February Break

I rushed home after work on Friday, 02.12.10, excited about the upcoming week off.  I had a lazy weekend of sleeping in and watching movies with friends.  

Sunday night I went to the Museum of Science for the Harry Potter exhibit, which was AWESOME, I'd like to add.  Bryan and I marveled at how many people were throwing away recyclables even though there was an evident recycle bin directly next to the trash barrel.  Typical.  After the museum, we went to a small pub called Atwoods, which supports local music, food, and drink.  

Monday, I spent the better part of the day traveling by BoltBus to New York City.  I met up with Alex in Manhattan and traveled to Brooklyn by way of subway.  She gave me a short walking tour on our short walk back to her parents' home.  That night, we had perogies, cheese blintzes, and homemade bread.  Although some of the ingredients may not have been locally grown, the food was purchased at local businesses.  This supported my sentiments about supporting local business.  

Tuesday, Alex and I traveled by BoltBus to Balitmore, MD to visit my sister.  As we entered Baltimore city limits, it was shocking to see the number of boarded buildings, condemned, and abandoned.  I almost didn't believe we were in Baltimore, and I kept talking about The Wire, an HBO television series about Baltimore "streets".  We stayed at a hotel, Hilton Garden Inn, in Harbor East.  This is a recently developed area on the inner cusp of the harbor.  My sister gave us a short driving tour of the area where we came across dumpster trucks filled to the brim with snow.  There was a line of them, probably six or seven long, turning right in order to dump the snow into the harbor.  In fact, there was so much snow and the city so wholly unprepared that dumpster trucks were called in from as far as Albany, NY.  Talk about a footprint.  

After checking in to the hotel, we walked toward Fells Point in search of food.  Along the way, boutique shops lined the street.  A small store caught our eye where I purchased a locally made shell and beaded necklace, but spent entirely too much money on clothes.  The Mexican restaurant where we ate was small but the food was great.  

Wednesday, Alex and I trekked to Washington, DC to meet up with Brynn.  We hopped on the MARC train ($7!!!!) and walked by the capitol building to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.  After taking touristy pictures, we ate at a local restaurant, Busboys and Poets, which prides itself on being socially conscious and ecologically conscious.  

Thursday, we went to the Baltimore Botanic Gardens, which is volunteer-run, and Alex gave an impromptu lesson on epiphytes and plants that make their own ecosystems.  We also visited a very small farmer's market/co-op somewhere in Baltimore.  We got two Pink Lady apples, locally grown, and I noted what types of produce were available during winter.  Local cheese, milk, and bread was also available for sale.  We spent the rest of the day in the aquarium and learned a thing or two about jellyfish.  It was interesting to know that jellies flourish in more polluted areas, such as the Gulf Coast and coast off New Jersey (coincidence, I think not).   


Class is almost over... to be continued...