Washington and More Time in Baltimore

I simply hate it when I get behind on my writing.  The entire Labor Day weekend will be covered in this post because of my procrastination (and busy-ness).

After writing the last post on Thursday afternoon, I needed to stretch my legs and explore, so I took a walk along the waterfront promenade to Fell's Point.  Along the way, I passed hundreds of pleasure boats, ranging from beautifully maintained (the majority) and unseaworthy.  Notable was an older Chris Craft cruiser, which was probably a beauty at one time but which now has a mannequin of a pirate propped by the wheel in the pilot house and a large inflatable dragon on the foredeck.

May not be seaworthy, but might be a nice place for a party

Fell's Point, originally its own settlement east of Baltimore Town, was founded as a maritime community by a Quaker from Pennsylvania, William Fell, in 1730. By the mid-1700s, it was the main port on the Patapsco River.  Fell's son Edward sold land to tradesmen and entrpreneurs who established thriving shipbuilding and trading businesses.  A third of its population was directly involved in building and sailing ships.  As a point of entry, it became the first and for some permanent home of successive waves of immigrants in the late 18th and 19th centuries.  Fell's Point became a ethnically diverse, working-class neighborhood of artisans, sailors and craftsmen.

As a port, Fell's Points thrived as sailing ships from around the world unloaded cargo and immigrants and loaded items for export.  When steam replaced sails for propulsion, the larger steam powered ships could not be accomodated at the wharves.  By the late 19th century, the canning industry replaced shipping as the economic base.  By the 1960s, the economy had collapsed, and a freeway was planned to take over the neighborhood.  Fortunately, local citizens rallied and gained National Register Historic District status in 1969.  Houses and shops were saved from the wrecking ball, and Fell's Point is now a lovely enclave of Federal style architecture and streets paved with durable Belgian blocks.  Most of the structures are narrow, made of dark red brick and only wide enough to allow for a doorway and one window on the front on the ground level and two windows on each of the upper levels.  The buildings are two or four stories high.

Fell's Point

Many important people in American history called Fell's Point home.  Frederick Douglass, the famous abolitionist, lived here as a slave for a short time.  In 1837, he was hired out by his master as a caulker in the shipyards.  In September 1838, using identification and protection papers he had obtained from a free black seaman, he escaped from Baltimore by train and went to New York City.

Jazz singer Billie Holiday was born in East Baltimore in 1915 and lived in and around Fell's Point for the first fourteen years of her life.  (Her final residence in Baltimore, an 1810 two-story Federalist style brick house.)  She began singing at the age of ten in theaters, whiskey houses and storefront churches in Fell's Point.

As I was standing at the entrance to Broadway Pier reading the signs about the history of the area, I was surrounded by a couple hundred people all dressed in various styles of clothing but all in white.  I thought perhaps they were performers, but, upon inquiry, I discovered that they had all signed up for an event involving a walk to an unspecified location for a picnic feast by the water.   Further research revealed that this pop-up picnic is called Le Diner en Blanc.  According to the Baltimore Sun, participants had to dress in all white and bring their own white picnic basket and chairs as well as a square folding table.  They also had to bring their own gourment dinner or buy a catered basket.  Wherever the event was held music and entertainment was provided.   The event is based on a secretive picnic event that began in Paris 30 years ago; this was its second iteration in Baltimore.  Everyone seemed excited and ready for a fun evening.

Meanwhile, five musicians dressed in casual white strolled by a couple times, playing jazz with brass instruments and drums.  This is one of the things I love about cities:  the totally unexpected and delightful surprises I find.

After I returned to the boat, where Peter was working away at his various projects, he and I strolled over to a historic area of Canton (the neighborhood we are staying in just east of Fell's Point) a few blocks away and had dinner at a Mexican restaurant called Mama's, famous for hubcap margaritas to share.  These are recommended for four people; because of this and the fact that I don't drink margaritas, we didn't order one, but they seemed to be quite popular.  Peter did have a margarita and said it was worth a return trip.  I think the portabello and spinach quesadilla is worth a repeat.

The next day, I picked up an Enterprise rental car and we drove to Washington, D.C. in order to join our friends Lori, Michael and Elizabeth in the evening for a production of Hamilton at the Kennedy Center.  First, we went to the Mall.  We enjoyed an outdoor display of tropical plants in bloom at the Enid Haupt Garden by the Smithsonian Castle.  

Tropical flower in bloom

Another type of bloom

Then we went to the Museum of African Art to see an exhibition of Swahili Coast art.  The paintings, pottery, jewelry, books and architectural pieces such as doors and lintels spanned several centuries and highlighted the influences of the Middle East, inland cultures and local customs and beliefs.  Peter was able to translate most of the Swahili.

