Category: Baltimore

Baseball Road Trip Day #3 “On to the City of Brotherly Love”

by reissmd, posted in Baltimore, Francis Scott Key Bridge, Philadelphia

This morning, as usual, I got up earlier than Patrice.  Being the good husband that I think I am I left the room as quietly as possible and went to the lounge for breakfast. There I had a plain bagel (and I do mean plain) and a chocolate milk (did I mention that I was told that the coffee machine is broken). 

After eating I started reading my book while trying to ignore the conversations of the other travelers around me.  I did overhear one woman say to her partner, in frustration “I’m not a doctor!” Since I didn’t hear what preceded that comment I resisted saying “But I am!”

Patrice informed me, via text, that she had awoken.  I inquired “What is your plan?” to which she replied “Get up and have a little breakfast. Pack and get on the road. What’s your plan?”  My answer was “Wait for you to get here and tell me what to do”. 

While waiting I checked my emails and saw that a patient sent me his recommendations for Philadelphia.  By all normal standards I share much too much personal information with my patients. Sorry but I can’t help myself.  I love seeing and talking with my patients.  How else can you explain a man of my age still enjoying going to work? I shared with a new patient, Kevin, that I might be slow to get back to him since my wife and I were traveling to Baltimore and Philadelphia. He told me that he had spent some time in Philadelphia and had a “to do” list for the city. Here is the list:

Things to eat:

Reading Terminal Market (DiNic’s-RoastPork)

Sweet potato pie

Pastrami Sandwhich

Dinics

Turkey Leg

Laser Wolf Restaurant

South Philly Barbacoa**

John’s Roast Pork

Hoagies Omakase

Florella Pasta

Casa Mexico, 1134 S 9th St.

Barbuzzo, 110 S 13th St, (Salted Caramel Budino)

Pizzeria Beddia, 1313 N Lee St

Food suggestion link

Philly Cheesesteaks

Geno’s

Pat’s King of Steak

Dalessandro’s

            Angelos Pizza/Cheesesteak

Water Ice

Siddiq’s Water Ice

D’Emilio’s

John’s Water Ice

Rose’s Real Italian Water Ice

Morrone’s 

Pop’s

Yardly

Fine Dining

Royal Sushi and Izakaya

Andra Hem

Doro Bet

Vernick Food and Drink (Roast Chicken)

Zahav, Pom glazed lamb shoulder**

Kalaya

Toasted Beef Curry

Tom Yum Soup

Bird Soup Dumpling

Shaw Muang

Things to do:

Magic Garden

Liberty Bell, 526 Market Street

Rocky Steps/Phil Museum of Arts, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Independence Hall, 520 Chestnut St

Love Park, N 15th & Arch St

Longwood Gardens

Baldwin’s Book Barn

Free Library of Philly Rare Book Collection

Masonic Temple, 1 N Broad St https://pamasonictemple.org/

Clay Studio

Fabric Workshop and Museum

Museum for Art in Wood

Franklin Institute,

Philly Phlash, 19 spots, $12/family

Elfreth’s Alley

Hmmm, we will be in Philadelphia for 2 days.  I think we might miss one or two of the things on his list. 

Prior to heading to Philadelphia we went to see the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore. Actually I should say the remnants of the bridge. That is where a container ship struck the bridge on March 26, 2024 and 8 workers making repairs at the time were killed. A horrific sight on the news and more so in person even though we couldn’t get very close. See below.

Francis Scott Key bridge on August 26, 2024

After the bridge sighting we were on our way to the City of Brotherly Love. The drive was a breeze and again the trees lining the highway were gorgeous. We arrived much too early to check into the hotel so we checked Kevin’s list and decided to have Philadelphia Cheese Steaks for lunch. We selected Pat’s King of Steaks [1237 E Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19147]. We weren’t in a rush to get there before closing because they are OPEN 24 HOURS!

Open 24 hours but the real challenge is finding a parking space.

The only decision we needed to make when we arrived was what type of cheese. The choices: 1. American, 2. Provolone, 3. Cooper Sharp America, or 4. Cheese Whiz. Really, Cheese Whiz? I was told that is the original so I ordered it. But provolone sounded really good. This is what I was served. What do you think?

