Saturday, November 16, 2013

Baltimore Streetcar Museum


Written by Matt Rosenfeld
The Baltimore Streetcar Museum presents visitors with a glimpse into what transportation was like in Baltimore during the hey-day of the streetcar, back in the early 1900s, with the last one taken off the lines in the mid-1960s.  These vehicles were the main way to get around the city and the suburbs of Baltimore back then.

The museum itself is pretty basic, mostly filled with photos of old streetcars along with captions about them. Outside in the "yard" are a number of antique street cars, most of which ran in the Baltimore area.

However, the best part of the visit is taking a ride on one of the streetcars and getting the feel for what it was like for people who used this in their regular commute.  There are also personnel dressed as train engineers that are there to answer any questions you may have.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

American Visionary Art Museum



Written by Matt Rosenfeld
Not everyone is into visiting art museums as they can sometimes be pretentious, stuffy, and honestly, boring if you aren't into the style of art on the walls.  The American Visionary Art Museum is VERY different from the standard art museum though.  Even when you arrive (and there is plenty of street parking available), you'll see art on the outside of the building and along the side of the building. When we visited, there were even artists working on masterpieces on the sidewalk!

The art inside the museum is what you'd call "very unusual."  It's really difficult to put into words.  From seeing a cruise liner made of hundreds of thousands of toothpicks to seeing the "fart" exhibit near the 1st floor bathrooms, this museum will entertain people of all ages and with all varying degrees of interest in art.

The museum has two buildings and a sculpture garden, the main building has three floors (including a very unique restaurant on the third floor) and a small exhibit on the ground floor around the bathrooms. The second building is much more interactive, with larger artist pieces as well as motion pieces that visitors and interact with. Between the two buildings in the sculpture garden. Be sure to walk along the sidewalk between the two buildings as well, as there is even more funky, fun art that is street facing.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Edgar Allan Poe House, Baltimore




Written by Leann Pettit
Grab a copy of "The Raven" and head to the Edgar Allan Poe House in Baltimore, where Poe lived from 1833 to 1835, and where he is believed to have written a number of short stories and poems, including the poem "To Elizabeth" and "The Tales from the Folio Club."

The house is very small and three stories with very good descriptive signs to explain the life of Poe leading up to his life in Baltimore, as he lived in the house in Baltimore and then going forward until his mysterious death in Baltimore.

While the house is located in a "challenging" neighborhood, visiting during the day I didn't feel uncomfortable and there were plenty of employees working at the house and street parking very close by so visitors didn't have to walk very far to get there.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Birroteca




Written by Leann Pettit
Birroteca, located on Clipper Rd. in downtown Baltimore (near the Streetcar Museum), has a warm, welcoming atmosphere and a fantastic menu to boot. The restaurant has both a cozy dining room and a comfortable bar space that shows NFL games on Sundays.

The menu features their pizzas prominently, which are big enough for two people to share, or to have a hefty dinner and a good sized lunch the next day. They also offer a few lighter entree options, mostly pastas and salads. And, each day the kitchen offers a family sized meal that serves two or more (on the day we went it was a pound of spaghetti and 9 meatballs...woah.)

We ordered the Duck, Duck Goose pizza, which we read about in a number of magazines and blogs as being one of the best things to eat in Baltimore. It's Birroteca's crispy, yet chewy, crust topped with duck confit, fig-onion jam, cheese and a duck egg and a healthy swish of balsamic vinegar. There is definitely a reason why this pizza is on everyone's list - lordy is it good. The fatty, yet moist and savory duck plays so well paired with the jam, and the egg on top is a wonderfully creamy element to the pizza. The balsamic vinegar really adds a sweet and acidic element to the dish to balance out all of the heavy savory, fatty toppings. It's so good, you are not going to want to share.

We also ordered the butternut squash risotto, which was buttery and creamy and, while we expected it to be sweet and have those seasonings of fall (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc.), it didn't, and it was perfect. There were large chunks of butternut squash in the risotto, really highlighting the squash, as opposed to making it second fiddle to the seasonings and rice.