Then we met Lori, Michael and Elizabeth at &pizza on F Street and Virginia.  Each of us had an individual pizza.  (Lori had the one called the Maverick in honor of John McCain.)  They were delicious!  We walked from there to the Kennedy Center.  Our seats were in the second tier of the Opera House; we had brought binoculars.  However, I couldn't complain about the seats because we could use our binoculars to see individual performers (King George III's facial expressions were precious!) and we could appreciate the choreography more than we could have in the orchestra seats.
What can more can be said about Hamilton?  Everything about it--the story, the dialogue and the amazingly talented actors, the musical composition and the singing, the choreography, the costumes, the set--was brilliant.  Noted for its songs with rapid-fire lyrics and upbeat rhythms, the production also awes with its slow, heart-rending numbers.

Peter, Elizabeth, Sherri, Michael and Lori at the Kennedy Center

After the play, we emerged from the Kennedy Center into a thunderstorm.  When the rain let up some, we quickly walked to our car a few blocks away.  Our poor companions had ridden bikes downtown and had to cycle home to Glover Park.  Unfortunately for them, the rain can back in force before they made it, but at least they weren't hit by lightning!

The next morning, we had time to have breakfast and chat a bit with Lori before we had to return to Baltimore and return our one-day rental car.  Detouring a bit, we stopped at the municipal recycling center to drop off the non-functioning dehumidifier from our boat, trying to be ecologically responsible.  They took it and then we saw it being thrown in a dumpster!  We could have done that.

After a quick shopping trip to Target, we arrived back at the marina, where I dropped Peter off.  I took the car back to Fell's Point (not the hip, upscale waterfront section but the area further away from the harbor, an area more gritty and less appealing).  I walked toward the waterfront before turning east.  Peter texted me about lunch, and I replied that I had become distracted by history and architecture in Fell's Point.  The Broadway Market, the oldest continuously operating public market in the U.S., first opened in 1784.  The current building dates from 1864.  Formerly a market for livestock, produce and grain, the building now has gourmet and prepared food for sale.  The structure itself is interesting and there is a lovely stained glass window at one end.

Broadway Market in Fell's Point

Stained glass window of Baltimore

I found that the museum of the Preservation Society of Fell's Point was open, and I couldn't resist exploring.  There, I was told that one of the historic houses around the corner was open for view, so I popped over to the Robert Long House.  Built in 1765, it is believed to be the oldest surviving residence in Baltimore.  Slated for demolition in 1969, the exterior and the interior has been restored to its colonial-era appearance.  Just one of the interesting things on display was a skirt bolster, a padded cylinder to be tied around the waist to make the hips seem bigger and the waist smaller.

Bedroom of Long House

There was a party at the marina on Saturday evening, with great live music and lots of food and drink.  Peter, from his stay here at the marina for a week and a half in early August, had already made friends with some people, to whom he introduced me, and we met and chatted with others.  As we discussed boats with one couple, Peter mentioned a minor rigging job we need to have done.  What luck!  Their daughter is a rigger, and she was at the party.  So we all trekked over to the next dock and our boat, where she took measurements and discussed the job with Peter.  So that is being taken care of.

This couple we met are running a non-profit organization they founded which introduces socio-economically disadvantaged youth in Baltimore to sailing and teaches them real life applications for science and math.  We were really impressed by them.

The party was still going strong and the musicians had moved from Jimmy Buffett to Jethro Tull (and were excellent at both) when we decided to call it a night at 9:00.  (We are so old!)  Peter did some more tinkering and I read more of Crazy Rich Asians before going to bed.

Musicians at the party at Anchorage Marina

I did some more cleaning and tidying and Peter re-installed some of the floor boards and put away tools so that we could take the boat out on the water.  Lori, Michael and Elizabeth joined us for an afternoon on the Patapsco River.  Unfortunately, there was not enough wind for sailing, but it was cooler away from the docks.  (Not cool, mind you.  Cool is not a word I would use to describe the temperature at any time during our stay here in Baltimore.)  We chugged very slowly away from the dock, the engine struggling against build-up of barnacles on the propeller.  Some of them bailed off as we traveled, but their presence was still evident.  After we passed under the Francis Scott Key Bridge, we dropped anchor and Peter went overboard with his mask, fin and snorkle and a paint scraper.  He put some of the barncles on the swim step for the kids to dissect; they were fascinated.  Our three friends learned how to use the dock lines and took turns steering, and we all enjoyed a picnic lunch bought at the nearby Safeway across the street prior to setting off.

Michael and Elizabeth

Elizabeth, Peter and Michael with barnacles

Lori at the wheel

Elizabeth and Michael ready to toss bowlines

Sherri, Lori, Elizabeth, Michael and Peter in front of Mantra

I was exhausted from the heat and was useless for the evening.  This morning I got up and got right to work.  I polished metal for a while, and then I started cleaning durade boxes.  (For non-sailors, these are the ventilation system for below deck.)  I worked on deck until after 1 p.m.  I was actually doing fine until I stopped.   Then I realized how hot I was.  I packed up my toiletries, my towel, a change of clothes, and my computer and headed to the marina facilities.  After a refreshing shower, I settled into the lounge, where, hours later, I still sit.  Peter, meanwhile, has been diagramming his upgraded electrical system for the boat's instruments and walking the short distance to West Marine to order cables and parts.  Progress is being made.