Capital Transitions - Riding the Rails to Washington, D.C.

(Please read our Covid 19 Statement first - Ed)  While we fell in love with the food at Supano's in Baltimore, it is a bit spendy with a final bill in the three figures for the three of us. I'd like to have one more meal there before we leave but it would push the budget.

Not to worry, our new favorite Charm City restaurant has a nice happy hour where we can eat without feeling the pangs of poverty.

A good size, delicious pizza is only $8 with liters of Natty Boh only $3.  Luckily, the hotel is only a hundred yards away and we can easily walk over to it to sleep off this pile of pizza and booze.

Derek, the host we met our first night, sits with us as we chat.  We find out we both have media work to talk about...our blog, Tim's voiceover and announcing work, travel articles while Derek tells us he's lined up financing to film a pilot and pitch it for a reality show he wants to make.


Talk turns to family and we find he's putting two of his through college while ours already made it through and he tells us one more thing: the trial of the cops that were in charge when Freddie Gray died is starting this week so he'd like us to be careful and on our toes.

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We'd heard quite a few riot tales from various people while we've been in town. We've met plenty of local citizens on both side of the divide and found most people in Baltimore to be friendly and down to earth but there seems to be a distrust of the other side and a lot of anger bubbling under the surface and it would not be a place where we'd want to be if and when it boiled over.

It's our last night anyway, we're leaving in the morning.

During our time in Baltimore, we fell in love with the Charm City Circulator, a fleet of free, wheechair friendly, and air conditioned buses with friendly drivers. We found that the Purple Line stopped in front of our hotel and went to Penn Station. That's what we're going to do when it's time to leave.

Packed up with two suitcases and a duffel bag, we're at the bus stop in the morning. Bus should be by within 10 minutes.

We wait.

We wait some more.

Finally, a lady walks by and says "are you waiting for the bus to Penn Station?"

"Yes."

"They're not running because the Freddie Gray trial started and there's a protest on the next block."

We do notice the news choppers circling above like vultures and plenty of sirens in the area. We decide to hoof it five blocks to the nearest light rail station and take that to the train station.

Once there, it takes another 45 minutes and three trains that are not going to the station passing us by until we finally get on board.

It's another hot and muggy day and my plan of taking a comfortable air-conditioned bus to the station has been dashed. We're sweaty and a bit grumpy by the time we get to the wonderfully air-conditioned lobby of Penn Station.

Luckily, the ticket vendor is a very friendly lady and exhanges three tickets to Washington, D.C. for the twenty dollar bill I hand her.

It's fairly uneventful after that as we settle into the comfortable MARC train for the short trip to Washington's Union Station. We transfer to the Red Line of the Metro subway system for a one-stop ride to the NOMA station.

The Courtyard by Marriott sits adjacent to the subway station, which as this point is no longer subterranean, and we check in to a very comfortable, accessible room featuring a huge bathroom with roll-in shower, double sinks, a tiny little kitchenette (microwave, coffee maker, and fridge), along with a king size bed with a queen size sofabed.

Our windows look out on several sets of train tracks just a few feet away. Trains go by ever few seconds from before sunrise to midnight. Uh oh...that's what we were thinking too but the Courtyard has invested in some quality sound proofing and multi paned windows.

Now, we just have a very nice trainspotting view without the sound that comes with it.

It's time for us to unpack and rest up for the D.C part of this trip. We'll catch up with you in the morning.

Darryl
Copyright 2015 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

Chasing History in Baltimore

(Please read our Covid 19 Statement first - Ed)  The two hardest things to do in Baltimore is to get there and to leave, at least if you go by our experience. One hard part is done after an all day flight, hard light rail ride, and a grungy walk to our hotel. We were exhausted and slept like logs last night.

At least Tim and I did. Letty was kept up by a group of cheerleaders in a nearby room.

