Our first stop was to check out Baltimore’s World Trade Center.  The building is the world’s tallest equilateral five-sided building.  For $5 you can go up to the observation deck and get a view of Baltimore from all five sides of the  building.  Really cool. I got some great pictures.  There are maps there that also point out notable landmarks to be looking for as you are gazing across the city.  After we felt that we had a pretty good sense of where everything was, we decided to head back downstairs. Considering the amount of info/time/cost, I rate it a 9.

The next item on the itinerary was to take an hour-long tour on the Spirit of Baltimore. This was $22.  It was pretty nice.  The boat takes us on a tour of the harbor and we learned some things that we probably would not have otherwise known about the area- info about Francis Scott Key, Fort McHenry, Domino Sugar among other things.  The boat even sold some adult beverages for the passengers!  I’d give it a solid 7.

View from the top of the World Trade Center in Baltimore

All the energy spent on acting like a complete tourist lead to some pretty intense hunger.  Since I was the schedule-maker, I decided to bring my crew to Baltimore’s ESPNZone! I hadn’t been to one in over 5 years so I was overdue.  I had been to the one in Chicago and Atlanta before and this one was just as good.  The ‘Zone has flat screen TVs showing sports everywhere I turn my head.  They even are showing ESPNEWS in the bathroom! While I’m waiting for a table, I can grab a beer and play a couple arcade games… AND the food was great.  The only bad part was that the Yankees were getting beat by the Mets.  It’s a 9.5.

By this time I was starting to get a little fuzzy and it was time to watch the Braves-Orioles! Perfect timing!  We did all this stuff and the stadium was still in walking distance.  We found our way over Camden Yards and we actually got to see a good game.  Braves somehow lost.  I think that they must have been trying out rookie pitchers or something.  Something else that needs to be mentioned is how easy it was to get out of Baltimore after the baseball game.  Traffic was a very minor issue.  We were staying about 10 minutes outside the city but we did not run into any traffic jams on either night. Pleasantly surprised we were.

I'm the king of the world-on a boat like Leo!

So that was a day in Baltimore.  There was alot more that could have been done if we had more time but I’ll probably be back someday.  Really enjoyed it.  For the first time I began to see some overlap between cities that I have visited and their famous landmarks.  Let me explain-I wished that I had time to visit the Edgar Allan Poe house in Baltimore.  I had already visited his former home in Philly, which is now a US Historical site.  Would have been really interesting to see the differences.

I don’t want to get off on a rant here but one last thing that I must mention about the Inner Harbor- this should be used as a model for any other city that is planning to develop its waterfront.  I am thinking specifically of Buffalo,NY – which is the city that I live closest to.  For years people in Buffalo have talked about someday developing the waterfront.  The decision makers in that project hopefully have some kind of vision for that area but they need to take a look at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.  Have some  shops, restaurants, hotels, business centers, dinner cruises, and a visitor’s center! It could be beautiful! I’m just saying their is potential there that no one has taken advantage of for some reason.

I give Baltimore high marks even though Willis McGahee plays for its football team.  Oh, and hopefully they have decent public transportation…didn’t really get a chance to check that out. Guess that is kinda important to some people. My bad. So anyways… Baltimore is an 8!

~lates

This is my first blog entry.  I started this blog because I am currently unemployed so I have more time to devote to things like this…I should also mention that it is raining outside.

A little about myself…

I am a 23 year guy from the great state of NY.  I went to school at SUNY Fredonia and earned my Master’s from Western Carolina University.  No regrets about that at all.  I am positive that Obama is going to help me out with that student loan thing so…

Anyway, my Bachelor’s Degree was in Education grades 7-12 (Social Studies). My Master’s was a M.A.Ed. – School Counseling.  I really enjoy working in schools.  I think that education is a really important thing.  Read to your kids!

Sticking with the biographical theme- I really like music (playing guitar and going to karaoke bars). I love sports.  The Bills, Lakers, and Sabres are my teams…sometimes I openly root for the Yankees. Something that that most people do not know about me is that I can beat anyone I’ve ever met on Madden by using Engage 8 as a defensive play for the duration of the game (This is truth- why would I lie).  Rock Band is a passion of mine. I can pretty much play the majority of songs on expert with the exception of any by Queens of the Stone Age.

I am currently praying, hoping, and wishing for a school counseling job to offer itself to me sometime this July.  I’m not really sure where I am going to live.  I only know that I have no interest in Virginia or West Virginia… or Alabama.

Feel free to email me at any time.  Periodically I will be answering reader’s email and I hope that I am able to get to all of your questions.  I must go now as Kobe and the Lakers are set to destroy the Magic in Game 4.

~lates