Since I have moved to the Washington area I have been longing to visit Baltimore and the inner harbor. Last night, I finally had the opportunity to experience what I had only heard about previously. Thank you Mike! Bless his heart. He drove from Silver Springs, Maryland to Fairfax, Virginia and then back to Baltimore. At the conclusion of the evening he drove me home only to return to his home in Silver Springs. The man is a saint.
One of the first things I learned about downtown Baltimore is, like DC, parking is severly limited. Mike and I circled downtown a few times before we found the perfect spot in a great neighborhood within easy walking distance to the pier.
The first ship I noticed was appropriately called, The Pride of Baltimore.

She was gorgeous. From the wheel to the anchor, which was quite large, she was a sight to behold. Her crew, I must admit, was not bad either. There's just something about men in khaki shorts, polo shirts, with perfectly bronzed skin that makes a girl like me smile and maybe stare a little longer than socially acceptable. But anyone who dares to point a finger in judgement is either blind or ignorant to some of the greatest sailing flicks of all time, i.e. White Squall. Jeff Bridges and Scott Wolf, I was sixteen when I saw it, in white docker shorts, barefoot, shirtless, tan, muscles straining and flexing as they pulled and tied ropes...Yeah. Enough said. The Pride of Baltimore's mast in the sunset. Simply beautiful.

One of the crew tying the sails down for the evening. I loved watching him navigate the ropes. He was either very talented or very experienced, probably both, because he performed this task effortlessly.

Starving, Mike and I decided to eat at a restaurant along the harbor. The weather was perfect. There was a gentle breeze and the humidity was rather mild. Unimpressed with J.Paul's we chose a strange place with an eclectic menu called The Big Kahuna. An odd mixture of Mexican and Hawaiian food I ordered a crab cake Po Boy while Mike tried their pasta. Both dishes were great and scoring a table outside we had a terrific view of the USS Constitution.
In addition to our view of the harbor we were able to watch a live calypso band perform. Following dinner we decided to join the crowd and watch the performance. It was so relaxing just sitting and listening to the music. Like my father, I am a people-watcher and loved observing the effect the music had on others.

After a song or two we wondered over to the Water Taxi and hopped aboard for an after dark tour of the harbor. Stopping at Fell's Point we decided to investigate the commercial district. Unfortunately all the shops had closed for the evening. However, the architecture is terrific and I enjoyed admiring the built environment and the changes some of Baltimore's older fabric has endured throughout the past two-hundred years.

Catching one of the last taxis back to the harbor, Mike and I decided Baltimore was definitely worthy of further investigation. Driving past Camden Yards on our way home I was impressed by how much pride the local Oriels instill in their citizens. Flags were displayed throughout the city in support of the team, something Washington should consider for their teams.

Although it took me thirty months to check it out, I can't wait for my next trip to Baltimore city.