Good Morning, Baltimore!

I got to get out of the city last weekend, a lovely change! (Only when you live in New York does something like a trip to Baltimore count as "getting out of the city." It was so quaint and quiet and tiny by comparison!)



I took Friday afternoon off from work and caught a train from Penn Station to New Jersey, an experience fraught with peril due to me cutting it extremely close on time and there being a line of really, really, freaking slow people at the Jersey Transit ticket machines. Seriously, there should be a special line for people who are not MORONS and know how to find their destination and swipe a credit card. I mean, I've probably taken NJT twice in my life, and it only takes me a grand total of 30 seconds to purchase my tickets. What are the rest of you idiots doing??! Never fear, I made the train with seconds to spare and arrived safely in Jersey where I met up with my friends who live there. One of them drove us down to B-more and we made good time, arriving around 7 pm Friday night. We checked into the hotel on the waterfront and then ate at one of my favorite places and I wish that I were saying that ironically, but alas, I just truly do love the Hard Rock Cafe. It's a remnant of a childhood spent wishing I were cooler than I ever was (or am.) Our food took forever to arrive, so to compensate, the waiter gave me a free Hard Rock Cafe Baltimore double shot glass! How cool am I now?! (Wait. Just... don't answer that.)



The whole purpose behind the trip was attending our alma mater's football game at Ravens' stadium on Saturday afternoon. We headed out to tailgate on Saturday morning armed with umbrellas and that ever-classy beacon of outdoor entertainment... the poncho, worried about what sort of weather the day would bring. It was really warm (in the high sixties!) but rain was predicted all day and the air was humid and sticky. As soon as we went outside though, the sun came out and it was really gorgeous! I was the only one of our group who decided to stick my sunglasses in my purse as we were heading out the door, and boy was I glad I did! I wore those for much longer than I wore my poncho. But sadly, I did have to break out the poncho with about 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter, when the skies gave us about 15 seconds of warning and then just opened up with a torrential downpour. Yikes! But like any good fans, we stuck it out in the stands, cheering the Irish to a victory (not that they really deserved it, allowing 2 touchdowns in the final 5 minutes or so.)



A bunch of my other friends were down there for the game, so it was awesome to see them and tailgate with them for a little while, although it was disappointing that the kickoff was so early (at noon) and then the rain made it tough to meet up with people afterwards, because everyone was soaking wet and headed straight for hotel rooms or cars to change or go home or do something to otherwise dry themselves off. The after-party isn't as much fun when you look and feel like a drowned rat (and may I just say, being a seasoned rider of NYC public transit, that I have a much clearer sense of that imagery these days than I ever, ever would have wanted.)



Sunday morning we went to the National Aquarium, which was right by our hotel and it was awesome! I really hate zoos (I'm sorry, they make me sneeze and animals just don't interest me) but the aquarium was super cool! There were sharks! (Live every week like it's Shark Week!) And rays! And a one-legged turtle! And to top it all off, I got to see a dolphin show! Dolphins are so freaking cool! (Gosh, I really am stuck back in the 80's, aren't I? I'm Stacey McGill... I love dolphins and the Hard Rock Cafe... I've really got to grow up.) But seriously, is it really my fault? I've never been to an aquarium before! I was denied an essential part of childhood. I mean, DJ and Stephanie Tanner actually got to swim with the dolphins! Next time, I'm totally going to find a place where I can do that. Maybe in Hawaii like they did.



And after all of that, it was back into the car and back to Jersey, then back on the train and back to Manhattan, then back on the subway and back to Brooklyn, then back on the bus and back to the apartment. Whew! Quite the whirlwind trip, but so nice to see my friends and take a short break. Now it's the home stretch to the holidays! Bring on the Christmas music!