crab cakes, but with lumps of chicken instead) and
some Maryland crab soup. And finally, we went to
Todd Connor’s for dessert, which was an adult PB&J
(a peanut butter and jelly sandwich battered with
French toast and then deep fried) paired with a
White Russian drink.
The next morning we started at Fort McHenry
National Monument and Historic Shrine. It was here
that Francis Scott Key wrote our National Anthem
as he witnessed the British bombardment during
the War of 1812. This National Park Service site is
worth visiting; get there early in the morning and
you can personally participate in the flag-changing
ceremony, a truly moving and inspiring experience.
Baltimore is quite a sports town, so the final
thing on our list was to take a tour of Oriole Park
at Camden Yards, one of the best entertainment
values in the city. For just $9 for adults and $6 for
P HOTO G R A P H Y: s h u a n b u tc h e r
the museum was a piece by Bob Benson called “The
Magic of Flatulence Post.” If you want to find out
more, you will just have to visit.
Later in the afternoon, it was time to explore
more of Baltimore’s culinary scene. A good way to
do that is to take a Charm City Food Tour through
Fell’s Point. During a walking tour of Baltimore’s
best-preserved historic district, the area’s history,
culture, architecture and cuisine is covered. Our
first stop was an Eastern European restaurant called
Ze Mean Bean, where the group sampled two different types of pierogi and potato cakes. Next was
Hungry Andy’s, where we tried a pit beef sandwich,
indigenous to Maryland. Then it was on to Riptide
by the Bay, where we sampled crab cake sliders and
shrimp pot stickers, followed by One-Eyed Mikes,
a Grand Marnier establishment that has more than
2,500 members. Here we tried a chickencake (think
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