#krlinthecity 28February2015
As usual, my trip to Baltimore was more business than personal but I was able to explore the city and all it had to offer in the evening and mostly on Saturday. If you ask anyone from Baltimore or Silver Spring areas they are a different kind of people. No matter what race or nationality they have developed a completely different mentally than any other. For someone who has grown up around, and who is also teaching their children, southern hospitality I quickly learned that in this city that does not exist! It's every man or woman for themselves which can be a good thing and it can also be a bad thing. In their defense, I can say that the area's culture has a history of being "survival of the fittest"so it's nothing new or different to them. But for someone like me, or an implant, this would be very hard to get use to. Although there were a mixture of races they all shared the same mental which has a large influence on the food. On one block I saw Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, Ethiopian, German, Greek, Cuban All-American Grills, and your usual cafes & lunch spots like Starbucks, Potbelly Sandwiches, and Chick-Fil-A. To be honest, I noticed more traffic going in and out of the restaurants than in the retail stores. If you are ever passing through please time stop by The Classics on Colesville Road. My colleague and I enjoyed the House Steak Dinner & Crab Bisque on Sunday night and it was to die for!
Any who...on to the good stuff. On Saturday, around noon, I decided to get dressed and take a walk downtown with my camera and combat boots! I left my rental car in valet parking at the hotel and wandered around for 3 hours. Parking reminds me of when I worked downtown D.C. on K street. It's basically easier to ditch the car if you can and walk. There was still about 3 to 4 inches of snow pushed off to the side of streets and sidewalks but it didn't stop anyone from shopping, enjoying the local farmer's market, and live music near the ice skating rink.
I obviously stood out in the crowd but I didn't feel threatened or out of place. From store to store each person spoke to me and even complimented my blush coat! Here are a few pictures of my adventure that turned into a shorter one than I originally planned. The cold weather and me are not great friends so I let her have the rest of the day to freeze the many other locals and travelers.
Smooches,
krl
