As they say in the real estate business, location, location, location. Maryland is defined by its proximity to two key places: Washington, DC and the Chesapeake Bay. Most locals would probably say the Bay is the more important feature, but countless devoted federal workers live in Maryland and commute into the District to toil away each day. Some Marylanders even commute into neighboring Virginia, and vice versa. The three places, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC are inexorably linked, intertwined by “the beltway” freeway system that encircles the district and connects Maryland and Virginia.

Moving away from the District, Maryland connects with the water. Annapolis, the state capitol, is home to the US Naval Academy and a fair share of sailboats, yachts, and dingys. The capitol building is the oldest, continuously operating state house in the country.

Annapolis is a great place to try Maryland’s culinary claim to fame: crabs and crabcakes. I don’t know that I’d recommend the following combination, but then, I’m not from Maryland:

Maryland’s largest city is Baltimore, and it too, sits along the water.
We strolled the waterfront and visited a sailing ship from the 1850s and a World War II – era submarine.

We couldn’t resist the allure of the water, so we rode in a water taxi to the Baltimore neighborhood of Fell’s Point.

Along the way, we passed a replica of an early sailing ship in action — hoist those sails!

We strolled around Fell’s Point looking for signs of the area’s Polish community, but first we saw signs of the past.

Ok, we’re getting close:

Found it! Amazing kielbasas.

Also on our culinary tour was a visit to the sight of Baltimore’s most famous cake decorator, the Food Network’s Ace of Cakes:

The bakery isn’t open to the public, so we just gawked from the outside.

Our Baltimore hotel had lived a previous life as a bank, still evident in the lobby’s architecture and the authentic vault in the basement!

Our last stop on the Baltimore tour was Fort McHenry. The Fort was under siege during the War of 1812, when Francis Scott Key spotted Old Glory flying above the Fort and was inspired to write the Star Spangled Banner.

* * * * *

The Chesapeake Bay is two hundred miles long, four hundred miles wide, carving its way through Maryland. The Bay is beautiful and home to scores of fish, blue crabs, clams, oysters, and sunsets. If you don’t have a sailboat, you can cross the Bay via Maryland’s Bay Bridge. The Bridge is so daunting that some drivers actually pull over and take advantage of the bridge-driving service offered. We didn’t need the service. In addition to crossing the bridge, we drove along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and highway 50.

One more thing — yes, that’s Jimi Hendrix you’re listening to. We realize that his version of the Star Spangled Banner might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is the favorite of a certain teenager we know. Considering the teen’s generally good-natured tolerance of the 50/50 tour, we felt obliged to return the favor and let him select the soundtrack this time. Of course, you can always hit the mute button.

16. Maryland
A crab