Sat/Sun/Mon Oct 10-12: Hanging in Baltimore

In which we walk our feet off ...

 

Let's just say that these three days were filled with W A L K I N G, at least 5+ miles a day, and we saw a LOT.  The second day we did another scavenger hunt from Let's Roam, and ended up in a less then fabulous area.  But that is not the first time we have done that, and people are always so nice.  The coherent ones, anyway.

I'll break it down into -

 

General interest:

You can never go wrong starting your day with a cat/dog scenario.

Cute little contraption for getting trash that comes down the streams so it doesn't get into the harbor.

The leaves are turning - at least on half the tree.  Or it is doing a chameleon thing with the sports car.

Awww - the Shakespeare Theater (Theatre?) folks trying to cheer us up with his quotes!

Just more gorgeous scenery...

 

This incredible cluster is the personal shopping/grocery delivery business for Whole Foods in full swing.  It takes up half of the front of the store.

Sights:

This lovely building is, wait for it ... the old sewer treatment plant! Now it is a Public Works Museum (whatever that is) - the marketing material says it is a 'surprisingly interesting' museum.  Now THAT is a ringing endorsement.

Screw Pile Lighthouse in the wharf area.

I really wanted to see the Peabody Library - since libraries are a mecca for me.  BUT - it was closed. 

 

 

Baltimore is home to Fort McHenry, famous for inspiring  Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner.  This is the 'Flag House' where the flag that he immortalized was sewn.  Actually, it got too big and had to be finished in a warehouse, but still ... this is where Mary Young Pickersgill began the project in her flag sewing shop.

No visit to Baltimore would be complete without stopping by Edgar Allan Poe's Grave, quoth the raven.

St Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church is on the typical tourist itinerary, of course.  Because that's one of the iconic things you associate with Baltimore. Said no tourist, ever.

Museums:

 I dragged Rick to the American Visionary Art Museum - which focuses on 'intuitive, self-taught artistry'; art that is also sometimes called 'outsider' art. I'm pretty interested in that, and he is a good sport.  He ended up enjoying it just as much as I did.  Some outsider art is a head-scratcher, but at its best it is thought provoking, and often delightful.  Plus there was literally no one else there so we didn't have to worry about other people breathing on us.

What a good sport.

Yes - it's a ball of bras.  You read that right.

In return I accompanied Rick to the Reginald F Lewis Museum to see the Freedom Bound - Runaways of the Chesapeake exhibit. We are doing our best to get educated and 'woke', and so have recently watched Harriet and are interested in learning more about runaways specific to the area we have been traveling.  I remember being so interested in the Underground Railway when I was a girl - I hoped I would be brave enough to help, and also brave enough to hide my Jewish neighbors.

And food eaten!:

 

I really wanted to get ice cream at this store, but I was afraid. Very afraid ...

We had pizza at Bartender's, we had avocado rolls at Cheesecake Factory, we had mini-donuts from a street vendor at the Sat Farmer's Market, (never had a chai). But the WHOLE REASON we came to Baltimore was because Rick, who is a devoted Guy Fieri fan, wanted to get a pit beef sandwich at Chaps, which he had seen on Guy's Triple D. We bought enough 'food' to last several meals!

He is so HAPPY! It's so easy to make Rick happy - Note to self: do so more often.

We stayed an extra day in Baltimore because Mr. Weather predicted rain, starting at 2pm on the 11th, and wind coming up that night and lasting through Oct 12. He was not wrong - it was raining and howling by the last night.  I was so happy to be tied up to a dock.  He does take good care of us. We just hung out on Monday, watched TV (The Secret Garden on Redbox), did laundry, took naps, read books (I'm in the middle of 5 books - two on Kindle, 1 that we are listening to together on the bridge and 2 real books.  I'm not gonna lie - it can be confusing).  Consequently we were both exhausted by 8pm!

Good night!