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Now, it’s Sunday and we’re ready to see this city but we’re carless. That’s OK, it’s by choice. We are doing this entire trip via public transit, save the flights and the taxi back to the airport when we’re done.

Baltimore has a plethora of transit choices. Subway, light rail, bus, and water taxi, to name a few. The water taxi is not accessible but everything else is.

This city is one of our country’s more historic places, so let’s start our journey into Baltimore history at the big one…Fort McHenry.

This is the fort Baltimore attorney Francis Scott Key watched while being detained on a British ship during a fierce battle during the War of 1812. When he saw the stars and stripes rise above the early morning smoke after the battle, he was inspired to write a poem that was eventually mated to a British drinking tune to become our national anthem.

The number 1 bus route goes by the corner of our hotel and out to the gate of the fort, making for an extremely easy accessible trip to the historic site, although it is a bit of a walk from the gate to the visitor’s center, especially in the heat we’re experiencing this week.

In the visitor’s center, after getting tickets for the site (free for Golden Eagle pass holders and their companions), we see a moving if, at times, corny movie about the events of that night before venturing to the fort itself.

We’ve been to many an old fort like this and Fort McHenry really isn’t much different that most but it is still exciting to stand in a spot where a very famous and significant point of history occurred. There’s an American Legion convention in town this week and the site of so many veterans visiting such a meaningful spot in their lives is inspiring.

Speaking of the Legionnaires, they’ve come up with a brilliant idea for a souvenir. They’re all buying flags at the gift shop where they then take them to the fort. A docent there takes each flag and runs it up the pole where the Star Spangled Banner flew for a few seconds before lowering it and doing the same with the next flag.  Now, these heroes of America can go home with a flag that flew over Fort McHenry.

There’s a nice, but unprotected, accessible walk along the sea wall here that takes us back to the visitor’s center with great views of the harbor.

Done with the fort, we want to see some more Baltimore history. Our friend Brian told us we should visit the bar he got kicked out of when he was a teenager.  It’s in the Fells Point neighborhood.  The regular buses don’t go there but it is served by the (non accessible) water taxi and the Charm City Circulator.

This, my friends, will be your best friend when in Baltimore.  The circulator buses are accessible, come every ten minutes, and go almost everywhere in the downtown area.  They are also free.

It’s a two block walk from the hotel to the nearest Green Route Circulator stop. One of those blocks is what we can charitably call the Strip Club District but we end up in front of a police station and just wait a few minutes for the bus.

In Fells Point, it’s another two block walk to the 1600 block of Thames where you’ll find the oldest bar in the United States, The Horse You Came In On. This is the bar our friend was thrown out of and it’s next to an add-on to the original, The Horse You Rode Out On.

Both bars have a rather large step to get in but one of the workers taking a smoke break outside shows us an almost invisible little door in between both places where we can get into both bars with a wheelchair.

Once inside the circa 1775 bar, a server helps us find and accessible table we can relax at, watch football on TV, listen to the live music, and have a few cold ones. Another perk of using transit is we don’t have to worry about driving after a session at the bar.

While Tim and I have a couple of their outstanding burgers, Letty has her first Maryland crab cake. She pronounces it delicious.

Another Natty Boh (National Bohemian, the beer of Baltimore) and a shot of Don Julio, we’re feeling pretty good when we head back out in the hot and humid air of the waterfront neighborhood.

We take another scenic, waterfront walk until we get back to the Circulator stop.

Cobblestone streets, charming but bumpy for Tim’s wheelchair, lined with townhomes guide us back to an old back bay ship berth where this gent takes a nap at the bus stop. 

No, he’s not dead or homeless, just getting 40 winks.

Eventually, the Orange Line comes by. This will take us by our hotel so we can rest up and recharge a bit before getting right back on to the west side of town.

Here, we visit another historic patch of land. In 1830, the first mile of railroad track in America was laid. There are still a couple of old trains and even a wheelchair accessible train platform.

This is the Baltimore and Ohio (or B&O) Railroad Museum.