Would you eat it? I did and it was great. Much better than it looked. I think I will try provolone next time.

Not sure why we choose Pat’s, we were also given Geno’s Steaks as an option. When ordering our food at Pat’s I turned around and saw this.

Yes, across the street is another iconic cheese steak restaurant open 24/7. Makes for a lot of happy steak eaters and a lot of unhappy cows.

After our cheese steak fest we tried to go to the Reading Terminal Market but the parking was awful. I needed some chill time so we decided to defer the market to another time and head to the hotel.

Checking in was a bit traumatic because they couldn’t find our reservation, in spite of me showing it on the Marriott App. While they struggled with looking for the reservation I tried to log in online. That was “successful” but unfortunately didn’t get us a key to a room. The app had a chat function that I used but unfortunately that just went to the clerk who was helping us at the hotel. Lucky for me I didn’t say on the app that the hotel clerk is a jerk. They were finally successful in getting us checked in. I say they because it took 5 people.

After chilling in the room for a bit it was time for dinner. We chose Vernick Fish [One N 19th St, Philadelphia, PA 19103]. The meal was wonderful and reasonably priced.

We shared the Crab Roll appetizer. Baltimore should be jealous.
I had the halibut. It was delicious.
Patrice had the sea bass. Good but a bit spicy.
We shared cheesecake for dessert. The restaurant provided the happy birthday message. Two days early but much appreciated.

We had a lovely evening and looking forward to more baseball tomorrow.

Baseball Road Trip Day #2 “Oh Say Can You See”

by reissmd, posted in Baltimore

This morning we had a disappointing breakfast at the hotel and then decided to explore the city. Patrice usually does an amazing job finding us places to visit on our trips but for some reason she hadn’t found much for us to do in Baltimore. As I am sure you are aware Patrice is very, very smart. Unfortunately, one area that is not her strong point is American History. Our conversation about what to do today went something like this.

Patrice: Is there anything you would like to do?

Robert: How about go to see Fort McHenry?

Patrice: What’s that?

Robert: Where Francis Scott Key wrote our national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner”?

Patrice: On, where is it?

Robert: Baltimore?

As I said, Patrice is incredbly smart but history is not her strong suit.

With that decided, we were on our way to see Fort McHenry and luckily it is located very close to our hotel. On arrival we were told that the gift shop is on the left, an orientation movie is on the right, and the entrance to the Fort is straight ahead.

We checked out the gift shop briefly and then headed to the film. It was your usual puff piece but then it had a spectacular finish. The movie ended and the screen lifted to reveal a panoramic view of Fort McHenry with Old Glory flying high and the “Star Spangled Banner” started playing. All the visitors stood up and one guy got very teary eyed. (Patrice here, Robert is such a cry baby. It was him of course).

After that, the tour of the Fort paled by comparison. I would give this a soft recommendation but only if you are a history buff. It is free if you have a National Park pass. If you don’t I would recommend you just go see the film and then go home.

Selfie of Patrice and Me with “Old Glory” at Fort McHenry in the background. This flag has 15 stars. Can you name the the two states that joined the original 13 colonies to bring the count to 15? Patrice can. Isn’t she wonderful?

After the Fort, Patrice asked if I would like to go to the Babe Ruth museum. I thought it odd that a museum dedicated to the “Bambino” would be located in Baltimore since he was a star in Boston and New York. As it turns out the Babe was born in Baltimore and the museum is located in the home where he was born. Yes, on February 6, 1895, George Herman “Babe” Ruth was delivered by a midwife at his family’s home in Baltimore.

I really liked the museum. There is lots of newsreel footage (I especially liked the induction into the Hall of Fame) and many artifacts. They also had a senior discount and like my father, I always love that.

When we got back to the hotel I realized I still had my Fort McHenry entrance bracelet on. See below.

A simple paper bracelet indicating that you paid the entry fee.

I said to Patrice, “I just realized I still have my Fort McHenry entrance bracelet on, do you?” She said, “I never put mine on”. I really married a rebel, didn’t I?

