A surprise stop at Towson’s Hampton House
Towson, MD
I know it’s a Monday, but I managed to squeeze in a short photo trip this afternoon. My nutritionist and I had a small miscommunication regarding our appointment time this afternoon, which put me in Baltimore more than an hour early. Not wanting to sit in her waiting room that long, I set out to find something else to occupy the time. Fortunately, I had already noticed signs for a National Historic Site in the area and had my camera just waiting for action.
The Farm
Farmhouse
Dairy
The farmhouse is used as the site’s visitor center. It’s surrounded by various small buildings, many were servants’ (or slave, at a point) quarters. I arrived right at closing time, but I was able to sneak into a few of the buildings before the doors shut. The dairy was kind of a neat building. It had an underground spring diverted through it in order to keep it cool. The park ranger on duty was very enthusiastic about the structure. He rambled on and on about it without any prompting.
The Mansion
Mansion
Back Gardens
The garden behind the Georgian-style Mansion was fairly large. At this point, it’s mostly green, but I’m sure it’s colorful in the spring. There are a few greenhouses and stables on the property as well. Somewhere in the back is a small family cemetery, but I didn’t have time walk to it.
Today’s Flickr set: estate photos
I really liked the park ranger there. He was very nice and extremely knowledgeable about the site, which was helpful, but not overbearing. We ran into each other a couple of times while I was there, so I took the opportunity to ask a few questions about the place. The government acquired the land, which had been in the family for six generations, after the owners were forced to relinquish it to pay back-taxes. Ouch. The estate and house have no particular historical significance, except, at one time, it was the largest house in the US. The mansion and estate date back to the Revolutionary War period. Now, I think the site’s “claim to fame” is in the story of its multi-social class inhabitants, a population ranging from the indentured servants and slaves, who worked the land, to the array of wealthy merchant estate owners.
Strolling Historic Charles Street
I had another softball tournament this weekend, so I had not planned to take a photo trip at all, but plans changed, as usual. The thing is we actually did fairly well yesterday, which put us on track to have an easy start to today’s play. We finished at the top of our pool, pitting us again the last seeded team in the second pool this morning. Theoretically, that means we should have had a relatively easy win to propel us forward in bracket play, ultimately leading us to the championship game against the other first seed. Yeah, well it turned out to be just the opposite (which is of course why games are played). We were one-and-done…again. We lost our very first game, leaving the day totally open. Frustrating.
However, on the upside, it did leave enough space for a short walk. Our tournament was near Baltimore, also conveniently between the park and my house, so that’s where I went. Fortunately, I was prepared with a pre-planned route and my camera. It’s not that I didn’t have faith in my team and expected us to lose so early, I was just prepared in case it did happen. There’s a difference… I think. I’ve wanted to walk up Historic Charles Street for a while, so I decided today was as good of a time as any.
Inner Harbor
View from the Inner Harbor
Baltimore Holocaust Memorial
I parked in a fixed-fee lot near the Inner Harbor, but I didn’t spend much time in the area. It’s much too crowded for me in the middle of a weekend day. Between the water, shops and museums, the area attracts too many people for my comfort level. I walk to get away from stress and fighting through large crowds is stressful for me.
On my way out of the Inner Harbor, I passed the Baltimore Holocaust Memorial. I think it’s easy to miss and at first glance it’s rather unremarkable, but with further examination, it’s quite symbolic. The majority of structures within the memorial plaza are reminiscent of the railway system used to carry victims to the concentration camps. The railroad lining the plaza, the lamp posts scattered through it, and the large rail boxcar-shaped monoliths to the rear. Front and center in the memorial is The Flame sculpture. What a disturbing, yet magnificent piece.
Mount Vernon
Washington Monument
Going down?
View of Baltimore from the top of the Washington Monument
In the middle of the Mount Vernon neighborhood is a cross-shaped plaza made by two intersecting ‘squares,’ which are actually rectangles The center piece is the local Washington Monument, designed by Robert Mills, who later designed the GW monument in DC. The base holds a very small museum dedicated to the first US President and has a statue of Washington on top of the large column.
I walked up the 228 steep, narrow stairs to the top of the 178-ft column. It was tight. I’m glad I was the only one with that idea in that moment. More than one person on the stairs or in the small space at the top would have been too many. I mean quite frankly, one person being in there seems like too many. The hike up was somewhat intense, but very doable. My legs were definitely shaking after I made it back down. The view was well worth it, though.