In a large, non-air conditioned roundhouse are stored many historic locomotives and livery. The Tom Thumb, the first locomotive, is here.

Outside in the maintenance shop are many more, very large, steam locomotives along with a model train exhibit. 

The displays are beautiful and the trains big and impressive but it’s damn hot today and we make our way out into a sketchy neighborhood.  We walk a few blocks east to our next historic site.

On a small street, a few blocks from the current home of the Baltimore Orioles, sits a small, three-story townhouse.  It’s air conditioned and has an elevator.  Heaven for us today.

Upstairs, a small bedroom is preserved. This is the birthplace of George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth, one of the giants of the game.

It’s a small museum and easily seen within 30 minutes.  It makes for a quick and fitting end to our historic day in Charm City.

Darryl

Copyright 2015 – Darryl Musick

Photos Copyright 2015 – Letty Musick

All Rights Reserved

Game Day in Charm City

(Please read our Covid 19 Statement first - Ed)  We've been told that the best crabcakes in Baltimore come from a stand at the Lexington Market. Letty's been on a mission to try as many as she can while we're here.

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The Charm City Purple Route stops in front of our hotel on Redwood Street and it's a quick, easy, and free ride to a stop three blocks from the market.

It's a bit of a downtrodden three blocks, very similar to walking through our hometown's (Los Angeles) Skid Row.  This is our second attempt, my wife got sick a couple of days ago and we had to postpone our visit but we're here now and ready to go.

Faidley's Seafood is in the back of the market, allowing us to peruse all the other stands along the way. It really reminds me of how Grand Central Market in L.A. was before all the gentrification hit.

The sights, sounds, and smells let you know the market is the real deal. It's a wonderful place, even if you have to go through some not so wonderful real estate to get there.

I'm not much of a seafood lover but even I can taste the goodness in this lump of crabmeat. Letty will eventually proclaim this to be a close second to the crabcakes she will try during this trip.

You will pay a price for it, however.  The cake, two sides, and a soda (one refill only) will push the boundary to $25 which you order and get from a counter, take on a foam plate to a table you must stand at, and then eat. Luckily, since I did buy some food, I could partake of the chance of a pint of Natty Boh for a measly $2.50 at the adjacent oyster bar.

As the title on the post says, it's game day so we head back to the hotel to rest up for the night's festivities.

A decent eight block or so walk takes us past the Inner Harbor where we can see this old church.  It's the Old Otterbein United Methodist Church, standing in this spot for 244 years. Across the street is one of baseball's classic stadiums but it's only been standing here for 23 years.

The massive B&O warehouse signals that we've arrived at our destination, Oriole's Park at Camden Yards. Tim has gotten us a deal on seats right behind home plate.

Entering here, we're at center field, opposite the side we'll be sitting on. This gives us a chance to see the stadium on the way to our seats.

I'm told it's new for this year but there's an honest-to-goodness German style beer garden out here beyond the bullpens. Almost makes me disappointed we didn't sit out here in the cheap seats. Almost.

We may not have a beer garden behind home plate but we do have vendors coming by with pints of ice cold Natty Bohs every five minutes. And I mean ICE cold, too. They taste very good on this extremely hot and humid night. At eight dollars, it's the same price as the 12 ounce craft brews they sell at the nearby snack bar.

Letty doesn't do well with the hot weather here and frequently sneaks off to the air conditioned gift shop to browse. 

It would help if the stadium had an open concourse to allow the air to blow through in addition to having a view of the field whenever you went to the snack bar.

Tim and I enjoy the Esskay hot dogs they sell here. The popcorn  is OK, not bad but nowhere near as good as the custom made Topsy's you'll find in Kansas City.

The game is another loss for the slumping Orioles but we do get to see a play early in the game where outfielder Kevin Kiermaier made an outstanding leaping play to rob the birds of a home run. 

