Ups and Downs

Our plan for today involved a trip to Annapolis, Maryland, the home of the Naval Academy and the Maryland State House, along with a number of highly rated seafood restaurants.

Not to be.

We got to Annapolis in short order as it's only 26 miles from Cherry Hill Park via our old friend US 50.  Annapolis is a quaint town with narrow brick streets and a diverse mixture of shops and restaurants. Unfortunately, this weekend was also an annual celebration of Art, and evidently most of Maryland had descended on the village to participate.

We thought we were going to be ok as we checked into the town, established in the 1640's, but things got a little complicated as we headed for the downtown area.

Parking, as you can see, is at a premium hereabouts. We finally found a metered spot a few blocks from the Naval Academy, but determined that we wouldn't have enough time for the tour before our meter ran out.

Eight miles east of Annapolis is the Bay Bridge. Now, if you're near the San Francisco, California, area, you know of another Bay Bridge, but this one crosses Chesapeake Bay, and is an engineering marvel. Connecting the state's rural eastern shore with the more urban western shore, it is a dual span bridge 4.3 miles long. It was completed in 1952 and is the world's longest continuous over-water steel structure.

Chesapeake Bay is a huge body of water at this point, and accommodates ocean going ships.

Just across the Bay Bridge is a great restaurant named Hemingway's. Set along the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay, it offers outside dining in a casual, friendly environment.

We chose to eat outside on the second floor deck overlooking both the Bay Bridge on one side and the Bay Bridge Marina on the other.

We started with a half dozen on the half shell,

And continued into a bowl of an award winning Maryland Clam soup (delicious!) with our entrees.
Donna ordered Shrimp Tacos with a Wing Style batter,

And I enjoyed a lump Crab Cake (Jumbo lump Crab meat with zero filler and a signature sauce. Served with Horseradish smashed red bliss potatoes and vegetables. Yum!)

Sasha took us on a walk around the Marina,

and then we joined the crowds heading back into the city. Home again early in the evening, we had a casual, slow ride home and counted ourselves lucky that we had had a chance to see a new part of Maryland.

You just never know what the day will bring!