“There’s a certain magic when introducing the mundane of your home region to someone who’s never experienced it before.” – Old Sean
Ice Greet
After a disappointing visit to an entirely shut down Washington DC, I pressed onwards, making it to Baltimore that night. A snowstorm was nipping my heals as I traveled, tiny flurries darting down from above.
An old friend of mine from University lives in Baltimore, so I had a place to stay in the city. I drove out to meet him, his girlfriend from Colombia and his musical roommate in downtown Baltimore, just as the snow was picking up.
At the time of my arrival, Baltimore was celebrating a winter ice festival in Harbor Point. When I met my friend, we embraced on a snowy field with glowing ice thrones, wavy sculptures and cups of hot chocolate. Also around, there were slides, and fire-dancers, snowball fights and games of frozen cornhole. Several artists were demonstrating how to form ice sculptures by carving with handheld drills.
I enjoyed the icy attractions with a certain layer of irony. During my time in China, I attended the Harbin Ice Festival which had entire buildings and temples made entirely of ice, glowing various colors from embedded LED light strings.
I suspect I’ll never be truly impressed by carved ice sculptures again.
Snow Play
While I greatly enjoyed the new snowy weather, it was nothing compared to the lovely Colombian woman who accompanied us. This was the first time she’d ever experienced snow, so we spent virtually all our time outside.
We lugged cardboard to short hills and tried in vain to scooch down. We made snowmen at any given opportunity, some of them reaching knee high. Others were no taller than a trio of stacked oranges. Some were distinctly female, others overtly male. We piled some under trees and others atop winter hats.
Whenever we came across a clear patch, we would throw ourselves down and make snow-angles. We found water running ice and tugged down branches so snow would tumble down, cracking the thin crust. When we came across tiny, yellow gazebos, we scrambled atop frosty picnic tables and posed dramatically, fresh snowfall dusting our shoulders.
Deep Snooze
When we finally returned to rest for the day and wait out the storm, our time was spent watching Space Odyssey with a group of other people. An attic protector beamed it onto a wall and the timeless intro music pressed back into our faces.
We cooked overtly-spicey homemade meals. During downtime, we played a couple rounds of D&D which involved a puzzle tied to the piano in the room. A bard had to sing, a bridge was burned and, in typical D&D fashion, a wizard had to pee 7-feet into a vat of potion for a stealth sabotage.
There’s something very cozy about staying inside during a snowstorm.
Bay Day
The following morning was my last in Baltimore. My friends had to work, so I ended up visiting the Baltimore Harbor with a single companion.
As the sun rose, we visited the Historic Ships in Baltimore, brushed snow off of cannons, chucked snowballs at statues, slipped on half-frosted bridges and walked along the Baltimore Waterfront Promenade.
Eventually, we found an early lunch, eating at a counter-diner before using one of those gear-rotation machines to press a penny.
Finally, we wandered up Federal Hill Park, where we kicked on swings and watched the bay.
Sadly, that was all the time I had for visiting Baltimore. Several big-ticket cities are next on my list.
Philly and New York, here I come.
Best regards and excellent trails
Old Sean
Written January 14th 2019
Want to read more about visiting Baltimore? Check out the Leftfade Trails Destination Info Page
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