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DC and Baltimore in 48 hours – Weekend Warrior
- By Michael Lakus
- Read Time: 5min
DC and Baltimore Itinerary
The February trip is upon us, and it is another weekender to DC and Baltimore! This was probably one of the quickest turnaround trips I’ve done in a while but there was so much packed into a day in each city that the days felt very long. I had my friend J accompanying on this one, so she had to deal with my antics and neander ways. Aside from that, she took some awesome photos that are seen in this post! Here is a recap.
Travel Logistics
For this trip, we flew into DCA and out of BWI to keep time to and from the airport reasonable. I was able to bum my cousin's apartment in DC for Friday and Saturday night (thank you, M!), so overall cost was low. I used a LOT of Lyfts due to the new partnership with Chase (10x points, yo). We took a train from DC to Baltimore which ran about $15 per person.
Getting it done in DC
We flew into DC late Friday while doing some planning on the flight there. Since I had visited DC a few times in the past, J took the lead planning out the majority of places to go. Below is a map of the highlights. Most of the highlights happened around U Street and the National Mall. Personally, the National Botanical Garden hit top spot for me.
Fortunately, it was still early enough on Friday to check out some U Street action. In the spirit of Quad Squad, my first stop of the night was naturally at Service Bar. This was followed in quick succession by a fly by at Nellie’s Sports Bar and El Rey.
Saturday was the day, and J led the way. First stop – breakfast at Ted’s Bulletin. Full on ‘merican breakfast and custom pop tarts for dessert. Perfection. Next up, we took the metro to the National Mall area. We hit the basics while taking a complete walk from the Library of Congress to the Lincoln Memorial and back, BS’ing the entire way. It was a lovely day out.
Getting it done in DC - pt. 2
The second half of the day in DC started with the National Botanical Garden. This one definitely ranks in my top 3. The building had many sections ranging from Jurassic era to desert to Orchids, while including a multi level rain forest section in the middle. It was a little busy, but the greenhouse was a welcoming change from the cold outside.
With all the main items off the checklist, beer-o-clock undoubtedly ensued. But before it got too wild, we pit-stopped it at Wunder Garten. I could see this place being pretty popular in the warmer months. There were multiple tents and outside fire pits with beer games, live music and food stations. One of the more interesting places of the night was Maryland Meadworks. Aside from the mead offerings that were very similar to the ones from my Savannah experience, the atmosphere caught me off guard. We literally walked in to some opera performance and a lot of liberal arts people. The singing was amazing, but the person in the corner secretly sketching another person on his scratch book brought a lot of questions to the forefront.
The night was long, and U Street took my soul. The ‘DC Places’ map should cover bars and the likes. The Gibson cocktail lounge had drinks based off short story excerpts. Cool idea, cooler cocktails. On to Baltimore and recovery road.
Busy day in Baltimore
Sunday morning commenced with a cloudy train ride right into the inner harbor area. I had never been to Baltimore before, and I received mixed opinions coming in. Overall, I thought there were some really happening areas around the harbor worth checking out.
Dunkin Alert
It's pretty much mandatory that I have Dunkin at some point on a trip. However, I'll prob avoid the Dunkin in question as the niche trio of individuals triangulated on our position causing us to flee the scene. Donuts were still good.
The body needed sustenance, and sustenance it shall have at Miss Shirley’s Cafe. I happily sipped my bloody Mary overlooking the harbor, waiting to be seated. I think this brunch brought me back into the realm of the living.
Post reincarnation, we visited the National Aquarium. Entry is $40. I really enjoyed this one, checking out all the fishies and other aquatic critters. Jellyfish are quite something if you think about it.
Fells Point, Baltimore
Although we had less time in Baltimore than DC, it felt like we covered some decent ground. In the afternoon, we headed over to Fells Point to round out the trip. If I am in Baltimore again, I’ll probably make it a note to spend some more time in this area. Max’s Taphouse was an awesome pub hangout. You can’t miss it, with the elephant on the roof. The Sagamore was picturesque, and Bertha’s had some of the most delicious raviolis (crab cakes were good, too).
All in all, I had a great time in both DC and Baltimore. I think J did too, being her first time in both cities. It’s truly a good life to be able to travel with friends and others. Get out there and make it count!
-ML
Recap of Places
- Everything in the National Mall
- United States Botanic Garden – plant people will enjoy
- Ted’s Bulletin – they have pop tarts
- Wunder Garten – beer garden hangout
- Maryland Meadworks – worth it if you like mead
- The Gibson – cocktail lounge (make reservation)
- Miss Shirley’s Cafe – breakfast in Baltimore
- National Aquarium
- Fells Point – a spot worth spending some time hopping around
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Michael Lakus
IT professional, athlete, musician, ponderer of many things... Born and raised in Florida, I began traveling internationally after college. I created this site primarily to remind myself of where I've been and to share my experiences on traveling with a quirky, stress-free, travel attitude.
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