval World complete with a Knight's Hall (all the Knights in shining armour you could need). It was a great place to spend a quiet afternoon.

I also liked the fact that admission was free and the museum is open to everyone. Only a couple rules, no touching the art work and you have to have to wear shirts and shoes. I guess that was a problem for a little while, but now as long as you follow the rules you can come in, hang out as long as you like and experience some great art. I'm guessing it wouldn't be a bad place to escape the heat in the summer and the cold in the winter. It beats a bus shelter.

Julie

Baltimore as promised

So 3 days (well almost 3 days) seemed like enough time in Baltimore, but I am learning more and more that no matter how much time is planned in a new city it is never enough time. I'm not even going to lie, I spent my first night just wandering about the inner harbour and planning my next couple of days. So much to do and see (I say that a lot don't I) and I ended up doing very little of the things I had planned. You may all remember that I made a short visit to Balitimore in February with Tara to check out the aquarium. It was way too cold that day to wander around too much but that certainly was not the case during this most recent trip. The inner harbour is a wonderful place to grab a meal, do a little shopping, see some street entertainment and enjoy the sights and sounds of summer.

The Inner Harbour

Okay so this guy is not in the Inner Harbour but a few blocks from my hotel. I can't remember his story but I will get it next time. I don't think he is going anywhere

The next day I tried to pack in as much as I could. My first stop was at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture. What a great place this is. I wish I was able to take pictures so that I could share a little more of the experience. Really it is like every other museum I have been to but tells a story of US history that is not always told. Of course the east coast is very rich in black history and this museum was a great place to start to explore it. It has exhibits that include "Building Maryland, Buliding America" all about the role african americans played in making America what it is today, and "Things Hold, Lines Connect" tracing the music and dance and art and literature and everything through the years, from Africa, to slavery, to Motown and even Tupac. It really is a great place. I recommend it to anyone who makes a trip to Baltimore.

I then made my way back to the innner harbour where I hopped aboard the Ride the Duck tour.

Some of you may have seen these vehicles on the streets of other major cities but I have never taken one. Basically these tours take on a tour of Baltimore on the streets and then we tour the inner harbour by water...all in the same vehicle. Always a great way to see the sights and get some inside stories on the city from those who live there.

Enough Said

The Old Powerplant, from the water

Mount Vernon United Church (you will see it again)

This lighthouse use to be floating out in the Atlantic somewhere but is no longer being used, so they moved it to the Inner Harbour and turned in into a playhouse for kids.

A random building (had to throw one in....took a lot of pictures)

I then made my way over to Oriole Park at Camden Yard.

This is of course the home of Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles. While the park is not actually that old (built in 1992) it was built to have an old time feel, although I am not old enough to really get most of it (plus I have not been in enough ballparks). It also has some great history. The factory wall is still the original factory that has been there, they just built a new stadium inside it.

Bet your lawn isn't this green

The Yard. There are plaques with names and dates all down this walk-way where every home run that has cleared the stands has hit. Only one ball has ever hit the wall and it was hit by Ken Griffey Jr. in the home run derby of the allstar game.

And hey did you know that Babe Ruth was actually born in Baltimore? It's true. Although he gained all his fame as a Boston Red Sox and then as a Yankee after the Red Sox owner sold him and 15 other players to the Yankees, he was actually a native Baltimorean. In fact, if it had not been torn down to build a ball field, the house that Babe Ruth was born in would stand somewhere out in centre field just a few metres behind second base. Anyway, I of course caught a game that night however I will put pictures in another posting.

Me on the tour

And me at the game

Sunday morning I headed out to see a few more things before I headed back to Connecticut. I headed to the Washington Monument.

I know what you are thinking, isn't that in Washington? I didn't head to THE Washington monument but it was a Washington monument just the same. I am learning that every city seems to have one. I marched myself up all 228 steps to the top of the monument so that I could get a view of the city. (All those minutes spent on the stairmaster really paid off).

A few of those 228 stairs

Looking up at the Washington Monument

Looking down at Mount Vernon United Church from the top of the Monument

From there I headed to the Baltimore Basilica.

This happens to be America's First Catholic Cathedral. Once again I know what you are thinking, how does someone as unreligious as I end up at a Basilica? Really it is very easy. The history and the arcitecture drew me in. It happened to be designed by the same arcitect who designed the US Capitol and was designed to be an "American Cathedral" as opposed to a "European Cathedral. It was completed in 1821 and the complete restoration started in 2004 was just completed last year. It really is an amazing place. The lady that gave the tour was very good as well. I think I was the only non-catholic on the tour but learned a lot about the religion and the church in general. (I know what to look for when I visit other catholic churchs in the future). The highlight of the tour though was when we headed into the basement. A few years ago you would not have been able to get in there because it had filled in with sand due to a screw up in the original construction (they read the plans wrong). Now though you can visit the chapel that is in the undercroft. You also get to see some of the archtectural details that keep the church standing.

I don't know why but security guards always want to pose for pictures (remember the guys back at the Harrisburg Capitol)

Hanging out in the undercroft

My last stop on the way out a town was a quick stop. One of my alltime favourite cop dramas was filmed in Baltimore and I had to stop at the set. That show was of course Homicide: Life on the Street. Anyone who watches Law and Order: SVU will know Detective Munch who's chacater actually orginated from Homicide. This building sits on a very busy street in Baltimore where in the summer there are a lot of outdoor markets and festivals and that kind of thing. Apparently more than a few people have walked up to the door and tried to find the police...only to realize that it is not really a police station.

Yeah I guess they do look pretty real.

I then headed back to the Turnpike....the New Jersey Turnpike that is because I was heading back to Connecticut so that I could continue my trip in Boston. Although this seemed simple it did not turn out to be that way. I guess I just wasn't paying close enough attention because when I should have been following the NJ Turnpike signs I was following the I-95 signs (because that is what I did on the way down) and ended up in Philadelphia. But it was just a little side trip (I still love Philly) because it was the traffic trying to get across the Geogre Washington Bridge in New York that actually added 3 hours to my drive. It's ok though becuase it is all about the journey right? Well ok I understand about road rage because if I sat in that traffic everyday I'd shoot someone too. Here are a couple more random pictures before I go though.

Okay, so I just thought this was funny. Maybe it's just me.

"Believe" is the theme of the city created by several groups including the Baltimore Police Association. I never got the full story but I think it has something to do with beating the drugs and the gangs and the violence that crible the city. You see it everywhere but especially in some of the less "touristy areas". Just for reference, around 75% of african american men in Baltimore DO NOT graduate from high school, which is an unreal statistic

Anyway, that was Baltimore...now on to Boston.

Julie