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Baltimore's Inner Harbor used to be known as the cesspool of the Chesapeake. Garbage and sewage flowed directly into the harbor and giant rats roamed free along the waterfront. A few years ago with the construction of the new Camden Yards Stadium for the Orioles, the Inner Harbor also got a facelift. Now it is booming with restaurants, shops, movie theatres, and highrise hotels and condos. Just adjacent to historic Little Italy, the waterfront is all abustle.
After several days on the hook at Chestertown, we sailed over to the the Inner Harbor East Marina - just across from the Domino Sugar factory. The marina is undergoing a facelift of its own and behind it three high rise office buildings are under construction - apparently the economy problems are not affecting this area. Within a few blocks are a Whole Foods grocery store, a liquor store, a CVS pharmacy, and a fairly large movie theatre. We have been prepping for our move south by stocking up on all kinds of stores as well as doing laundry and getting our bottom cleaned. Today we changed oil and filters on both the engine and the generator and had the hull and prop zincs replaced.
It's not all work though. We have seen several movies and checked out many restaurants in the area. Tonight - this being Halloween and the hometown of Edgar Allen Poe - we may just get a little ghoulish. Not far from here is Poe's house and final resting place. Apparently each Halloween someone - no knows who because no one has ever seen them - places a bottle of brandy on Poe's grave. Word is that before dawn on All Saint's Day, the bottle is empty - spooky!
Just one other note. As we sailed into the harbor, we passed Fort McHenry. What a sight! Seeing the spot where Francis Scott Key watched the British bombardment and penned the Star Spangled Banner was, I must admit, pretty cool. Particularly as we approach election day where, we, the land of the free and home of the brave, may elect someone that will exemplify all that's best about America - Gobama!
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