It ended up being the play of the week on ESPN and we got to see it live. Unfortunately, Kiermaier was injured on the play and had to exit the game.  Final score, Tampa Bay Rays 6, Orioles 3.

It's a fun game and, since we're visitors, it really doesn't matter who wins for us.  The stadium is very nice and the wheelchair seats are top notch and scattered about in all levels.

Camden Yards set a new standard for baseball stadiums and its influence is strongly felt on all stadiums built since its debut.

Game over, we walk through the streets crowded with fans back to our hotel and get ready to finish this trip to the charming and historic city of Baltimore.

Darryl
Copyright 2015 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

Arriving in Charm City...Baltimore, Maryland

(Please read our Covid 19 Statement first - Ed)  It’s tough waking up at 2:30 in the morning for a flight but getting to fly out of Ontario makes up for that. We slog through our morning rituals and make it out in time to make it to the airport with a nice cushion of time before our 5:40am boarding time.

The flight is uneventful and we don’t have to change planes but we do have to make a stop in Denver before a midafternoon arrival at Baltimore Washington International Airport.

It’s our first time in Charm City though we have been in Maryland before. We’re here to chalk up another couple of stadiums on our quest to see every Major League Baseball park. This trip will complete our northeast teams when we go to an Orioles game in a couple of days and a Nationals game two more after that. We’ll have 25 (out of 30) ballparks under our belts at the end of this trip but  first, we must make it out of the airport.

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First, our plane’s assigned gate is occupied, so we wait about an extra 15 minutes until another gate is made available for us. Next, it’s another 10 minutes before a gate crew can make it over to operate the jetway. Finally, we’re off the plane, at baggage claim, and no luggage. It hasn’t been unloaded yet and eventually it’s routed to a different carousel.

Suitcases claimed, we now head into the light rail station to make the final leg into town. It is a very, very long walk from baggage claim to the station. Once there, we can’t find ticket machines and eventually learn they’re back in the terminal.

Letty and Tim wait on the platform while I go back to get them only to return and just miss a trail.  About half an hour later, we finally get out of the hot, humid air onto a cool train.

In Baltimore, it’s a three-block walk through a sketchy looking area to our hotel. We have no more problems, however, and soon check into our room at the Springhill Suites, just off the Inner Harbor.

Welcome to Baltimore.

It’s not the greatest Springhill Suites we’ve stayed in but it’s roomy, the A/C is not blowing directly on my wife, we’ve got a fairly accessible bathtub for Tim, and breakfast is free.

Hungry after that all day flight, we head out to eat. I saw a nice looking restaurant on the corner by the hotel. As we walk out the doorman asks if we need help or directions. I tell him no, we’re going over there, unless you know someplace better.

“I sure do, head down that alley across the street and look for the sign that says ‘pizza.’ It’s Supano’s and you’ll really like it.”

OK, we take him at his word and head down the alley where we find the pizza sign, a fiberglass statue of a chef, and a door…not much else. We open the door and a tall black man comes out to help us get in with the wheelchair. This, we would later learn, is Derek and he would become our friend while we were in Baltimore.

Inside, we find an expansive restaurant with three levels and non-stop videos of Frank Sinatra concerts playing. We had entered via the back door but find that it’s the only accessible entrance anyway.

The friendly server sets up glasses of Yuengling beer and takes our order. Seafood fettuccine for Letty, lasagna (Baltimore’s Best, the menu promises) for Tim, and veal saltimbocca for me.

The food is in one word, heavenly. We take bites of each other’s dishes and it’s hard to pick a winner. They’re all good.

Letty’s seafood dish tastes very good even to a non-seafood lover like me. Tim’s lasagna is the best I’ve ever had in a restaurant anywhere. The saltimbocca takes me back to North Beach in Boston to the incredible version I had at Pagliuca’s…I couldn’t really tell you which one was best but those are the best versions I’ve ever had.  This would be the best meal we’d have on the entire trip.

