Baltimore

The Inner Harbor near the National Aquarium.

We just got back from a trip to Baltimore, where we visited with some dear friends.  It had been years since we'd seen them, and it was a great visit.  We drove around a few different neighborhoods and got a bit of a feel for the city.  (Okay, sometimes we were lost.)  There were A LOT of boarded up old brownstones, which was sad.  But then there were also gorgeous buildings, and a lot of very nice homes for families.

Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum

We loved the B&O museum!  My dad is a bit train-obsessed, and I grew up around model trains.  We also went to visit a number of train museums/rides (Strasburg, Cass) during my childhood.  Somehow, we never made it to this one.  I was really wishing he was there with us, but we took a ridiculous amount of pictures to show him until he can get there.

Ridin' in style, right here.  Unless you had to ride on top, I guess.

It's nearly impossible to get anything resembling a good
family photo.  But here we all are.

Scrappy with an early engine.  See how big he is compared to the wheels?

Ooooh, bigger train, bigger wheels.

Another attempt at a family photo.  Goofy makes that face in most of his pictures.
This is in front of an Allegheny, which, according to my dad, is a BIG deal.

Outside shot of the workshop.  It's been in continuous operation since 1869.
I guess if you have a train that needs fixing, this is the place to go.

This was great for kids.  We got to see the history of engines in a nutshell, from horse-drawn passenger cars to modern diesel and electric trains.  I think that anyone who likes trains, transportation, engineering, or history would really enjoy this museum.

National Aquarium

We were smart enough to go to the aquarium on a Monday, which greatly increased our chances of having a good time, according to the Internet reviewers.  There were a few times where it felt crowded, but for the most part, it wasn't too bad.  Having read the reviews, I knew that I had to lower my expectations, but I forgot to tell Hub.  In the end, we were disappointed.  I really would like to know why it's called "The National Aquarium."  I think other aquariums are nicer.  And cheaper.  (Price for three soft pretzels=$11.50.)

There were some exhibits that I thought were especially well-done.  They have an exhibit on the massive growth of the jellyfish population and its impact, which was really interesting and different.  They have a great collection of sharks and stingrays.  The Flour Children liked the dolphin show best.  There is also a huge coral reef tank which the kids really loved.  The Australia exhibit is also pretty good.

They were shooting pictures for their website,
so the dolphin was up close and personal.

These jellyfish are called Upside-Down Jellyfish.  Seriously.  Clever, right?
They were working hard to stay down at the bottom of the tank.

Rays.  I want one as a pet.  Hub says we would need a much bigger
fish tank.  Too bad.

Fun in the gift shop.

Overall, it was a good visit.  We discussed a lot of the things we have learned about in science class.  You know how it's always nice to know the darlings are actually retaining things now and again.

After all that, we were too tired to do anything else, but we'll go back again.  We were told a couple times that we should go to the Babe Ruth Museum.  Anyone ever been there?