We had an early dinner by the stadium at a sports bar called “Pickles Pub” [520 Washington Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21230]. It is located steps from the stadium. The food was good and prices reasonable. Nothing fancy worthy of a picture. We did meet two moms with their 12 year old sons visiting from Florida. They said that they are trying to take the boys to all 30 MLB parks. As they put it, “It’s a 12 year old boy kind of thing”. To which I replied, “We are here for a medical meeting, I am working on the cure to cancer”.

Then it was time for baseball. Before the game we saw several large number statues representing players who have had their numbers retired. We saw #5 for Brooks Robinson and #20 for Frank Robinson. Patrice asked if they were brothers.

Brooks Robinson, the Oriole superstar 3rd baseman.
Frank Robinson. The only player to be voted MVP in both the American and National Leagues as of today (that might change this year).

Both great baseball players but in spite of the striking resemblance in their looks I don’t think they were brothers.

The stadium was beautiful and we had great seats. I assessed the location and told Patrice it was safe for her to read. But then I saw this sign and had to reconsider the situation. See below.

Keep you eyes open.

It was a great game and I really enjoyed stadium #25. There were 3 home runs and some wonderful plays in the field. After the 8th inning with the Orioles losing by 3 runs there was a mass exodus of fans. I felt like I was at Dodger Stadium. Actually not, at Dodger Stadium the fans leave after the 7th inning and the score is irrelevant. Another thing about Oriole Park, we didn’t see one beach ball. At Dodger Stadium you see about 6 beach balls bopping around the stands by the 4th inning. Doesn’t anyone come to watch the game any longer?

Tomorrow we leave for Philadelphia where we will see Stadium #26 and leave just 4 more until we reach the magic #30. I guess I am just 12 years old at heart.

Baseball Road Trip Day #1 “Robert Has Crabs”

by reissmd, posted in Baltimore

As followers of this blog know I am on a quest to see baseball games in all 30 MLB parks. Patrice is on a similar quest. She wants to read her Kindle in all 30 MLB parks. As of today we have been to 24 parks and tomorrow we add #25 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

We flew into DC today because the flights were more convenient than flying directly to Baltimore. After all, we figured Baltimore is only about 40 miles from Washington so how long could it take to drive there. An hour and a half in our case. Traffic was awful but the greenery was beautiful for the majority of the trip.

One perq of flying into DC was seeing the sights approaching the DCA airport. We saw the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, and the Capital Building just prior to landing.

After checking into the hotel we had some time to check out the neighborhood. The Saturday Oriole game had just ended and there were lots of fans walking the streets. Our hotel is steps from the stadium and down the street from a restaurant that was recommended to us. Patrice’s biking friend, Carolyn, said Phillips Seafood [601 E. Pratt Street, Baltimore Phone: (410) 685-6600] is the place to go.

So we headed down there for a late lunch, early dinner and we were not disappointed. They specialize in crab and serve it in a variety of styles. Patrice ordered the Crab Cake and I ordered Crab Imperial. We shared them and both were superb.

Crab Imperial
Crab Cake

Exploring the neighborhood we saw some interesting sights. We saw this statue in front of the US Court House. Do you recognize this famous American? See below.

I will give you a hint, his was a famous Lawyer.

Does this close-up help?

We also saw a memorial to the Maryland residents who died in the 9/11 attacks.

Remnant of the wreckage from 9/11 with names of the people who lost their lives inscribed on the base.

By the way, the statue above was Thurgood Marshall.

Nearby we saw the Hard Rock Cafe.

The Hard Rock Cafe wants to save the planet.
They might want to start with the harbor directly in front of their restaurant.

I have to say goodbye now because it is time to prepare for tomorrow. As you know there is always a chance a foul ball might come our way. I need to get ready for that possibility. I have to do some stretching. I wouldn’t want to miss my chance for a foul ball because my muscles were too tight.

Patrice here now. I can’t believe what I just read. See below to see Robert getting ready for the possiblity of a foul ball.

Here’s my brave boy.