Sarasota-Bradenton and Baltimore, MD Have a Relationship

It was a birthday weekend that I will never forget! My dear pal Bob Slicker said, “Hey, let’s go to Baltimore and watch the Tampa Bay Rays play the Baltimore Orioles!” Wow… what a fabulous idea. I was all in!

It’s an easy plane ride from SRQ Airport to BWI Airport in Baltimore. We hopped on an Allegiant Airlines flight and in a little over 2 hours we arrived! The Uber ride from BWI to our hotel which was right downtown at the famous Inner Harbor took about 20 minutes.

We checked in and hit the streets running! Knowing Bob Slicker so well I realized that the weekend would be non-stop. The Inner Harbor is pretty cool. We walked around, took in the sites and, of course, had a cocktail! From there we took an Uber and headed to the famous Fells Point.

 

 

So, I am going to attempt to list every place that we hit along the way in Baltimore. Oh, and we met up with Bob’s daughter Molly and her fiancé Richard over the weekend… much more to come about that!

Friday Night

Kooper’s Tavern- 1702 Thames Street, Baltimore. They have great seafood, top-shelf liquor and some of the best burgers in town! We had a couple of appetizers; some awesome craft beers and we were able to watch the hockey playoffs!

Thames Street Oyster House- 1728 Thames St, Baltimore, MD 21231. It was a 90-minute wait, but worth it! We walked over from Kooper’s and had some of the best Oysters I have ever tasted! I had a Crab Soup which was fantastic!

From there, we walked around the “The Point” and hung out with the locals and had a beer…. or 2!

Saturday

Federal Hill- Before breakfast, we stopped here. Federal Hill is a picturesque area dating from the 18th century with a lively nightlife scene around its pubs, live music venues and pizza and burger spots. And, we hit upon something very cool, the Kinetic Vehicle Parade by the Visionary Arts Museum for self-taught artists. Kinetic Sculptures are amphibious, human powered works of art custom built for the race. Everyone dresses in costumes. Bob loved it!

Breakfast at Blue Man Café with Molly & Richard. Well, that’s where the day started… with a couple of Mimosa’s. Molly & Richard are just fun-loving kids! This famous place opened in 1996 by Sara Simington. Sarah’s personal style is in every corner of The Blue Moon Cafe. From the bright and funky artwork, to the music; you know Sarah’s rock and roll attitude goes into every bite of her food. 1621 Aliceanna Street, Baltimore, MD 21231

Guinness Brewery- The first Guinness Brewery in the U.S. since 1954. 5001 Washington Blvd, Halethorpe, MD 21227. This was absolutely amazing . They have an experimental brewery, taproom and restaurant and a barrel house. We tried so many different beers. And, oh yes, Bob made sure that we all had one more beer before we left via Uber! Molly & Rich had a party to go to that night, so Bob and I were on our own. Oh, boy!

Quigley’s Half-Irish Pub- 633 Portland St, Baltimore, MD 21230. Within walking distance from Camden Yards and the Orioles game, this was where the late afternoon started. Great Irish booze and lots of fabulous food. We spent more time there than we should but figured our way out and over to the game. You have to try this place!

Orioles / Rays Baseball Game- 333 W Camden St, Baltimore, MD 21201. Camden Yards is absolutely fabulous. It was the first of the “updated old-time looking” stadiums. Opened in 1992, it had a major renovation a few years ago. Bob got us seats right behind the dugout and we actually said “hi” to Rays Manager, Kevin Cash. You have to try the famous “Boog Powell BBQ”. It is awesome. The Rays lost, but we still had so much fun.
After the game we hit at least 1, well maybe 2, okay it was 5, bars along the way back to the hotel! You gotta love the locals in Baltimore. We walked and walked!

Sunday

Vida Tacos- We met up again with Molly and Rich and they made quite a choice! Located at the famous Harbor Point, they have a very unique menu of Tacos and more. We tried several different types of Tacos and did a lot of sharing. And they have their own special blend of Margaritas. Go there! 1401 Point St, Baltimore, MD 21231. Oh, Very important. This is where I learned that Richard has a rating and evaluation system. What am I talking about? Well, the next time you see me, Bob, Molly or Richard, just ask us. It’s complicated!

Berthas Mussels- We were sent there on a recommendation by my friend, Dan. The place was packed. They have live Jazz every Sunday. 734 S Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21231. The website describes it as, “Quirky seafood joint & tavern since 1972, known for mussels & regularly scheduled live music.” We met so many nice folks there and shared stories about Sarasota, Bradenton & Cortez. This was my favorite bar stop.

Cats Eye Pub- Stop # 3 on Sunday. Great live music and so many beers on tap. We hung out there for about an hour and the locals listened to stories by storyteller extraordinaire, Bob Slicker. 1730 Thames St, Baltimore, MD 21231. We then headed up the street for dinner.

Penny Black Restaurant- 1800 Thames Street, Baltimore, MD 21231. Another awesome find. Fabulous appetizers and dinner. Wonderful seafood and more. It was our last night out and after dinner we just relaxed, had a cocktail and had so many laughs. Go there!

Monday

Our last day, and Bob made sure we made the best of it.

Black Bus- This bus tour was informational and awesome. About 2 hours, we were shown all of the great sites that this historic city has to offer. And did we get lucky! Our tour guide was Paul-Allen Lewis. This guy is something special. He knows every nook and cranny in the city and explained everything in a special way. Well… it doesn’t get any better than this. After the tour we talked with Paul and found out he is a writer. We exchanged email addresses and started communicating. I am proud to announce that Paul will be writing stories for The Sarasota Post!

Mo’s Seafood- Recommended by Paul-Allen Lewis. A Baltimore classic. We had dinner for lunch! Our waiter, Gus Roros has worked in the same location for 29 years! This was the best restaurant that we ate at in my opinion. I had a Crab Cake dinner that was fabulous, and Bob had a seafood dinner that featured Rockfish, which he never had before. He said, “It was fabulous.” They have 3 locations. We dined at the one at 7600 Eastern Ave, Baltimore 21224.

Whew! I think I covered it all. Thank you, Bob Slicker. It was a birthday that I will never forget. Sarasota-Bradenton, FL and Baltimore, MD have a lot in common. Especially with the Orioles having their Spring Training in Sarasota! You must visit.

Header Photo, Deposit Photos / Sarasota Post Photos