Baltimore Day 1

Tim was sent on a bit of a last minute conference to Baltimore this Thursday and I decided to go along for the ride. 

First we were both a bit bummed since we had tickets to see the Ice Hockey match of the Philadelphia Flyers vs. the New Jersey Devils which we would miss out on. That would have been the perfect first hockey match since we are here between NJ and Philly! We did managed to sell the tickets though, so that became less of a worry and there is always next time. What can ya do?

So on the thursday morning we woke up and had some yummy/healthy/low GI oatmeal and were off to a good start to our day. Then low and behold it started to snow! When you are setting out on a roadtrip it's one of those times that the pretty snow can be a bit of a hindrance. Tim is a trooper though, and we got there without any major troubles or delays. 

Initially Tim was not selling the whole roadtrip to me by saying "Baltimore is a s@#&hole and you probably won't have anything to do there..." I was a bit surprised by his bleak outlook, especially since he has never even been to Baltimore, and was sure that he was wrong. Then I found out that we were not actually going to Baltimore city but to Towson (which I had never heard of). I was a little thrown but undeterred. I was very excited to just be getting out of the house really. When we arrived we realised that we were in a university town, which we loved! 

We stayed at the Towson University Marriott Conference Hotel which is just very lovely. It was under renovation but that did not affect our stay at all. The apartment is very spacious and has a comfy vibe to it. And the best part is probably the location. I was within walking distance to Towson Town Center Mall, heaps of great places to eat and lots, lots more.

In fact once we arrived it was about 2:30pm and the oatmeal had just about given out, we were starving! The good news is there was an awesome Vietnamese restaurant right near us called Pho Dat Thanh. Anyone who knows Tim and I, knows of our deep love and respect for Vietnamese food. It is in our opinion the best Lunch/Dinner/Breakfast/Hangover/Party/Snack/Diet/Indulgence food you can get! It's our go-to meal back in Sydney basically. So, I ordered a very delicious lunch special of Lemongrass Chicken on Rice which was just perfectly cooked and juicy. Tim had the Special Pho (surprise, surprise) which had tendon as well as beef balls and brisket which he just adored. We asked them to bring us some chili paste which they forgot about - as we were so hungry we kind of did too and just ate it without the chili and really that was no big problem. Then the bill came and it was $18.00 including the tip!! Can I get an I love Towson anyone! That was just the beginning and we were off to a great start :-)

At that point, Tim had to run off for his afternoon conference which was starting in 10mins. He made it with no problems by the way, and I was off on a shopping exploration adventure. 

I won't go into in too much detail but a good 4 hours passed before I could hardly feel my feet and decided to trek back through the snow to the hotel. On my way back in the darkness and the limited vision caused by my furry hood and scarf wrapped over my face for warmth I somehow managed to spot an Arts shop called Plaza Artist Materials & Picture Framing. I was so happy! I had just decided to get back into watercolour painting and had been on the lookout for an art supply store. Since I am travelling at the moment I also just wanted some cheap beginners stuff rather than top of the line. I managed to get a 24 colour palette, three brushes and a 12 page watercolour book for $19, again what a steal. Tim was dully impressed when I showed him and asked me to go back the next day to buy him some brushes too! So on that high I made it back to the hotel but was too worn out to go to drinks with Tim's colleagues. Instead I just enjoyed relaxing in the warm room and getting an early night.