printersdevil78 Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 The globe-trotting Jaycees took another day trip this weekend, this time to Baltimore's Inner Harbor. No credits to speak of, but if you like fish (or shrimp), this is the TR for you! And we finished up with dessert before our three-hour drive home, ending at nearly 2 a.m. I call this shot "Cake Graveyard." Mostly because I can. Once all the shrimp was gone, we did what we always do when we grow bored at Jaycees banquets--build modernist sculptures out of plates, cups and utensils. Finally, it was time to head to the nearby suburb of Towson (where Elaine from "Seinfeld"--the character, not the actress--grew up) for the Towson Jaycees' 25th annual shrimp feast, part of the proceeds from which went to benefit Pathfinders for Autism. Joanne and Travis joined us there after a long day of geocaching in Western Maryland. The Phoenix Shot Tower was used throughout most of the 19th century to make lead shot for firearms. Molten lead was poured from the top of the tower, through a screen and into a vat of cold water below, creating the lead pellets used to fend off the confederates or just shoot some rabbits for dinner. These paddle boats are the closest thing the Inner Harbor has to a Dragon Wagon. In coaster-speak, the USS Constellation is what would be known as a "woodie." And I'm the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Taney, the only cutter to have actively served during the attack on Pearl Harbor. ...because I get TWO angles in this trip report! Hi, I'm the light ship Chesapeake, and I'm special... Just kidding. I'm actually a submarine. The USS Torsk, to be specific. Grrr! I'm a shark! Um, apparently the gift shop people forgot what state Baltimore is in.... In a textbook example of poor design choices, they didn't put a bathroom anywhere near this exhibit.... He may be in a glass case in the middle of the city, but at least he saved 15 percent or more on his car insurance. "Search the site before posting to avoid duplicate topics or I WILL eat you!" But most of all, Carrie does NOT like it when you point to this sign and say, "Hey look, Carrie, they named a fish after you!" Carrie does NOT like having her reflection's picture taken, either. Carrie does NOT like having her picture taken. This one's a yellow-headed Amazon parrot. This is a parrot of some sort. Just ignore the caption and admire the pretty, pretty colors. The pink one on the left is a galah. The green one on the right is an emerald dove. They also have birds at this aquarium. Come to think of it, all they really need to add are tigers, gorillas and giraffes, and this could be another Animal Kingdom! "...then just take exit 170 to Magic Mountain, and that's where you'll find Jahan." At least this bird still had some feathers on it. It's an Atlantic puffin, for those who like to know those things. This one, I think, was from a seagull. Either way, it made me glad our planned lunch stop to KFC was rerouted to Burger King! Lots of skeletons in this aquarium. This one is from a fin whale caught in the 19the century. It hung from the top of the aquarium and dangled to the bottom. They even had a kraken (or is it a "kray-ken"?). "In the big blue world...." And this is their environment, a simulation of Australia's coral reef. Sorry kids, but this is what Crush is going to look like eventually. Circle of life and all that. And Crush. Can you believe that movie is five years old already? And Bruce... And Mr. Ray ("Oh, science is fun...")... For good measure, we also found Dory... We found Nemo. Now we can all get on with our lives. And a monkey. A golden lion tamarin, actually. See? TPR CAN be educational! ...of fish. And lots... And lots... And lots... And lots... Lots... They have fish. However, this was the attraction we really came to see: the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Believe it or not, this Barnes & Noble/Hard Rock Cafe used to be a Six Flags! In 1985, Six Flags opened an indoor theme park in this building dubbed "The Power Plant." Instead of rides, however, the attractions consisted of hands-on activities and audio-Animatronic shows based on the supposed inventions of an eccentric scientist who died while trying to create an energy source large enough to power the entire world. It closed four years later when Six Flags came to the realization that no one really cared. The building lives on today as a quasi-historic eatertainment facility. Disney opened the first ESPN Zone there in 1998. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgeguy Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Nice photo TR. We usually get to downtown Baltimore once a year. Did you go on the Constellation? It was pretty cool when we went. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
printersdevil78 Posted April 13, 2008 Author Share Posted April 13, 2008 No, we didn't go on any of the boats. Most of us had been on them before. We debated walking around the harbor a little more, but by that time the clouds looked really bad, and we didn't want to have to go to the shrimp feast in rain-soaked clothes (though it never did end up raining). I agree, the Constellation is really cool. Below decks it's kind of a real-life version of the Columbia at Disneyland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Johnson Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I heard that the aquarium was really nice in Baltimore. Thanks for posting these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRapidsNerd Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Glad to see this TR. It's a good one! Have enjoyed the Inner Harbor the few times I've been, including a comical weekender with my girlfriend several years ago. Did you see the either fudge or taffy making show in one of the shopping buildings? They used to sing, dance and joke with the audience. You indeed taught me something new today. Never knew about the Six Flags history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brilinjo Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 The pink bird is a galah, native to Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
printersdevil78 Posted April 14, 2008 Author Share Posted April 14, 2008 ^Mystery solved! Thanks, brilinjo. I knew I should have taken a picture of the identification plaque, but the aquarium guide told us it would be on their website. It wasn't. ^^Thanks, RapidsNerd. We didn't see anyone making fudge or taffy or having fun with the audience while doing it. We did see a knife juggler in the public performance area... but he wasn't using the knives to cut sweet, sweet candy of any kind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 I had a 1/2 day to kill in Baltimore before flying home, so I went to check out Camden Yards and Inner Harbor. Checked out the boats (pretty cool) and drank at the microbrewery there. It was pretty cool. Wanted to do the Aquarium, but it was $30 or something too expensive for a 1/2 day. Thanks for sharing the photos of what I missed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
printersdevil78 Posted April 14, 2008 Author Share Posted April 14, 2008 Yeah, the aquarium can be a little pricey. We got our tickets through AAA and paid $19.95 each, but that was without the dolphin show or 4-D theater. With those add-ons and minus our AAA discount, the tickets would have been $29 per person. I miss the good ol' days when, as a student in that area, I could flash my college ID and get in for $5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingbooba Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 So wierd, I went there for Spring Break in late March. Sirens everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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