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!

My "Staycation" is Your Vacation

I live in Virginia where they say Virginia is for Lovers.  I'm sure there are wonderful places for Lovers to vacation, but today I'm going to focus on some of the wonderful offerings for families in my "neck of the woods"!

We have beach fun, amusement parks, history, arts, and great food just to name a few!

Neptune welcomes all visitors to Virginia Beach - a beautiful beach that can be enjoyed in the winter

and the summer -

Basically, its a fabulous beach any time of year!

And if you want some activity beyond the beach, there is always The Adventure Park at Virginia Aquarium for some outdoor fun.

Next up is an amusement park - Busch Gardens Williamsburg offers fun for the whole family 

Are you a family of history buffs?  We have plenty to offer in that regard as well.

Colonial Williamsburg is the world's largest history museum.  Plenty of hands on activities and guided tours and special events take your family back in time to experience life in the 18th century and learn about American and Virginia history.

And experience authentic food in one of the local taverns on site.

My family is a big fan of the arts - fine arts and performing arts.  One probably doesn't often think of Norfolk, VA as a tourist destination but we love it and it has many great things to see and do.  Very close to Virginia Beach it has some great rainy day or just break from the beach day activities.

The Chrysler Museum  offers a very broad collection of artwork and is sure to please anyone who appreciates art.  And admission is FREE!  Closed on Mondays and select holidays.

Also in Norfolk is Chrysler Hall which offers its Broadway in Norfolk performances.  This production of Les Miserable surpassed the one I saw in London.  

My area offers so many great activities for tourists and locals alike.  These just scratch the surface.  As I tackle my "bucket list" I may revisit this topic again on this blog!  

And if these don't entice you to come see my neck of the woods,  let me plan your vacation here and I'll even share with you where to find this plate of pure yumminess!  

I close this blog with Nutella Calzone!

Chicago

Chicago!

Another one of my favorite adventures has been Chicago. So full of life and culture. I must admit I am a bit of an architecture geek. Not kidding, I dare to admit I actually have a Frank Loyd Wright Coloring Book, and I may or may not actually have colored it in with the precise Pantone shades, LOL. Speaking of being an architecture geek, the hotel I stayed at was Embassy Suites in Rosemont just a block or so from the Airport, it is with in walking distance from the subway station. This hotel is an homage to Frank Loyd Wright. The hotel has windows, carpeting and many other details that all reflect the images of FLR inspiration. The crown moldings and traditional recessed wainscoting treatments on the walls and it has a very craftsman type feel. The hotel did not disappoint. I can say the Hilton brands in general never disappoint me and always go above and beyond my service and quality expectations. The complimentary breakfast was hot, fresh and made to order.

 The first thing I did after getting settled into my room  was to grab a bite to eat for lunch at Basil's (the hotel's restaurant and bar) I had a refreshing summer salad and a tall glass of unsweet tea (why yes, yes I am a northerner lol). I went back to my room and enjoyed a nap. It sounds like a waste of time but that bed was so fluffy and soft!  As a mom to three kids, I take advantage of nap time when I can. After my nap I was able to explore a bit and found out from the friendly front desk staff that there was a free concert and fireworks show in the park across from the hotel later that evening. I spent the rest of my afternoon exploring the Rosemont area and found there was a large outlet mall and a King's concept bowling alley/gaming center with  food and drinks. I also discovered an I-fly indoor skydiving center nearby.

The next day was an all day conference and they brought in Giordano's deep dish Chicago style pizza for lunch! Giordano's is something one must experience while in Chicago, I am more of a Brooklyn style pizza lover but Giordano's was really good. Once the conference was finished, I decided to jump on the subway and take the blue line to downtown. Once downtown,I walked around a bit to see what I could see. Then I ran across a BIG BUS tour. In just about every major city in the U.S and abroad you can find Big Bus. They allow you to hop on and hop off as much as you like throughout your day and you pay a flat rate or a multi day rate. There are also several different tours you can choose from. It's an inexpensive mode of transport too. I am just going to let my photos speak for themselves. I had a terrific time.

So much to do and so much to see in this amazing city. Since I was actually here for a business convention, I only had one day to see and do it all. I took in as much as possible, the bus tour helped me to see a lot of the city and get some great photos. I kept hearing about this great place I just had to try called Eataly. Eataly is an authentic Italian dining and shopping experience. When you walk in the door downstairs you are surrounded by all sorts of Italian wines, spices, and pastas for purchase, just off to your right there are several different dessert counters, offering Gelato, and countless hand made desserts ordered ala carte and customized to your liking. I tried the salted caramel chocolate gelato with chili.  It was a party on my lips!  Afterwards, I headed upstairs for appetizers and the main course:  Yes, I ate dessert first!   Upstairs there were many different food counters to choose from:  a caprese bar, a micro brewery,  wine and antipasti specialties, and of course fresh from scratch pizza and pastas. I sampled several of the charcuteries and then had the house made goat cheese Agnolotti with a Granita. I finished off my Eataly experience with a nice limoncello.

The nice thing about Chicago is that it is a very walkable city, I took the L train from the airport to the down town red line and was able to safely walk and explore everywhere I wanted to go.  I left Eatly, and headed a few blocks away to the Navy Pier. The Navy is an iconic Chicago landmark housing a plethora of local city vendors, arts and cultural acts. The city holds many different cultural, artistic and community events. The day arrived they were actually hosting a community foam party in the front of the venue and everyone was invited to participate but I refrained. The pier was bustling with people, there were all sorts of shops and what I like to consider carnival or fair type food vendors. The Navy pier has a giant Ferris wheel and snack vendors of all types and in the summer on Saturday nights they offer a complimentary fireworks show that would put most 4th of July shows to shame.The fire works were spectacular, I sat on the steps of the venue with many other viewers taking in every moment!

Photo Courtesty of https://navypier.org/