Baltimore, June 27-29, 2010

When I was little, growing up in nearby Damascus, MD, Baltimore was sort of a mystical place known for being big, somewhat dangerous, and far enough away that we didn't go there much.  Over the years the element of danger has remained, and it's a city that has definately had problems.  But I was somewhat amazed when I got there, especially in the general area I explored, which was the waterfront to the museum district.

The downtown area has many old buildings which have been restored.  I felt completely safe in this general area.  The waterfront was incredibly vibrant.  Also, it was hot, generally being about 85 degrees and quite humid the days I was there.  There is a majestic City Hall:

It's a very walkable city, and people are out a lot on the street.  The Inner Harbor has been completely redone as a tourist area, and while it has the usual detractions of some of the less impressive food chains (Hooters), it does have a lot of activities, including a wonderful aquarium, boat tours of the harbor and surrounding historical areas, and now an impressive array of close-in housing.  Luckily, my hotel was just across the street from a Roy's restaurant, one of Tuija's and my favorite places, a chain which is able to maintain the quality and inventiveness of Roy Yamaguchi's tasty vision of Asian Fusion cuisine.  Since I was planning to have dinner at the Roy's in Philadelphia with Tuija when I got there, this was a prelude for me individually.

I did a fairly long walk to the museum district, but the planned trip to a museum was waylaid by museums of another kind.  I've been a subscriber to several financial publications of Agora, Inc. for several years, and as sponsors of The Oxford Club, of which I am a member, they have established their headquarters in Baltimore.    The Oxford Club has occasionally reminded its members that if they're in Baltimore, members are welcome to come to the main clubhouse, so before I got there, I set up an appointment, just so I could see it.  The publisher, Bill Bonner, moved the Oxford Club into a restored mansion which had been turned into a Catholic chapel by the previous archbishop.  When the Church was ready to divest itself of this gem, the Oxford Club purchased it.

When I arrived, I was greeted by a delightful woman who was the receptionist, and when I commented on the beauty of the buildings design, we started talking.  It seems that after restoring the Oxford Club building, as the publishing business grew, Bill Bonner decided to move the other sections of the business into similar buildings, slowly buying these decrepit ladies, and restoring them to beauty.  I was taken to three of them, and marveled at the quality of the restorations.  Agora is committed to the long term stability of Baltimore, and as a city with an amazing history, they've produced a small collection within a couple of square blocks of about six of these lovely restorations.

I wish I'd had the time to do a more extensive tour around Baltimore and it's environs.  I've been to some of the sights in the past (Fort McHenry and Annapolis), but as in Washinton, D.C., I love revisiting old haunts.

I had a great time, but was eager finally to prepare to move on to Philadelphia, where, after being there for a day, Tuija was to join me.