Edgar Allen Poe’s grave – Westminster Cemetery – Baltimore Maryland

Before leaving for Maryland my travel companion learned that Edgar Allen Poe was buried in Baltimore and asked if he could be lucky enough to see both the grave of H P Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe in the span of a month. I didn’t see any issue with this as I love walking through cemeteries and used to know The Raven by heart. So of course this was the first thing we had on our list of to-do’s and the first thing we actually accomplished.

Edgar Allen Poe is buried in the Westminster Cemetery which is still attached to a church and is gated with appropriately Gothic looking iron fencing. It was still daylight so we were able to go in and take a respectful look around. A few tourists were crowded around Poe’s monument but the rest of this dainty cemetery was unpopulated by the living. And boy was it unique! Despite being small it had a lot of character. There were historic markers spread out explaining that a lot of the important people of Baltimore were buried here. Some told stories of prominence while others shed light on tragedy like the mother who lost ten children in her lifetime. Because it was part of church property we got to see stones that were right next to the building a few which seemed to be under it. There were also a number of tombs that appeared to be bricked in above ground burials, the likes of which I have never seen around my New England home. I always thought this was the sort of thing cities prone to flooding did but maybe there was some other reason. Also nestled in a quiet and almost hidden corner (which we only discovered after our guest disappeared around a hedge) was a series of monuments that had some Egyptian flare. One was shaped like a pyramid, another had very Egyptian looking busts. I guess it was in vogue at the time.

All and all this gave the entire cemetery a very unique charm. I almost didn’t want to leave. And of course we found both the original grave of Edgar Allen Poe and his current resting place across the cemetery. Both were adorned with beautiful stones. I couldn’t imagine a better place for one of the founders of the horror genre to be spending eternity.

November 14, 2021 0

Pierce’s Park – Baltimore

As we were walking along trying to find the things we needed we all had a fit of ADHD and wandered off our route when we got distracted by Pierce Park. The first thing that caught our attention was a brick walkway with hundreds of homophones written in pairs, trios, and I think a couple quads. Obviously we had to follow the words and discuss how English must be the most frustrating language in the world to learn. But the pathway led us to a strange metal sculpture that beckoned for visitors to climb inside it to hear the park in a totally different way. There were too many people around to indulge our childlike instincts to explore this but we did partake in playing the weird giant metal xylophones not too far away. Children played nearby on a swing set as annoyed mothers gave us dirty looks. I however found it all very sweet. I’d never been in a park that was quite so interactive as this… and what looked from the outside to be just a small patch of grass in a big city was actually quite endearing and perhaps a little educational.

November 14, 2021 0

Random Sights on the Streets of Baltimore

I’d been to Baltimore before, many years ago when Catching Marbles was super new. I had come to enjoy their aquarium which is to date still the most impressive one I have ever been to. However after the aquarium we ran out of town like our asses were on fire so I didn’t get to see much of the city. And that’s a real shame because walking around on this particular day I noticed just how beautiful it was with a playful spirit that was unique to any metropolitan area I have been in.

There were all sorts of interesting buildings with elaborate moldings far above our heads, the most intensely expensive parking garages I have ever let the Prius rest it’s sore tires in, random historic sights smattered about, and the friendliest city folk I have met in a long time! One of them was just a guy on the street who asked where we were from and then got severely confused by the concept of Rhode Island. Apparently Rhode Island is an actual island off the side of New York and not a state considerably farther north than all that. Also not an actual island. But his increasing consternation gave us all a good chuckle and me something to wonder about… why do we call it island??

We wandered several neighborhoods in search of banks and the basic necessities we all end up needing when we start traveling in a new locale. I was in love with a lot of the art I found sprinkled around. There was even a crosswalk that looked like a giant zipper. It was whimsical and fun. And we found ourselves in both well kept neighborhoods and one more questionable one as we made our way to the Westminster Hall Cemetery where Edgar Poe was buried. I snapped photos of anything interesting that I saw which is in the gallery below.

November 13, 2021 0

Miss Shirley’s Café – Baltimore Maryland

Going to Maryland was no small ordeal. We’d started our travels at 2AM the night before and arrived at the airport to pick up our newest travel companion only after getting into the world’s dumbest car accident only 5 minutes away at the toll booths. Apparently they’d changed the entire system to EZPass which confused cash payers so much they were stopping when they shouldn’t have been…. hence I slammed into a stopped car ahead of me and the gentleman behind me slammed into me. Fun stuff!

So I was already loopy tired, high on adrenaline, and hungry enough to eat a horse when we decided to go in search of food. Miss Shirley’s came up as a suggestion and when we found out it’d been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives we had to check it out. Whether you like the show or not you have to acknowledge it showcases a lot of diners, all of which look food coma amazing, and I had wondered if I’d ever end up at one of these joints seeing as diners are my kinda food.