After dinner, we walk off our meal at the nearby Inner Harbor where it seems half of Baltimore is out enjoying this warm Saturday night.  As we walk by the historic ships on display, a street juggler performs. A three-masted Coast Guard ship is in giving tours. The aquarium has two waterfalls, a giant one indoors falling into a salmon pond and a smaller one outside feeding a creek to the sounds of crickets and cicadas. A fine cover band serenades us at  the Hard Rock as we relax waterfront before heading back in for the night.

Now, let’s say it loud and proud without any hint of sarcasm…Welcome to Baltimore!

Stay tuned, there’s much more to come.

Darryl

Copyright 2015 – Darryl Musick

All Rights Reserved.

Photos by Letty Musick, Copyright 2015

All Rights Reserved

The Baltimore-DC-Baseball Nexxus...the trip index

Here's the index to all our recent posts from Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Baltimore

Part 1 - Getting through the airport, onto transit, and to our hotel was a bit of a pain in the rear. Read about it here...Arriving in Charm City.

Part 2 - Soaking in all the history Baltimore's public transit can provide for us...Chasing History in Baltimore.

Part 3 - Game Day in Baltimore as we visit #24 on our list of stadiums...Game Day in Charm City.

Part 4 - Leaving is almost as hard as arriving...Riding the Rails to Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Part 1 - A day long, non-stop journey to sample some of the city's monuments and museums...A Monumental Journey Across Washington, D.C.

Part 2 - Now it's time to visit #25 on our list, a very fun and festive Nationals Park...Game Day in Washington, D.C.

...and, of course, two more accessible stadium reviews for you on Fields of Dreams.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Nationals Park

Darryl

FIELDS OF DREAMS: Oriole Park at Camden Yards - Baltimore, Maryland

At a young 23 years old, Camden Yards is already considered a classic stadium. In the early 90's, Baltimore threw out the templates and told architecture firm HOK to build them an appropriate palace to baseball. Using the massive B&O Railroad warehouse as a backdrop, HOK went back in time to build an old looking stadium with modern amenities.  It has had a big influence on just about every baseball stadium built since. 

A lot of history here. Babe Ruth lived above his father's tavern, which was located somewhere between 2nd base and the right field wall. Cal Ripken, Jr. broke Lou Gerigh's consecutive game streak here. Here are the stats:

Opened: 1992

Surface: Kentucky Bluegrass

Construction cost: $110 million

Capacity: 45,971

Field dimensions: Left field - 333 ft; Left center - 364 ft; center field - 410 ft; right center - 373 ft; right field - 318 ft.

Home team: Baltimore Orioles (American League - MLB) 1992 - present

Events attended: 1 game

Great access all around the entire stadium. Wheechair seating is plentiful all around the seating bowl but the closest to the field are the seats we had, about 20 rows back behind home plate.

Ticketing is easy, just call the box office at 888-848-BIRD.  We had no problem getting seats for the wheelchair and two companions.  Dynamic pricing means there are no set ticket prices but our seats right behind home plate were around $50. Of course, this is in a period where the Orioles are not a contending team, so that might have put a damper on prices. 

Public transit, via the bus system, the Charm City Circulator, and the light rail will take you right to the stadium.

Many lodging choices are available nearby in the downtown area, all within a few blocks walk.  The most lively area is two blocks east of the stadium, the Inner Harbor area with many restaurants, bars, and attractions.

Food choices are expansive here.  Esskay hot dogs provide a very good basic ballpark dog.  Former player Boog Powell can frequently be found at his barbecue stand beyond right field.  The beer selection on tap is vast and average priced ($8 - 15). The local National Bohemian (Natty Boh) is very good for a cheap brew and an ice cold pint, delivered to your seat, is the best bargain in the park.

There is no open concourse so you'll miss the action when visiting the snack bar or bathroom but if you're sitting around left field, the authentic biergarten will provide great times while still giving you a view of the game. 

Darryl

Copyright 2015 - Darryl Musick

All Rights Reserved