City Center
Baltimore City Hall
Shot Tower.
The final leg of the walk took me by City Hall, the War Memorial (honoring local WWI and WWII casualties), the Shot Tower and the Fraternal Order of Police Memorial.
The Phoenix Shot Tower, in my opinion, has to be one of more recognizable historic landmarks in the city. It was used to produce shots for both small arms and larger weapons, by dropping molten lead from the top into a cold water bath at the base. It’s now a museum run by Carroll Museums.
So, after the poor start, the day turned out fairly well. It was a beautiful, clear day. Not too hot. Really, it probably worked out in my favor. After three hours of walking, I certainly saw a decent portion of the city.
Today’s Flickr set: city pics
A stop at court
Towson, MD
Nothing special today, just a brief stop before my nutritionist appointment at the Baltimore County Courthouse in Towson. I’m not sure what compelled me to drive over, other than I had time and it was close.
Obviously it’s a nice building, but there’s not much to the area. There’s a small courtyard/garden surrounding the building, which is scattered with various statues and memorials, including the county’s Vietnam Memorial. So, not much, but I only had to waste about 30 minutes, so it fit in well.
Today’s Flickr set: courthouse grounds
*well, there wasn’t enough for a specific set, so the pictures are in my Anywhere, 2007 set
Wandering the streets of Annapolis
This morning I scheduled a blood donation with the American Red Cross. It’s something I try to do on a regular basis, but I’m rejected half the time, due to low iron. Well, that’s what happened today. They deferred me. Boo. Oh well, I’ll try again in a week or so.
Anne Arundel County, MD
After my failed blood donation attempt, I took a trip to the Maryland state capital. I needed to add a little variety to my weekend trip scenery, so I switched it up to a small, historic city along the Chesapeake Bay. Really, talk about a great combination… tons of history and a body of water. What more could I want? Not to mention there’s two colleges packed in as well. There’s plenty to see.
City
Maryland State House
All of the state government buildings are grouped together on one side of the city, which is where I started. Turns out the government parking deck is free on the weekends. Much better than paying by the hour when I intended to stay for the entire day. The Maryland State House, which is the center piece, is the oldest state capitol in the country still in use. I meandered around its circle for awhile. There are several memorials, including statues of Maryland natives US Justice Thurgood Marshal and Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney, scattered on the grounds. It is a beautiful building. Tours are available, but I didn’t take one. I’m not sure what the weekend tour schedule is like, but the building didn’t seem to be open while I was nearby.
Main Street
Maryland Fire Rescue Services Memorial
The state fire and rescue memorial was one of the first things I noticed as I drove in. I’m not sure what to make of its location. It certainly caught my eye, but it’s awkwardly located in terms of visiting. It’s in a roadway island on the outskirts of the city. Anyway, the statue, entitled Between Morning and Midnight, depicts a firefighter and EMT ‘walking up to heaven’ leaving behind a family of three. There are two nearby low-walls listing the state’s fire and rescue personnel killed on duty.
Annapolis Harbor
Chase-Lloyd House
There were several historic houses noted in the tourist information booklet, so walked by several. The Chase-Lloyd House was closed for a private party and the rest weren’t open yet when I passed by. I should probably put a little more thought into my timing.
College Campuses
United States Naval Academy
Tecumseh Court
Stribling Walk, with a statue of the academy’s unofficial mascot, Tecumseh
I took a guided tour of the Naval Academy. It cost a couple of bucks, but to be honest, I wasn’t sure how things worked. I assumed I might need a ticket to walk around campus, which is what I wanted to do, however, that doesn’t seem to be the case. To get onto campus, an official form of ID is required, but that’s about it.
I walked through the academy’s mini-museum in the visitor center while I waited for my tour. It was interesting. They had a small exhibit about the former midshipmen who ventured into space, but most of it was about campus life and what is expected of those that attend.
Our guide told us the upperclassmen were away for the summer, either at home or at sea, leaving the campus relatively empty. The only students left were the new ‘Plebes,’ or freshmen, and a few upperclassmen instructors. Apparently first-years spend the summer months on-campus learning the ropes before the upperclassmen return and normal life begins.
