Baltimore: Day 8
And today was oh so much more leisurely than that of the past few! Of course, that could be due to being positively worn out with this walking we've done (which I'm not complaining about at all!). We started the day at one of the coolest places we studied in my American Military History classes, Fort McHenry!
During the War of 1812 (which everyone seems to forget about but which was one of the most interesting wars we've fought in) the bristish attacked, by sea,this fort on the outskirts of Baltimore. The battle that ensued raged on over the course of the night of September 13-14, with rockets glaring, lighting up the night sky and by dawn's early light, the great 30 foot Star Spangled Banner was still waving over the brave men of Fort McHenry, representing our freedom which did not seem quite so secure for those few treacherous hours.....oh yeah! Another pretty cool thing about that battle? Sir Francis Scott Key was on one of the British boats trying to rescue a captive friend and, inspired by the impressive sight of the battle and the steadfast American flag, wrote what is now known as our "National Anthem." See what I did with the descriptive words up there now? :)
Reenactors were scattered around the fort as well, as they are celebrating...THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR! Isn't that fantastic to think that our country has been around for over two centuries? Hopefully, it will still be kickin after several more. Anyways, they even shot off a cannon! I'd never seen that (that I recall) so it was quite amazing! They also had an official ceremonial flag raising in the morning and they let all the public help unfold it and put it up! Such a beautiful sight!!!! The fort itself was really neat aS well, and reflective of the true, nineteenth century forts, with the ability to walk along the top of the walls, etc. Sadly, I don't know all the terms or I would be much more descriptive!
Next, we trotted downtown to grab some lunch at Phillips Seafood (sorry, guys, I didn't eat so my review is non-existent) which had terrible service but apparently awesome food!
Then, we made our way down a few bus stops to Babe Ruth's house! I mean, no, I'm not exactly a huge baseball fan or anything (only because I haven't ever really watched it, not because I don't like it!) But hey. Babe Ruth? Everyone knows who he is and that he was just a great legend, both on and off the field. His house, which was nearly condemned but saved by Camden Park, was a small, modest townhouse in a poor part of town, so he was a natural hooligan, running around breaking things and avoiding any authority figure. That's why, at the age of 8, he was sent away to a Catholic school where he played baseball...and the rest is history :) (so punny! Hahaha)
At this point, I am TIRED but alas, we have one more museum! The B&O Railroad museum is our last stop for the trip in Baltimore. Its actually really cool and has a huge circular room in the center with a turntable in the floor. In the old days, they rolled train cars in there to fix their flaws before allowing them to haul precious cargo once more. Now, they use the room to display many different types of railroad cars, from old cabooses to a nineteenth century USPS mail car (always about that mail!). It was a cool museum, but one I'm sure I would have enjoyed much more had I been there towards the beginning of the week as opposed to the end.
In the evening, we all went down to the Inner Harbor to grab dinner and just hang out until heading back to the hotel. I went to Tir Nah Nog with the same crew from the night before and had a delicious dinner! It was great! The crab cakes were perfect as well as those fries (my faveeeeeee) and we just hung out there for a couple hours before turning in for the night.
The dinners I speak of May lack much description but honestly, for anyone reading this, y'all probably wouldn't be interested in our conversations. They were, unsurprisingly, mostly composed of history! I've said it before this week and I will absolutely say it again - that's what I'll miss the most! I mean, who else other than fellow history majors could you have a discussion over "Who would be on the $40 bill?" Hahaha, it has truly been a wonderful trip. But we still have two more sights to see: GETTYSBURG AND HARPERS FERRY, the latter of which I really hope we have time for and certainly can't wait to see! Until 9PM, folks! Have a lovely day :)
During the War of 1812 (which everyone seems to forget about but which was one of the most interesting wars we've fought in) the bristish attacked, by sea,this fort on the outskirts of Baltimore. The battle that ensued raged on over the course of the night of September 13-14, with rockets glaring, lighting up the night sky and by dawn's early light, the great 30 foot Star Spangled Banner was still waving over the brave men of Fort McHenry, representing our freedom which did not seem quite so secure for those few treacherous hours.....oh yeah! Another pretty cool thing about that battle? Sir Francis Scott Key was on one of the British boats trying to rescue a captive friend and, inspired by the impressive sight of the battle and the steadfast American flag, wrote what is now known as our "National Anthem." See what I did with the descriptive words up there now? :)
Reenactors were scattered around the fort as well, as they are celebrating...THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR! Isn't that fantastic to think that our country has been around for over two centuries? Hopefully, it will still be kickin after several more. Anyways, they even shot off a cannon! I'd never seen that (that I recall) so it was quite amazing! They also had an official ceremonial flag raising in the morning and they let all the public help unfold it and put it up! Such a beautiful sight!!!! The fort itself was really neat aS well, and reflective of the true, nineteenth century forts, with the ability to walk along the top of the walls, etc. Sadly, I don't know all the terms or I would be much more descriptive!
Next, we trotted downtown to grab some lunch at Phillips Seafood (sorry, guys, I didn't eat so my review is non-existent) which had terrible service but apparently awesome food!
Then, we made our way down a few bus stops to Babe Ruth's house! I mean, no, I'm not exactly a huge baseball fan or anything (only because I haven't ever really watched it, not because I don't like it!) But hey. Babe Ruth? Everyone knows who he is and that he was just a great legend, both on and off the field. His house, which was nearly condemned but saved by Camden Park, was a small, modest townhouse in a poor part of town, so he was a natural hooligan, running around breaking things and avoiding any authority figure. That's why, at the age of 8, he was sent away to a Catholic school where he played baseball...and the rest is history :) (so punny! Hahaha)
At this point, I am TIRED but alas, we have one more museum! The B&O Railroad museum is our last stop for the trip in Baltimore. Its actually really cool and has a huge circular room in the center with a turntable in the floor. In the old days, they rolled train cars in there to fix their flaws before allowing them to haul precious cargo once more. Now, they use the room to display many different types of railroad cars, from old cabooses to a nineteenth century USPS mail car (always about that mail!). It was a cool museum, but one I'm sure I would have enjoyed much more had I been there towards the beginning of the week as opposed to the end.
In the evening, we all went down to the Inner Harbor to grab dinner and just hang out until heading back to the hotel. I went to Tir Nah Nog with the same crew from the night before and had a delicious dinner! It was great! The crab cakes were perfect as well as those fries (my faveeeeeee) and we just hung out there for a couple hours before turning in for the night.
The dinners I speak of May lack much description but honestly, for anyone reading this, y'all probably wouldn't be interested in our conversations. They were, unsurprisingly, mostly composed of history! I've said it before this week and I will absolutely say it again - that's what I'll miss the most! I mean, who else other than fellow history majors could you have a discussion over "Who would be on the $40 bill?" Hahaha, it has truly been a wonderful trip. But we still have two more sights to see: GETTYSBURG AND HARPERS FERRY, the latter of which I really hope we have time for and certainly can't wait to see! Until 9PM, folks! Have a lovely day :)
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