Friday, May 9, 2014
This morning, the bay was shrouded in a dense fog giving everything on the water a ghostly appearance. We had a continental breakfast and decent coffee overlooking the peaceful harbor and then checked out of the St. Michael’s Harbour Inn. I wanted to explore St. Michael’s and visit the Maritime Museum.
We watched as an eery black ship’s form appeared out of the mist and sailed into the harbor. A short while later, a second black square-rigged ship silently coasted in and they both tied up at the docks at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. I expected Captain Jack Sparrow and the Pirates of the Caribbean to jump off the ships to loot and plunder St. Michael’s. We later learned that they were exact replicas of the Nina and the Pinta which carried Columbus across the Atlantic five hundred years ago.
It was a short drive through the village to the museum on the other side of the bay. We freely explored the grounds and looked in at the wooden boat building shop where several dinghies were being created. We climbed the circular stairs to the top of the original Hooper Strait Lighthouse, pictured below, for a great view of the museum grounds. There were many interesting buildings and ships to explore.
The Maritime Museum is a wonderful treasure trove to see and ride historic wooden boats. There are several antique skipjacks and bugeyes which plied the Chesapeake Bay in search of crabs and oysters.
Before we left the Maritime Museum, I asked several locals for a recommendation of the best crab cakes in St. Michael’s and they suggested Town Dock Restaurant. So that’s where we had lunch. Yes, it was an excellent lump-meat crab cake. After lunch, we drove out to Tilghman’s Island just to see what was there and then drove south to Washington, D.C.
It was generally an uneventful drive between St. Michael’s Maryland and our National Capitol, but it became an interesting ride across the impressive Bay Bridge. The traffic increased as we approached the District. After driving around in heavy traffic, we checked into the Willard Intercontinental Hotel, unloaded our bags, and set out to explore the neighborhood.
The hotel was near the Washington Monument and The White House. We learned that the monument reopens tomorrow afternoon after being closed for several years due to damage from an earthquake.
Then we walked to THE White House to pay a visit to the Obamas. Unfortunately, they were away for the weekend so we joined the other tourists who posed for photos outside the world famous house. I took a photo of the building with a man who was exercising his First Amendment rights among the visitors.
Afterwards, we walked to the Hamilton for dinner. I had to try another crab cake and was not disappointed. The restaurants and streets of D.C. were filled with tourists as we walked back to our Intercontinental oasis. The city was pulsating and alive with traffic and people. Springtime in D.C. was a great time to visit the city!
