Baltimore

Sometimes when you are local to an area you take it for granted.  It's only when you leave and return as a tourist that you can appreciate what a city or destination has to offer.  Having grown up in Maryland with many forays into Baltimore to watch the O's games, to shop, to see a show, to visit the Aquarium or the Inner Harbor, I never really saw it from a tourist point of view.   However, this past weekend changed that.  Visiting for an art exhibition, we decided to live like tourists.  

As a born and raised Marylander, no visit is truly complete without eating steamed crabs, so our very first stop in Baltimore was Nicks Fish House where we split a dozen crabs between us.  As that was not enough to actually satisfy our hunger we also ordered crab dip and crab pretzels!  Crabs don't get much better than this!!

After cleaning up (a definite necessity!) we headed to the Inner Harbor where we'd booked a room at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel.  

 The hotel was beautiful and perfectly located.  The lobby was hopping with activity and people enjoying themselves visiting with friends, or drinking their Starbucks and reading or working at a table.

Our room was modern and very comfortable....

With a spectacular view of the Inner Harbor which was just steps away.

On Saturday morning, we walked more than a few steps (about 6 blocks) to get to a "cafe with character" my husband had discovered searching on the Internet.  It definitely  had character and my first impression was that it was a bit too macabre for me...

 but he told me think of it as a nod to Edgar Allan Poe and to embrace it - so I did! We even sat beneath this Raven! lol

I can not tell you enough how truly AMAZING this breakfast was.  I was super glad we walked the 6 blocks to get there (although 600 blocks may have been more necessary for all the calories! lol!)  The portions were huge so we shared.

Cap'n Crunch French Toast is a specialty and a customer favorite - for very good reason. It is DELICIOUS!!

Sweet Baby Jesus was our other choice.  Hash browns, tomatoes, lump crab meat, eggs and hollandaise sauce made up this scrumptious plate of food.

The coffee was the only weak link in our breakfast - as I prefer mine stronger - but the mugs had enough attitude to make up for the weaker coffee.

A few hours later we all met up for an Inner Harbor Sightseeing Cruise.  It was a super hot day but the AC interior and the breezy top made it an enjoyable way to see the sights of Baltimore.  Choose seating on the starboard side for the best viewing! 

There are games aboard too for those who want to be entertained by more than just sightseeing.

My favorite part of the cruise was passing Fort McHenry as they played the Star Spangled Banner.  This proud AF wife may have had something in my eyes during that portion!

Speaking of Fort McHenry, we stopped by there for a couple hours before heading to the airport to drop off our oldest daughter.  Its part of the National Park service so offers free admittance for active duty servicemen, and disabled vets get a free lifetime pass for themselves and up to 3 adult guests.  Thank you National Park Service!  As our time was extremely limited, we appreciated this perk very much - however, normal entry fees are a reasonable $15 for guests over 16.  (Under 16 is free)

Be sure to catch the movie about the Battle of Baltimore.  The ending is a moving experience!