When in Baltimore, one must eat: Crab cakes!

Today was my day for a daycation in Baltimore, MD. Well, I picked a nice steamy day to head north. It was only 90 degrees today. No worries, there was a refreshing 2-3 mph wind in the inner harbor strong enough to cool none of your body.

I started my day at the National Aquarium seated right on the Inner Harbor. A very nice aquarium. A bit on the steep side for the price of admission, but obviously it didn't keep me from going. The National Aquarium has the worlds largest Jellyfish exhibit, they claim. I can't look at a jellyfish, without thinking of Will Smith and the movie 7 pounds. They had a pretty cool dolphin exhibit that looked pretty friendly to the dolphins, if that makes sense. I do wish the poor things could swim in the open water on occasion. I can't imagine having miles and miles of the ocean to swim in, but instead you were one of the unlucky ones captured to be put in a pool for humans to cheer on and ooh and aah over. Anyway, moving on, I am depressing myself.

I then walked around the harbor for a couple of hours seeing the sites and taking in the sounds. I figured what better way to take in the harbor than a boat ride. So a boat ride is was. I learned about the marine life in the harbor, the industry that makes Baltimore famous, some history of the city, and the famous people that live in the area. That is the way to do it. I took a speedboat tour on a boat called the Seadog. I would highly recommend it. We passed the Domino Sugar company. Well, that smelled yummy! Would you believe that the dot of the "I" on that sign is 6 ft 4 inches tall? Look how tiny that dot appears in the picture. I was amazed by this. I learned that Proctor and Gamble, my Cincinnati company got the boot in Baltimore, because they were polluting the harbor. They were told to leave and create a nice space in their absence. So they renovated their space and a gentleman came in and started a small company some of you may have heard of called Under Armour. Yeah, he's a millionaire now. I learned about the War of 1812 and Fort McHenry and Francis Scott Key whom wrote a song you might know called the Star Spangled Banner.

I finished the day eating crab cakes, of course. Very tasty! Baltimore is also the home of Babe Ruth and Edgar Allen Poe. I love me some Edgar Allen Poe! I also watched a street performer put himself in a straight jacket in the 90 degree heat and struggle to get out to perform a card trick, pretty entertaining.

Facts of the day: 1) Kids on leashes really freak me out.
                          2) The Inner Harbor of Baltimore is pretty freaking cool!
                          3) Dolphins sleep by closing one eye, shutting half of their brain down, while
                              the other half can play with other dolphins, do tricks, etc. Very cool technique!

Baltimore is definitely as must see if you are ever in town. Another great day of adventure had.