Baltimore, MD

We left our anchorage on the Bohemia River at 8:50 on Tuesday, September 24 bound for Baltimore where we would be staying for several days. It was a cloudy, overcast day with cool temperatures. It is definitely beginning to feel like autumn. We had an uneventful six hour cruise making our way from  down the Chesapeake Bay. As we arrived in Baltimore we encountered the sad sight of the collapsed Frances Scott Key Bridge. This is the bridge that was struck by the collision of the cargo ship Dali in March of this year. 

We arrived at Anchorage Marina by 2:50 and settled into our comfortable slip. We like staying here because the surroundings are so attractive and we have access to grocery stores, West Marine, and lots of restaurants.  In addition, the entire waterfront for miles is paved with wide brick walkways and lined with attractive townhouses.  We are here because we will be staffing an MTOA booth at the Trawler Fest for three days as we have done for several years. Also, we are excited because Stephanie and Ryan will be joining us for dinner and an overnight stay for the weekend.

We had dinner onboard the first night because the next day was my birthday and we had dinner reservations at a restaurant named Ammoora that was just written up in the New York Times as one of the best 50 restaurants in the U.S.

On Wednesday (my birthday) we did lots of boat chores and all the while I was receiving scores of lovely birthday messages and phone calls. That evening we Ubered over to the restaurant that was in the Ritz Carlton on the other side of the harbor. If it hadn’t been raining we could have taken a water taxi and gotten there much quicker! We had a fabulous dinner at this beautiful Middle Eastern restaurant. It was definitely a special birthday meal!

Thursday was the first day of the boat show and the three of us (including Archie) went over to the marina early to set up the booth. We had several great volunteers come and help staff the booth. 

Unfortunately,  It was another drizzly day and traffic was light so Jonny sent me back to Zendo with Archie in the afternoon. I was able to get an appointment for a much needed haircut that afternoon and afterwards started to get the boat ready for our weekend guests. The walk back and forth to the boat show is very pleasant through old neighborhoods lined with row homes, cobblestone streets and pretty Halloween decorations.

That evening I walked halfway back to meet Jonny and three of our volunteers for dinner at Choptank Restaurant in Fell’s Point. 

On Friday, Jonny again gave me the day off, since he had plenty of volunteers to staff the booth and traffic continued to be light. That afternoon Stephanie, Ryan and their dog, Eloise arrived. It was the first time Eloise had been on a boat and she did very well. 

When Jonny returned we walked over to the nearby Lighthouse Pub that Jonny had been wanting to show Ryan. It is filled with thousands of different types of liquor and beer, an array unlike any place we’ve ever been. They struggled deciding what they were going to buy to bring home. In the meantime, we ordered beers and a nibble to tide us over until our dinner reservations.

After we dropped the dogs off at Zendo, we walked to an excellent Chinese restaurant that the “kids” found called NiHao. This unassuming spot on a busy street was bustling with activity and lots of Asian clientele, which is always a good sign. We had an amazing dinner with a large array of dishes that we shared. It was a real treat to have such excellent Chinese food!

On Sunday morning Jonny had an MTOA board meeting so he had to leave early. The rest of us took our time getting ready.

Then Stephanie, Ryan and I, along with the dogs, took a long walk through Fell’s Point and had breakfast at a very cool restaurant called Pitango. Jonny and I had eaten there in the past and enjoyed its savory selection of breakfast foods and sandwiches.

Jonny met us back at Zendo and after hanging out for awhile we walked the kids to their car and bid them farewell.  Fortunately for us we’ll see them again in a few weeks when we go back to Philly. 

Jonny and I returned to our empty nest where we decided to hunker down for another day or two before resuming our travels. We had leftovers for dinner on Sunday night and watched a little TV before going to bed early.

On Monday we had a vey relaxing day, which Jonny definitely deserved after his four days of volunteer work. Because he hadn’t been to Pitango this trip we walked over there for lunch and spent the rest of the day relaxing and doing whatever odds and ends needed to get done. We’ll be heading down to Annapolis the next day where we plan to meet our friends Greg and Lynda for lunch mid-week. The weather is cool and a little wet and we are no longer in a rush to get anywhere since our journey is winding down in a few weeks.  I made a coconut chicken curry for dinner and we enjoyed another quiet night aboard Zendo.