May 6-May 9                                 BALTIMORE, MARYLAND

The five hour cruise to Baltimore was uneventful and familiar.  We had made this journey several times last year in our newly purchased boat on our initial visit to the Chesapeake. The bay was crowded with fishing and crabbing vessels taking advantage of the mild winds and sunny weather.  Six massive oil tankers were at anchor near Annapolis, awaiting their turn to go into Baltimore.  We cruised between them, feeling like a mouse in a room filled with elephants. Strong currents occasionally made steering a challenge as the autopilot could not hold the course. 

The massive Francis Scott Key Bridge, at the entrance of the harbor to Baltimore, is the introduction to one of this nation’s most beautiful and interesting areas for boaters.  Passing by Fort McHenry with the Star-Spangled Banner  “so proudly waving” and large naval vessels docked on the opposite shore,  huge warehouses attest to the importance of Baltimore as a major port. The city docks were vacant of other pleasure craft and we were assigned to a prime place for viewing the waterside scene.  We were delighted to meet again our favorite dock hand, Dominick, “the only White guy” (his descriptive phrase to identify himself from the other dock hands). 

After docking, we rode the Circulator, a free shuttle that makes a five mile loop north and south from the Inner Harbor (there is another one that does the same trip east and west), to a small hardware store in Federal Hill.  Serendipitously, we found the brass grommets needed to complete the fender hangers David has been working on since last year and which I have been “regularly urging” him to complete.             
        

The Happy Hour crowds were evident and the streets were filled with people heading toward the nearby stadium to watch an Orioles baseball game.  We decided to take a break, have a snack, and enjoy the ambiance.  David chose the restaurant with the prettiest waitress and we munched on fried eggplant spears and rocket salad. Very good!  We walked the approximately ten blocks (all downhill) back to the harbor and were pleased that David, although tired, was not in pain. 

The predicted thunderstorm proved to be brief but it was fun to sit on the aft deck and watch the lightening and dark clouds come in from the north before the rains began to fall. We were reminded of a similar evening four years ago when we were here on a chartered boat with Joe Usher, our son-in-law.  He and David sat for hours one evening watching it rain, sipping Scotch, and “solving the problems of the world.”  Bored with all of their profundity, I went to bed early.

Saturday was another gorgeous spring day that began with a large wedding party boarding the Spirit of Baltimore, a party vessel on the adjacent dock.  We had a perfect view of all the outside activities.  The Spirit was apparently fully booked as people were boarding all day for harbor cruises.  That evening it was the scene of a large high school prom and we sat on deck to watch the fashion parade.  The girls were dressed in fancy party gowns, with elaborate hair styles, and stiletto heels.  Most of the boys had on casual shirts and slacks—they were not going to play the social game (and probably never would!).

                             

I made a visit to Cross Street Market to buy fresh Maryland crabmeat.  It was expensive ($31.00 a pound) but I wanted the real thing.  The waiter at Coolighan’s Pub in Cambridge had given me the recipe for crab cakes and I was eager to try it. Walking back through the historic neighborhood of Federal Hill was so pleasant that I took my time and visited several of the small shops, including the funky Book Escape, a tiny version of Half-Price Books in Texas. Baby strollers and dogs on leashes were everywhere as people were enjoying the weather and the weekend.

    

David stayed in his pajamas until time to go to dinner at 7:30 PM.  He had worked on boat projects, reviewed reports for SGA, and had thoroughly enjoyed being a slob.  Taking the Circulator, we went to the Blue Agave, a unique Mexican restaurant in Federal Hill.  Definitely not Tex-Mex, Blue Agave is noted for its interesting menu featuring many fruits and vegetables from Central America and Mexico.  We found the food to be delicious.

                                                                                           

Mother’s Day is apparently a major holiday in Baltimore.  Lines were forming on the dock for the Spirit at 9:30 AM and the boat was constantly on the move until 10:00 PM.   Again, we could witness a fashion show as men, women, and children were dressed in Sunday best. All day large and small family groups strolled the Inner Harbor.  Restaurants were filled and flower vendors were busy. We enjoyed watching the children ride in the sea dragon boats and waving to the passing pirate ship that continually crossed our stern.  Long lines formed in front of the aquarium and bands played on top of Federal Hill.  It was a holiday atmosphere and we were enthralled.

 I made a pilgrimage to one of my favorite places, the Walters Art Museum.

The Walters, father and son, were eclectic collectors who were enormously wealthy from investments in banking and railroads.  The original building for the museum was patterned after an Italianate palace and is still one of Baltimore’s most beautiful structures.  The collection has a broad range of select objects that testify to the incredible interests and curiosities of its founders:  natural history specimens, armor, weapons, porcelains, glassware, jewelry, paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, and more from all over the world, ancient and modern.  It’s a place where one could spend days perusing the walls and cases.  My favorite object, and one that I always have to re-visit, is an exquisite and unusual tiger necklace by Rene Lalique, a jewelry designer before becoming a maker ofReturning to the boat, I detoured to Sure Fresh Market to buy provisions.  It is equivalent in quality to a small Central Market with an outstanding bakery and seafood area.  It is on the Circulator route and, thereby, convenient for boaters. As previously noted, good grocery stores near docks are rare.   Dinner was on the boat.  My crab cakes were outstanding but still not as wonderful as those at the Cambridge Yacht Club.  I will keep trying. 

We were so immersed in the lifestyle of the Inner Harbor, we decided to delay leaving for another day.  Monday is another sunny day and we purposely will keep our activities simple in preparation for the busy days ahead as we make our way to Philadelphia. We plan to ride our bikes to the south side of the harbor and visit the picturesque neighborhood below Federal Hill Park.  Baltimore offers so much that we always enjoy being here and experiencing its many charms and gracious people.