On our drive back in from Philly, Clay and I only briefly drove through Baltimore:
we saw Edgar Allen Poe's house:
and that's about it. The reasons for not doing too much in Baltimore were myriad, but suffice to say I was more keen on some other things, and the expectation is that I'll be back to visit again sometime in the not too distant future, so perhaps we'll go then.
Clay's current place is in Glen Burnie, where we stopped off briefly to drop off suitcases and chill for a bit before heading out on a daytrip to Annapolis, another stupendous state capital.
Annapolis is not a far drive at all - Maryland's a small state - and Clay had been numerous times, so he knew the lay of the land fairly well. Our first stop was a coffee shop, with a charming backyard patio where we sat for a bit sipping our drinks - by this part of the week, the weather was now in perfect springtime mode.
Next, the obligatory State House stop:
Indoors:
Maryland's Capitol building is part government, part museum, as this place is the sight of a number of historical events, including but not limited to Washington resigning his military commission:
Just a short stroll southeast of the State House was the harbor, with a charming duck-filled waterfront:
and that was that. Annapolis was a surprisingly lovely seaside town that reminded Clay and I both of Bar Harbor, sans the adjoining National Park. Back to Clay's place in Glen Burnie we went, to have dinner, make a fire in the fire pit, and eventually turn in for the night.
On Friday, we packed up once again, and made our way south to Washington D.C. This visit was far less spontaneous than the last one, and we actually got around to some of the bigger points of interest in the city, which Clay now knows much better, living in the area as he does. We saw the Smithsonian art museum:
With many, many wonderful works - far too many to see in just a day, in fact. This is definitely a museum that demands multiple trips:
If you notice what's unusual about this map you get bonus points:
Next, a trip to the National Archives to see the one, the only: the Constitution:
...you can't take photos of it.
Museum of Natural History next:
Washington Monument:
The White House, or as close as you can get these days:
And this nearby church, which was recently in an infamous news story:
Featuring a certain man holding a book of some sort.
As the day wound down, we finished up at the National Portrait Gallery. This was a particularly geek-out worthy place since I'm a bit of a Presidents nerd. Was great to see the real, actual portraits that I've seen images of so many times:
And there are non-Presidential artworks as well:
Plus there was some sort of event happening. No time to investigate what it is, though! They announced the place was closing over the speakers while we were there!
We made our way out of D.C. and back to the Northern Virginia area, where we had dinner out and then went to bed. The following day was an uneventful flight home, and then it was back to regular life.
It has been more than a year since this trip as I put the finishing touches on it now. Months later, I would finally find a great job in the Charlotte area and get to move back to my beloved home town, where I now reside. And so, little did I know, but this would be my last trip based out of Louisville ever.
Onward!
