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Published: December 4th 2006
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Night View from Rusty Scupper
Baltimore is beautiful. One of the best views is from the restaurant, The Rusty Scupper, across the harbor from the Aquarium. Joanne & Wes are on the Road Again in their Schooner. Traveling from Ballston Lake, NY to Florida.
Sunday, spending the night in a Cracker Barrel. We learned that the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain allows RVers to overnight in their safe, lighted parking lots; so here we are. The restaurant has a cutesy general store and lots of folkish touches. The lot is quieter than the Flying J truck stops that we have stayed at and the food is more personalized and down homey. This stop, near exit 98 off I-95 in South Carolina, puts us within 260 miles of our goal, St. Augustine, Florida.
Taking a backward look at our trip, this was a driving day from Virginia. A fun food stop was for Tex Mex fare at South of the Border. What a kitschy, glitzy spot, just south of the North Carolina border - I think we stopped here for fireworks on a college spring break in 1963.
On Saturday, we visited Mont Vernon, learning so much about George and Martha Washington and further strengthening our high regard for this couple. He was a great farmer; as well as being a great military strategist and civic leader. One thing which might have changed history happened after he performed heroically on the side of the Brits during the French and Indian War. King George didn’t grant “future General and President” George a Commission so George Washington went home to farm and eventually conspire with the revolutionaries to found our country. Mont Vernon is beautiful. The view of the Potomac from the mansion is breath taking. There is a new museum with a multi media film that literally has the seats shaking when the cannons are fired.
Friday found us boarding a city bus from Cherry Hill RV Park and heading straight for the DC Metro. We exited at 9th and F (Chinatown) and headed for the Smithsonian Museum of American Art and Portraiture. We spent about 4 hours in this museum and could have stayed much longer. Among the special treats was an exhibit about Josephine Baker, the American dancer who took Paris by storm during the twenties, and an exhibit of portraits of American Presidents (loved the de Kooning JFK and a very casual Bill Clinton. The third floor held the nicest surprise. This is where the café is located amid tons of art, but it is on the Mezzanine of that floor where we enjoyed both a collection of folk art (some by artists we had admired at the Visionary Museum in Baltimore) that we could learn more about through an interactive computer. Enjoyed having a glimpse through glass walls where conservators worked on restorations (also on the 3rd floor mezz). Wish we had spent more time in the Bravos and Heroes exhibit - to do with Americans who had made names for them self in the performing arts or athletics.
We headed toward the Mall and the relatively new Museum of the American Indian. There we loved the building and the setting, but got a little tired of the sameness of the exhibits. We headed for the Space Museum where our tired feet were treated when we opted for the IMAX film about the Lunar Landings. Great dinner at the seafood restaurant McCormick & Schmick’s. We chose the restaurant because we had enjoyed it prior AND because it was across the street from the subway station where we would reverse the morning’s trip back to the RV Park.
On both Wednesday and Thursday we drove a rental car in to Baltimore. On Wednesday, we got the lay of the land, visited the Aquarium - wonderful - great building, great collection, nicely organized. Walked along the harbor, and had a great seafood dinner at the Rusty Scupper across the bay from the Aquarium. The view at night was especially great. On Thursday, we went to the top of the Baltimore World Trade Center and viewed the city, then to the Visionary Art Museum by water taxi. The Visionary was delightful. Great collection of art by people who are essentially self-educated in art. Art by people inspired by “visions” and their own innate creativity to make whimsical, beautiful, charming things out of common objects. We were reminded of our grandmothers, Grandma Gertie DeVoe and Momo Connors, who liked to take common items and decorate them or decorate with them. The water taxi picked us up and we headed for Fells Point which has lots of shops and pubs. The cobble stones of the streets are said to be from the ballast of the early merchant ships which sailed into Baltimore Harbor. After having “sliders” and drafts at the Green Turtle, we walked from Fells Point to Little Italy and had espresso and pastry at Vaccaro Pasticeria. Baltimore’s Little Italy has tons of restaurants, but didn’t seem to have any Italian gift shops, gourmet shops, etc. like Arthur Ave. in the Bronx. We loved Baltimore.
Cherry Hill Park - What a great RV Park. Of course, it is off season and not crowded; but the amenities seem great. The BEST is that it is an easy trip to pick up the rental car, easy trip into Baltimore by car and PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION by bus and then Metro right into DC. Also, a very helpful reception clerk who really took time with us.
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SnazzySmith
Deb & Russ
Hello
Hello there. Was checking out new journals and stumbled across yours. It's great to see another couple RV'ing this great land and blogging about it. I must say, you are doing it more comfortably then we are :) Never knew about boondocking in Cracker Barrel, you learn something new everyday. Safe Travels. Deb aka SnazzySmith