A fine weekend in Baltimore

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Friday we met Rick at the motel just off I-695 and drove downtown for dinner. I had told him I wanted crab—I mean why else go to Baltimore—and he took us to a little place called Koco’s Pub.


Last year we had stopped at a place on the south side of town that specialized in whole crabs. You bought a half dozen or a dozen and they steamed them with lots of Old Bay seasoning and served them on a bed of salt. Way too much salt for even my taste and I like my chips and pretzels saltier than the Dead Sea! I don’t remember now if I had two or three beers with my dozen crabs but I do remember my lips and tongue tingling for two days afterwards. Koco’s was ten times better!

It’s not a fancy restaurant by any means and parking can be a problem. It’s just a friendly neighborhood tavern with a few tables to serve meals. But what meals! Instead of whole crab, they specialize in crab cakes. Their crab cake platter was served up with fries and cole slaw had one HUGE crab cake the size of a softball and consisting of lump meat that must have come from at least three giant crabs and maybe half a dozen medium sized blue claws. There was virtually no filling of peppers or bread and just enough batter to hold the thing together. Delicious!

If you’re ever in Baltimore and want some great crab cakes, this is the place to go.

After dinner, Rick took us up to Druid Hill Park so we could get a view of the city. Druid Hill is one busy place! Basketball players, joggers, cyclists, tennis players and picnickers were numerous. The view was extensive, but the Inner Harbor was hidden by several small hills.


On Saturday morning we drove down to the Inner Harbor to go to the National Aquarium. (Why does it cost so much to get into the National Aquarium, yet the National Zoo (like all of the Smithsonian exhibits) is free? Perhaps it’s because it is NOT a government run operation. Who owns the land and building, and who directs the Aquarium? )

Inside, we enjoyed the special exhibits of Australia and of the Tropical Rainforest. They have recreated the environments of both areas in walk-through fashion. The Australian exhibit starts with some aboriginal pictographs:


(For those who may be Disc World fans, I didn’t spot any pictographs of kangaroos or wizzards.)
Both exhibits had aviaries where birds were free to fly. The rain forest featured this ham who perched right along the side of the walkway in bright sunlight so you couldn’t miss seeing him.


Taking pictures of fish, turtles or frogs through the glass would have been possible, I suppose, but I didn’t even think to do so. Sorry.
After several hours of watching the fish swim around and around, peering through glass cases to spot the colorful poison arrow frogs, and dodging the birds in the aviaries, we emerged into the bright daylight to walk along the Inner Harbor for a bit.
Lots of people gathered around the outdoor performance area to watch some kind of break dancing display.

Others were renting paddle boats to venture out on the water. The most popular paddle boats were shaped like Dragons. I suppose they were supposed to be Chessie, but they looked more like Champy (from Lake Champlain) to me.


Other folks were just waiting for the water taxi to take them on a tour or to simply cross the Harbor. Or they were enjoying the sunshine and watching the boat traffic which included this sternwheeler.

We stopped at the Tír na nÓg Irish Bar & Grill for lunch. From there, we could overlook all the Inner Harbor activities yet have a quiet glass of ale with our meal.

After lunch we walked back to The Power Plant, home of ESPN Zone, Hard Rock Café and Barnes & Noble. We were looking for some books, so you can guess which of the three we went to.

No, we were not in search of Harry Potter’s latest adventure. I know where I can lay my hands on a copy of that. From a Hogwarts Faculty Member?

Next on our agenda was some more park hopping. First up was Patterson Park to see the most unusual Pagoda. Unfortunately, the building was closed. Apparently it is only open on Sunday. Oh well.

The park area served as a gathering point during the War of 1812 and from the vantage point of Hampstead Hill where the pagoda now stands, folks could allegedly see the glow from the fires of the nation’s capital and the bombardment of Fort McHenry.

However, by 1861 when the Civil War threatened to dissolve the Union, all parks and open spaces were earmarked for troop occupation. Camp Washburn was established. Later, a hospital, Camp Patterson Park, was set up. Once again, Hampstead Hill was a strategic military lookout and fortification.

From Patterson Park, we drove back through the center of the city and south to Fort McHenry. It was, of course, the bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814, during the War of 1812, that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” that became our National Anthem.

”…O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? …” YES!

The Francis Scott Key Bridge viewed from Fort McHenry.

Next up was Federal Hill Park on the south side of the Inner Harbor. Like almost every high point of land, this flat-topped hill served as a strategic lookout during the Revolution and the War of 1812. It was occupied by Federal troops during the Civil War. Their purpose was to ensure Baltimore behaved and remained in the Union. If Baltimore, and the rest of Maryland, succeeded in seceding, Washington, D.C. would have been isolated. Today, the Hill provides a lovely view of the Inner Harbor and the Outer Harbor.


By the time we left Federal Hill Park, it was time for dinner. We went down to the Rusty Scupper located on the south shores of the Inner Harbor and under the shadows of federal Hill and enjoyed another excellent meal while looking out over the Harbor.

Looking Northwest from Federal Hill across the Inner Harbor to Downtown Baltimore.

Looking to the Northeast across the Inner Harbor from Federal Hill. The partially red building just to the left of center is the Rusty Scupper.

After dinner, Rick drove us back to our motel, where Terry and I took a quick dip in the pool before turning in for the night.

Sunday morning, Rick showed up with some things he wanted us to take back to the Aerie. He has just two weeks remaining in his summer post with Baltimore youths and then he is off to Guyana with WorldTeach to teach high school math.

Terry plays the proud Mom to Rick’s “aw, shucks” Son.

Things couldn’t have been smoother on our drive back to the Aerie. It’s just about 220 miles from the motel at which we stayed (maybe 10 miles from the Inner Harbor) to the Aerie. But we did have some anxious pussycats demanding to know where-the-heck we had been and insisting they be fed…NOW!!..when we opened the door.

It was a great weekend and the weather couldn’t have been better. Hazy, hot and humid days departed for the three days we were in the city but promise to return by Tuesday so I guess we lucked out.