Baltimore

We had a refreshing overnight adventure in Baltimore this past weekend. My birthday was a couple weeks ago, which gave us reason for a little indulgence and adventure. So off we went... It was nice to arrive somewhere new and different without having to drive far (less than 30 miles!)

We checked into our splendidly luxurious Inner Harbor hotel Friday evening (by far the nicest I've stayed in... flat screen bathroom TV, fantastic feather topped king bed, HUGE window overlooking downtown, gourmet coffee & tea, rooftop tennis court... what a birthday surprise!) Then walked to catch a water taxi to Fell's Point where we ate supper at Bertha's Mussels. Matt's entree was yummy (crab stuffed shrimp over rice) but mine was strangely sweet and unexpected in a wrinkle-your-nose kind of way (scallops and shrimp in cream sauce.) Luckily we both thought our appetizer was good. Beer, mussels and buttered bread. Yum. (What? Yum? Do my taste buds really like those things? Wow.)

While walking in Fell's Point we stopped for gelato, heard street performers, and saw Jupiter. An older man had his telescope set up perfectly so that Jupiter could be seen in all it's four-mooned glory. This kind gent was an electrical engineer who in his spare time reads physics magazines and helps tourists glimpse into space on clear nights. I hope other weekenders appreciate and love him as much as we did. On our return water taxi ride we imagined the best life we could for him, marveled at talented street musicians (in particular, those who perform good renditions of Somewhere Over the Rainbow) and sat close in the 70 degree late summer sea air.

Saturday was glorious. Warm, but not humid. We continued our Inner Harbor experience with lunch at J.Paul's, took a peek inside the Power Plant Barnes & Noble, saw that jellyfish really did invade the Aquarium, and toured the USS Constellation. I loved the bookstore because an old building was being re-purposed. Matt loved being surrounded by books. We both enjoyed a glimpse into a world that is part of ours, but not ours at all, via the aquarium exhibits. On the Constellation I easily spent two hours exploring all four decks and imaging life on a ship during the Civil War, while Matt happily spent most of the time napping in the breeze on the top deck.

Our last highlight was driving into Little Italy for a delicious pasta dinner and slice of chocolate cake at Amiccis. A dang good way to shrug off 26 and embrace 27.