Although I really would love to have my children and grandchildren live just around the corner, there are benefits to having them live in a distant city, chief among them: I have an excuse to travel and see new sights.
My youngest daughter and her family live in Maryland, 2741 miles from Seattle. So in May I flew across the country to see them. This time, I told her, it would be nice to visit some historic sites. On Memorial Day, we took a cruise up the Potomac to George Washington’s Mount Vernon home (see last week’s post), and a few days later we drove to the capital, Annapolis.
After parking finding an on-street parking place, my daughter and I walked to what turned out to be the back side of the capital building.
The capital dome, made of Maryland cypress and held together with wooden pegs, is the largest wooden dome in the country. (“No wonder,” my daughter, the engineer, said. “Domes shouldn’t be made of wood.”) But this is an old, old dome, finished in 1787. Even earlier, the capital had a different dome made of copper, but that one leaked. It was too flat, so the rainwater didn’t run off.
Finding no door in the back, my daughter and I walked around to the front and entered the building with a group of well behaved fourth graders.
The Maryland State House has an interesting history. It was the first peacetime capital of the United States, an unusual distinction. Not only is it the only state house to have served as the nation’s capital; it’s also the oldest state capitol still in continuous legislative use.
Thank goodness this door was open. It looks awfully heavy. Beautiful, though, don’t you think?
The senate chambers. I like the arches, the red carpet and the handy waste baskets with plastic liners.
George Washington, whose home at Mount Vernon I wrote about last week, is also a significant presence at the Maryland State House. He gave his resignation speech there on December 23, 1783, when he gave up his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and went back to being a farmer.
Just beyond the front steps of the State House we found this statue of Thurgood Marshall, a Baltimore native and the first African American to be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
After all that history, we still had some time on the meter, so my daughter and I went shopping. Oh, my goodness! Does Annapolis ever have some cute shops!
I share your thoughts, Nicki. There are advantages to have family and friends in various places in our big country. I love Annapolis and I will get to visit more as one of my daughters is entering Johns Hopkins in Baltimore this summer. There are lovely shops and lots of history in the packed downtown. Nice places to eat too! Your photos give full credit to the natural beauty of the town.
I love Annapolis and you’re right, it’s got great little shops. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos, Nicki!
It sounds like lots of people love Annapolis. This was my first visit. I knew the name but had no picture in my mind to go with it.
Annapolis is a great little city . . . I always enjoy the walk from the state house to the harbor, passing cute shops on the way.
The harbor is another delight. Some reenactors were climbing the rigging of an old sailing ship and posing for photos as we passed by.
Looks like such a beautiful city. Impressive that the dome is held together by wooden pegs, amazing. The senate chamber has a touch of royalty about it, very regal-looking red colour there. Glad you remembered the parking meter…always easy to forget. I hope you and your daughter had a good time shopping 🙂
My daughter and I did have a good time shopping. She bought several tins of tea, but mostly we just looked. One dress shop filled with colorful summer dresses and blouses held our attention for a good long time. Two of my daughters enjoy shopping; one does not. This daughter is a shopper.
And I’m sure you patiently accompanied her window shopping 😀
Yes. I like window shopping as much as my daughter does–if the stores are interesting, that is.
That door does look heavy indeed, but the detail on it is really cool. It is good that you took the opportunity to do a little sightseeing while visiting family – it is kind of like killing two birds with one stone. 🙂
That door is actually one of a pair, one on each side of the doorway. The detail is really cool. Often when I visit, my daughter and son-in-law are working on the weekdays, so I write and cook dinner and pick my grandson up from school or one of his many activities. And that’s nice too. But they live in an area rich with tourist sights, so I’m glad we could do some sightseeing.
Annapolis is a beautiful city. There is lots to do, great restaurants, and lots of history to explore. Glad yu got to do some shopping while there.
After I returned home, a friend told me that Annapolis had the best crab cakes in the country. Sorry I missed that. We had Thai food, which was excellent but something I can eat here on the West Coast. Of course, we have crab cakes too, but it’s a different variety of crab.
My brother went to the Naval Academy when I was in high school. (Back then, I was more interested in cute midshipman than cute shops, but I have since bought some lovely Annapolis pottery.) They have a lovely Christmas boat parade in the winter, and in the fall, the midshipmen marching to the football games is almost a parade. They used to throw candy to the kids watching.
It sounds like you had some memorable times in Annapolis, Autumn. When my daughter visits Annapolis with her husband, the Naval Academy can’t be missed. But with just the two of us, we merely noted it in passing. I’d like to see the Christmas boat parade, though. Maybe some year.
I like Annapolis. Lots to do.
It sounds like you’ve been there a few times, Kate.
Thanks for taking us along on your trip. Great photos. Red seems to be the prevailing color for carpet in these historic buildings. 🙂
What a long flight for you!
Thanks L. Marie. The red carpet does give the room a royal look.
When you count the miles, I guess it does sound like Seattle to Baltimore is a long flight. But it’s really not bad, especially since there’s only a 3 hour time difference. When I lived in Manila and then in Port Vila, I definitely felt the jet lag. Manila is 15 hours ahead of Seattle; Port Vila is 18 hours ahead.