I thought the campus tour was neat. We went into a few of the buildings and the guide was nice resource to have. We went into see the gym, a residence hall, Memorial Hall, which was beautiful, and John Paul Jones’ tomb in the Navy Chapel. There are also several Navy and Marine memorials randomly placed throughout the campus. It’s a very nice campus. The football stadium is a good distance away, but it’s visible from the road heading in and out of the city. It’s huge, as one might expect for Navy football.
Saint John’s College
McDowell Hall
I was too tired to walk through too much of the St. John’s campus. I caught part of it along my way back. It seemed like it was pretty little campus. Really, I basically stepped onto it for a moment, looked around and went on my way. After five hours of walking, I was beat and just wanted to get back to my car.
I had a nice afternoon. The city was quite peaceful, with very few people out. I certainly didn’t mind, that’s just the way I like it. Although, things did begin to pick up in the afternoon as people began to crowd around the market near the harbor and fill the shops.
It turned out to be a rather cloudy day, and it shows in my pictures. I think they turned out okay, but nothing spectacular.
Today’s Flickr set: city photos
This time I had a very detail pre-plan, which I think helped. I mapped out the walk long before I reached the city, and it made things much easier. I also left without feeling I missed something. I’m definitely going to add that piece to my next trips.
A mid-morning stroll around the Inner Harbor
Baltimore County, MD
Now that it’s been three weekends, I feel it’s safe enough to say my ‘photo day trips’ are part of my weekend routine and I like it. Today I decided to sightsee in another city that I’ve blindly walked around for years, Baltimore. Between research-related activities at a university campus downtown and several regular doctor appointments in the area, I’m there at least three times a week, but have never really stopped to appreciate the area. Well, today that changed.
Inner Harbor
Power Plant
INS Tarangini, a visiting ship, docked in the Harbor
National Aquarium
View of Federal Hill from the Harbor
The National Aquarium in Baltimore is always nice to visit, however it’s a bit pricey for me. It’s definitely worth the money to go at least once or once every-so-often, but I didn’t feel like shelling out the $25.00 today. I went last summer while the seahorse and sea-dragon exhibit was there, which was amazing. I’m waiting for the next cool exhibit to set up shop. The Dolphin Show is a must see, if you‘re there.
Federal Hill
View of the Inner Harbor from Federal Hill Park
View of the neighborhood and M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Ravens!
Federal Hill is the center point of its adjacent neighborhood. There’s a small park perched on the hilltop, with a great view of the Inner Harbor. There’s fenced in public play ground and several War of 1812, specifically the Battle of Baltimore, memorials lining the edge. It’s a great place to sit and relax.
Camden Yards
Stadiums
Camden Yards, Go O’s!!!
Just to put it out there, I’m a long-time Orioles fan. I’ve followed them for years. I’ll admit I’ve slowly faded over the past eight years or so, as the team remains fairly mediocre, but I still root for them. My grandfather used to take me to games at Memorial Stadium and my first few at the then-new Camden Yards. By high school, I had season tickets and loved it. As with many O’s fans, Cal Ripken was without a doubt my favorite player.
Anyway, the point is I think Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a gorgeous stadium and great atmosphere. I highly recommend catching a game there if you can… unless you’re a Yankee/Red Sock fan. The Raven’s stadium is right beside the park, which is another nice stop. I’m not a huge football fan, but I have been to a couple of games and try to keep up with the team.
Campus
aahh. A little piece of home, or at least a small connection to it. I’ve spent so many hours spent here.
After that reaching the UM-Baltimore campus, I decided to cut my visit short. I spent way too much time in the hot sun, but I’m sure I’ll make another sight-seeing trip to the city. There’s so much more to see.
Today’s Flickr set: city photos
As a side note, as with most big cities, parking can be an issue, at least in my opinion. Well, it’s more accurate to say finding reasonably priced parking for a long stay is the problem. Let’s face it, I’m working on a grad student budget here. There’s no room to pay $10.00 per hour to park for an house, let alone all afternoon. Yeah, won’t work for me. So, with some research on-line I managed to pin-point an unattended flat fee parking lot that fit my needs (and budget). It was right off South President Street in Little Italy. It’s near the Inner Harbor and only costs $7.00 for the entire day. Great!! Of course, exact change is required, but with some pre-planning that wasn’t an issue.
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