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 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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