baltimore: cross street market, federal hill, the inner harbor & fells point

Following the advice of a girl in the gift shop at the American Visionary Art Museum, I walked 10 minutes to Cross Street Market in Federal Hill.  I ended up perched on a high stool at the Taco Love Grill counter, eating three shrimp tacos with a bottle of Lime Jarritos.  It was a delicious feast in a lively atmosphere. When I stepped off my stool, I didn’t notice that it was on a ledge and I nearly took another fall.  Yikes!

I walked up Light Street through Federal Hill, a historic community of south Baltimore, past a cool mural of an African-American boy on a swing and past an old fire station: the 1920 Baltimore Fire Department. I strolled past some gentrified row houses, an elegant neighborhood.

I walked all along the Inner Harbor past the cruise boats, Spirit of Baltimore and Constellation (the big sailing ship), the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, H&M and many other shops along the waterfront, many of them the big corporate shops and restaurants like Phillips Seafood, Hard Rock Cafe, and Barnes & Noble, which is impressively housed in an old power station. I was happy to see it packed on a Saturday afternoon.  People still seemed to be reading despite all evidence to the contrary.

I made my way over the pedestrian bridges to anthropologie, where there was nothing new, past the National Katyń Memorial. This memorializes the victims of the 1940 Katyń massacre of Polish nationals carried out by Soviet forces. Baltimore’s Polish-American community was instrumental in having the monument built. It was unveiled in 2000 and is the tallest statue in Baltimore.

I kept walking to Fells Point where years ago I went to a Privateer Festival with a photography group.

I was exhausted by then so I decided to make my way back.  I stopped at Bambao to get take-out but decided to save it for breakfast.  I ordered Crispy Mushroom Bao served on a steamed bun: silken tofu, miso, scallion, and black garlic teriyaki.  I also got the Classic Milk Tea with tapioca; I didn’t care much for it and tossed it into a trash can halfway back.

I stopped into Barnes & Noble to look for Anne Tyler’s newest book, Redhead by the Side of the Road, but it wouldn’t be published until April 7.  I didn’t buy anything.

I stopped at CVS Pharmacy for an ice pack, Tylenol, Motrin, Minute Maid Orange Juice, and an Odwalla Strawberry banana-flavored smoothie.

Walking past Pratt Street, I saw a young man, maybe my youngest son’s age, with a sign saying “Homeless. Any amount will help.” I caught his eye and wanted to sit down and ask him how he had gotten himself into this situation (much like my son has in the past), but I didn’t stop or give him anything. I don’t know why.

I relaxed at the hotel for a bit and then went to dinner just down the block to Pratt Street Ale House.  By this time I could barely walk on my hurt and swollen ankle. There, I had a Bud Light Lime and a Crab Bruschetta: fresh dough, brushed with house-made garlic butter, topped with mozzarella, lump crab, and bruschetta (tomatoes and basil).

I was ignored for the longest time (they wanted me to sit at the bar but I asked for a table).  I get so annoyed by servers who don’t want to bother with solo diners.

In the evening, I put ice on my now-swollen ankle and read Clock Dance by Anne Tyler and finally finished American Nomads by Richard Grant (in the middle of the night).

At 2:00 a.m. I was woken by a continual loud banging on a door down the hall from mine. Looking out the peephole, I saw a girl with a towel wrapped around her.  I called security because this went on for some time.  Later, another girl wearing only a towel was knocking on the same door. Who knew what was going on down there.

Not relaxing at all!

*Steps: 15,772; 6.68 miles*

*Saturday, February 22, 2020*