Take a Trip: Seafood and Strolling in Annapolis, Maryland

Super exciting news first: spring has finally sprung in D.C.! Just in time for mom's visit this past weekend, we had absolutely fantastic weather - the type of weather I'd been dreaming about all winter. I think mom was excited too, as she had just seen the last bit of snow melt in her yard a few days ago.

Although this is unlike me - to do things out of chronological order - I will write about our Sunday outing first, as I already have accessible photos of that. Saturday will need to wait!

I had contemplated and discussed several plans with mom. Possible options included getting up very early and heading into D.C. to see the cherry blossoms (nixed because we have both seen them before, because we didn't wish to wake up that early, and because of the unimaginable number of tourists who frequent that area when the weather is so beautiful), and driving out to a winery or two. The idea of eating seafood somewhere near the water was brought up, and I decided this was the best idea given the weather and the fact that fresh local seafood is abundant here. The restaurant I choose was Cantler's Riverside Inn, located on the waterfront in a residential area of Annapolis. Mom and I were fortunate that a friend of mine joined us, and even acted as driver and photographer. Thanks, B.!

Views from the deck at Cantler's - you can arrive by boat if you wish.

Maryland seafood restaurants are best known for crab feasts: your table is covered in heavy brown paper, you are given mallets and picks, then the waitress dumps a basket of steamed crabs (for which you've specified their size - the larger, the less hassle to pick and the more expensive) on the table, and you start cracking and picking your way to the meat. I, however, prefer to have my food served ready-made when eating out, so the restaurant we went to had a full menu of options: appetizers, sandwiches, and platters of steamed, raw, fried, broiled seafood. Each of us ordered a different sandwich, and unfortunately I think we were all slightly disappointed. Next time I'll take mom or another guest to Harris Crab House, which is located on Kent Island and requires a slightly further drive - across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge - but is well worth it.

Before lunch at Cantler's

After our lunch, we drove into downtown Annapolis to walk around for a while. It seemed that many other tourists and locals had the same idea, as the streets were packed with cars and the sidewalks with pedestrians. We popped into a few shops, admired the beautiful state capitol and other historic buildings, and stopped at an ice cream shop for dessert.

Latvian word for people ("cilveki") is on this sign promoting diversity!

State House

Did you know Annapolis was the U.S. capitol for several months?

After some quiet time at home, mom and I met some of my friend's at a restaurant in downtown Bethesda. We knew we could not stay out too late, as mom had a flight home early the next morning. On our way back to my place, we did drive through the Kenwood neighborhood, which is known for its cherry trees. The main streets are boulevards, and have four impressive rows of blooming trees running down each. It was a beautiful sight that mom witnessed for the first time (she's seen the cherry blossoms in downtown DC on several occasions), and that we relished.

Kenwood Neighborhood (Source: Bethesda Magazine)