Weekend No. 2 in Baltimore

Our second visit to Baltimore to visit our friends Allison and Phil was both more and less convenient than our trip last December.

More convenient: The weather. Except for a light drizzle on Saturday, it was sunny and in the upper 60s all weekend-- perfect for taking long walks and exploring.

Less convenient: We couldn't take long walks or explore. Paul ran the Baltimore Marathon Saturday morning, and his legs were shot the entire weekend. So even though the weather was much better than our last visit, we spent little time outside.

We had a great time nonetheless, mostly revolving around food. Paul was obviously famished after running 26.2 miles, so he , Allison and I (Phil was a bit under the weather) went to a nearby sports bar/restaurant and watched the Ohio State-Wisconsin game.

Watching OSU in Baltimore.

As a rough estimate, I would say Paul downed about 10,000 calories while we were there. I bet I'm just slightly exaggerating. A couple of beers. Crab soup. Steak. After finishing his meal, he asked the server for the "appetizer" of fries covered with cheese and bacon, with a side of ranch dressing. I wasn't there when he ordered, but Paul reported that the server incredulously asked if he wanted them to go.

No ma'am.

Phil felt better that evening, so the four of us went to a tapas restaurant at the harbor. Good food, good views, good conversation, and a little flamenco dancing on the side: What more could you ask for? Oh yeah-- sangria. We got that, too.

We went to the cute, 24-hour Towson Diner the next day for brunch before heading back to New York and the real world. Before we left, we pledged that our next visit would be in the spring, when the weather is nice and we'd all be able to walk.

Inner Harbor at night.