Even at this weird hour there was a wait but after getting in we were served quickly. I ended up drinking their strawberry lemonade which had such a delightful light flavor – it didn’t taste like pure sugar like lemonade usually does. I ended up getting the coconut stuffed French toast for $17. Never in my life did I expect to pay $17 for what is essentially peasant food but when in Rome… I was not disappointed! When they came out with my meal I couldn’t even tell what it was. It wasn’t a few identifiable slices it was the whole damn loaf of bread! Dipped in egg, settled on a nest of fresh strawberries and slices of banana foster, cut, and glued back together with two inches of coconut filling which came spewing out like lava when I hit it. Clearly I didn’t know how to eat this monstrosity. My companions both laughed at how huge it was knowing I’d never come close to eating it all. That was like four meals worth of toast for me! And it was GOOD. I ate far too much. It was so sweet it didn’t even need maple syrup. I am definitely adding coconut to my future breakfast endeavors.

Meanwhile everyone else was super happy with their choices of chocolate chip pancakes and a mixed egg breakfast of some sort. Their proportions were also very large although maybe not as excessive as my French toast. We all left stuffed silly and I would highly recommend this stop if you happen to be in Baltimore.

November 13, 2021 0

Busting out of New England! To Maryland I go!

I am just writing this quick entry to announce that this week I will be doing something a little different with this blog. Since I was invited to attend a wedding in Maryland I decided to take a few days off and poke around Baltimore and Fredric. I had a lot of fun with great people and destinations and took enough photos to make you cry. We ended up everywhere – at museums, battlefields, escape rooms, some fantastic diners, antique shops, record stores, parks, and of course cemeteries. So buckle and stay tuned as I post a flurry of Maryland-based entries!

Below are some photo teases to wet your apatite.

November 13, 2021 0

The Baltimore Aquarium – Maryland

I was told that the Baltimore Aquarium was a pretty good aquarium and although I’ve seen a lot of salt water fish at salt water stores and other aquariums I decided to go and check it out. The place was pretty infested with children of all ages – none listening to a damn thing their chaperones were saying. I expected this and am somewhat used to it, although I’m not much fonder of the little squirts.

The first thing I came across was an enormous tank which I could stand over at many points. It was devoid of plant and coral but absolutely filled with all sorts of rays, a three-legged sea turtle, a zebra shark, a guitar fish, and some other interesting things. I tried to take photos with my camera but it told me, “In this lighting?! Are you kidding me?!”

As I wandered away from the tank I walked into a hallway filled with fresh water fish, brackish fish, salt water fish, and ocean fish. These things looked familiar and unimpressive and I figured the rest of the aquarium would be the same. I was happily surprised to find tanks filled with almost all the familiar salt water hobbyist favorites (except a Moorish idol!) as well as weird things. We came across a number of fish that weren’t immediately identifiable. As usual the big boney fish freaked me right out and at first I didn’t want to go anywhere near them! But I forced myself… as I often do with things I’m afraid of. Some of the little tanks had real corals, unlike the plastic corals you saw in some of the larger tanks.

I got to see my first nautiluses! But they were in a tank with no flash photography and we just couldn’t get them… we also saw a fairly big octopus, a tank full of lion fish, some shrimp, and then we started getting into the different kinds of habitats. We walked into a rain forest exhibit and took all sorts of photos of the adorable poison dart frogs and a snake or two. They also had a rainforest room filled with plants you could walk through. I must admit it kinda smelled in there… but there was a pair of shy juvenile monkeys, a pair of Amazon parrots, some cute turtles, and a tarantula. Eventually I found my way to the giant winding shark tank. There were all sorts of sharks including two huge saw fish I couldn’t get a photo of because they were too close to the glass. Most were active and swimming around and like the rest of the aquarium they were being fed. I think I came at just the right time for this. I think my heart pitter-pattered when I spotted the baby hammerhead! It was just the cutest little fishy! Hammerhead sharks tan when they are in the sun which turns them from gray to black. This little guy was in the dark with no light at all and was just as pallid as I was – faux albino buddies! Forever!

I then wandered into the dolphin area. They were working with their trainers but there was no show due to the recent birth of a wee one (we didn’t see him or her.)

In the end I got to see a bunch of jelly fish tanks. They were eerily beautiful. I have been always a bit skittish of jellyfish… they also creep me out… but I was transfixed to these guys. Some of them looked like moving mushrooms. Others they put the light at the bottom of their tank so they’d swim against the floor and show their little tenticled backsides.

Did I forget to mention I saw some of the biggest, fattest, most bloated colorful starfish I have ever seen? They were absolutely grotesque!
I left having seen not only the best aquarium I have ever been to but also seeing the last surviving rescue ship to serve at Pearl Harbor. It was parked out front.

***I apologize for any missing photos and galleries as I continue to work getting Catching Marbles fully migrated to a new host. Please come back soon for restored photos and thank you for your patience!***

If you are enjoying Catching Marbles please consider adding a dollar or two to my limited gas money fund so I can continue going on adventures and sharing them with you! Thank you!

May 18, 2011 0