So I ended up in Baltimore, a city I’ve driven through and around countless times, but never had the common courtesy to stop and look around. But all that’s changed. A quick train ride north, then into a cab to a mysterious address — romance heightened by intrigue. Who could ask for anything more? Well ok, the handsome boy waiting on the sidewalk didn’t hurt either.

Baltimore is actually a nice little city, its reputation as the violent crime capital of the universe notwithstanding. There are a lot of interesting sights to see, historical landmarks and a nice inner harbor area with museums, shopping and restaurants. We saw several other areas of Baltimore that seemed to have their own unique flair as well. Sometimes the flair was a little too “straight out of Compton” — but still — flair. The city as a whole has a very unique and appealing look architecturally and we were able to snap some good pictures while we were there.

We were both a little tired from the week’s work and a tad under the weather, so we didn’t get out to see and do as much as we probably would have otherwise. (I think this is actually what we needed anyway — rest!) We stayed at a nice little bed and breakfast in the Federal Hill area and I think this let us feel more relaxed and unscheduled. We took it easy, but we were still able to hang out on Federal Hill, check out the Maryland Science Center, eat a lot of crabcakes, spend time with Poe and took in some great art at The Baltimore Museum of Art. Not to mention Camden Yards. As it often is in a new place, some of the best scenery is found just wandering around aimlessly. Still, there was a lot we are planning to go back and see that we didn’t get around to on this trip.

The weekend came and went too soon, but it’s a great memory and was a much-needed getaway. Just a few snapshots…

Panorama of Inner Harbor from Federal Hill

Ditto

Paying my respects …
Seems fitting that the circus was in town.

Swing batter, batter

Quick snap of Federal Hill neighborhood