A Rainy Day in Annapolis

Yes, I know I’ve promised you NYC, and Annapolis is nothing like NYC. However, I had a chance to visit Annapolis and as the new tradition goes, I will share. This trip came about when my partner, in his infinite wisdom, thought it would be a grand idea to have the handy men come and do some fixes around the house when my parents are visiting. Sometime, I really don’t know what does he think, or does he find new interesting ways to figure out if I’ll go ballistic. But I digress.

It had been raining almost none-stop for four days as tropical storm battle the East Coast. We rarely see so much rain and rarely see it so far up the coast. Needless to say it was miserable. I was hoping for some sunshine during the visit, but that was not meant to be.

We left the house around 9:15 in the morning, thinking we’ll avoid the rush hour on the beltway. Wrong. So very wrong. All in all, it was not a bad drive, but all the little spots they fix up on the beltway do create a scratching stop at times. Once we hit route 50, traffic was much lighter, and we got to Annapolis in a very short period of time.

Trying to figure out in advance the parking situation in Annapolis can be quite frustrating as the municipality web-site is not that strait forward to understand. Because of my mother walking difficulties, I opted to park at the closest (and most expensive) garage in town – the Noah Hillman Parking Garage. Despite my hesitation of the traffic situation, it was easy to find, and had ample space available even in 10 in the morning. The rainy day was taking its toll, I’m sure.

The Noah Hilamn Parking Garage

 Once we parked and secured, with our trusty umbrellas in hand, we went to the Maryland State House. We were hoping to catch the tour of the building, but none were given on that day. There was no notice on the web-site that would be the case. Despite no official tour, we opted to go in. A visiting school group was given a tour, so we just hanged in the back for a while. The building itself is surprisingly small. The most interesting room in the building, the old Senate chamber, is being excavated and renovated to its original form. The new Senate and House rooms have interesting designs as well.

The Maryland State House

The elevator in the State House

The Old Senate Chamber

Stairway to Nowhere

Senate ceiling

Following the Maryland State House, we went to the Paca House and Garden. This is the old house of William Paca, one of the Maryland signers of the Declaration of Independence. The entry fees are quite steep for what you get (Adults: $10, AAA/Senior: $9). The tour of the house was interesting, although our guide seemed to be quite young and new. Not much original is left in the house, and most things are reproductions, so do not get your hopes to high. The price of admission includes the gardens as well. At that point, the rain had started pouring down harder, and we opted not to visit the gardens.

I took this picture before they told me it was not allowed to photograph inside the house

Garden View

It was almost 12, and with the rain abound, there was only one thing to do – go eat lunch. We went to the Federal House, more by convince of location, than by design. The food ranged from very good to good, but I’m not sure the premium paid for the location is justified.

Rainy day in Annapolis

At that point, the rain got even stronger, and we decided to call it a day. 8 dollars shorter (for 4 hours parking), and an hour later we got home, just in time to see the sun appearing for the first time in days.

So there you have it, a short and rainy visit to Annapolis. Later this month there will be the NYC visit, which I’ll report on when I’ll get back.