In the fall of 2016, I took a very quick trip to Prince Edward Island in Canada. And by quick, I mean I got there and back in little over a week. It was a little insane. To start at the very beginning, click here to go to the introduction.
DRIVE TO BALTIMORE
Unlike last time, my drive to my next stop was a lot less stressful! This time I was smart and booked my Airbnb before I left. At this point, I had a distinct need to get out of the south. My goal was to get across the Mason-Dixon line, and Baltimore was a nice half-day drive from Raleigh. After lunch at Beasley’s in Raleigh, I headed north to my next stop.
Here is why I’m never bored on a road trip. Audiobooks! Also, podcasts. I’m never at a loss for listening material. Any trip where I can get in some significant reading is a good trip and using your drive time as reading time is a win-win! I also never hesitate to stop at places that look interesting, when at all possible.
MY AIRBNB
This time, my Airbnb was in a young couples’ home. It looked like they rented out the master bedroom and lived downstairs themselves. There was another room upstairs and it sounded like the girl renting that one was a long-time tenant. The host met me at the door and showed me around–I had use of all the common areas including a nice back patio and yard, but the room was so big and filled with light that I just stayed up there. I ate my car food for dinner, worked on the computer some, journaled, read and generally had a lovely introverted night in.
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BALTIMORE
Breakfast
The next day, I sought out breakfast in a cute little bookstore/bakery (my favorite!) called the Red Canoe. It’s a small place, but late on a Thursday morning, there was plenty of seating, especially out back in a cute multi-level courtyard. I apparently should have gotten a muffin, the house specialty, but I went with some healthy oatmeal with fruit. It speaks to my frame of mind that I didn’t walk out with any books! I remembered it being more of a children’s bookstore, and maybe it was in 2016 (or maybe that was just the section I sat in!) but they seem to have a lot of adult fiction and non-fiction too. Man, I missed out on even the things I went to! Mostly, I used my computer to book my next destination and look around for options for my half-day in Baltimore.
The Walters Art Museum
At the time, I felt like seeing either Fort McHenry (of Star Spangled Banner fame) or a free art museum downtown. “Free” won out over the $10 it would have cost to get into the Fort, so I visited The Walters Art Museum and was not disappointed! I ended up having to pay for parking in a nearby lot, so in the end, it was just as expensive as if I had gone to the National Monument. But I don’t regret my choice. The Walters was a really lovely experience, the building itself just as beautiful as the artwork in it.
I find art museums to be super refreshing. Maybe because they’re so quiet. Maybe because of being surrounded by all that beauty, the curated best of highly talented individuals. Maybe because it’s just interesting. I only spent 2-3 hours in The Walters and while I probably saw everything, I didn’t linger very long in any one place. Except for this one room that had a red velvet couch in it–it was really cool, like a fancy salon in Downton Abbey…
DOWNTOWN LUNCH
After leaving the museum, I packed a car-food lunch and wander off to a nearby shady square to eat it. Downtown Baltimore is really beautiful! So many big and elegant old buildings. I wished I knew more about them.
But instead, I drove on, making it to Springfield, MA for my next stop. I’m sure there’s a TON that I missed in Baltimore (not to mention some friends) so I’ll cover some of that in the next article.
Thanks for riding along with me!
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