Museums of Baltimore

Below is a list of Museums in Baltimore. As I have noticed before, Baltimore has a lot of hidden gems. This list was copied from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_museums_in_Baltimore. However, my list is updated eliminating Museums that have been close and adding a museum that is not on the Wikipedia list: The National Pinball Museum.
Also, if you click on any Museum in the list, it will take you to its webpage. That will save you some time, copying and pasting, and fussing around.

OK. This post is great if you are a nerd or a geek. I wrote it because I am both a geek and a nerd, applying myself to one day also become a wonk. Have fun.

    American Visionary Art Museum

    B&O Railroad Museum

    Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum

    Baltimore Civil War Museum (Closed for now)

    Baltimore Clayworks

    Baltimore Maritime Museum

    Baltimore Museum of Art

    Baltimore Museum of Industry

    Baltimore Streetcar Museum

    Baltimore Tattoo Museum

    Carroll Mansion

    Cylburn Arboretum

    Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum (Closed for now)

    Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center

    Evergreen Museum & Library

    Fort McHenry

    Frederick Douglass Isaac Myers Maritime Park

    Geppi's Entertainment Museum

    Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum

    Great Blacks in Wax Museum

    Homewood Museum

    Irish Shrine and Railroad Workers Museum (FREE)

    Jewish Museum of Maryland

    Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame

    Lovely Lane Museum & Archives (FREE)

    Maryland Art Place (FREE)

    Maryland Historical Society Museum & Library of Maryland History

    Maryland Institute College of Art Galleries

    Maryland Museum of Military History

    Maryland Science Center

    Mother Seton House

    Mount Clare

    Museum of Baltimore Legal History

    National Aquarium in Baltimore

    National Electronics Museum

    National Museum of Dentistry

   The National Pinball Museum.

    Phoenix Shot Tower

    Port Discovery (museum)

    Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History & Culture

    Robert Long House

    School 33 Art Center

    Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards

    Star Spangled Banner Flag House and 1812 Museum

    University of Maryland School of Nursing Living History Museum

    USS Constellation

    Walters Art Museum

Maryland's best 20 beers

Hello!

Finally I broke free. I am back on the streets.

Below is a list of the Maryland's best 20 beers as judged by the Baltimore Sun (http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bthesite/bs-b-marylands-best-beers-pg,0,5170941.photogallery)

You can see the slide show and read their comments. But it just tastes better to read a simple list and try the beers and judge by yourself. Great excuse to get drunk twenty times too :-P

No. 1: Brewer's Art Ozzy Ale

No. 2: Heavy Seas Loose Cannon IPA

No. 3: Stillwater Cellar Door

No. 4: Brewer's Art Resurrection

No. 5: Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale

No. 6: Heavy Seas Winter Storm

No. 7: Evolution Craft Brewing Co. Lot No. 3 IPA

No. 8: Flying Dog Raging Bitch Belgian IPA

No. 9: Stillwater/Brewer's Art Debutant

No. 10: Heavy Seas and Devil's Backbone Land Ho!

No. 11: Stillwater Stateside Saison

No. 13: DuClaw H.E.R.O. Chocolate Chipotle

No. 13: Pub Dog Blond Dog

No. 14: National Premium

No.15: Stillwater of Love & Regret

No. 16: Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning Uber Pils

No. 17: DuClaw Double Spiced 31

No. 18: Evolution Lucky 7 Porter

No. 19: Heavy Seas Red Sky at Night

No. 20: Flying Dog Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout

Alladin Kabob

Alladin Kabob
(443) 708-1112
58 W Biddle St
Hidden in a corner of Mount Vernon by Martin Luther King.
Baltimore, MD 21201
alladinkabob.com


Wow! I am back to this blog after so long that it is a wonder that I am still alive. It is also a wonder that this blog has not being deleted from the guts of blogger.com

I just felt bad that I have been neglecting you guys, depriving you of my useless hyper-mispelled commentaries. Anyway, I am back you like it or not...
...wait I just ate something that should have not been even looked at. I thought it was a crumble of bread on my couch, and, surprise surprise, it wasn't. :O

Anyway, I am back. For the lack of something better to talk about, I am bring to the highlight this time Alladin Kabob on Mount Vernon. It is a truly hidden gem. The prices are wonderful, great dishes for less than U$10.00. It is located in a basement in a street that is hard to get even if you know where you are going. Even when I went there the second time, I missed a little turn, and had to go all around in a two mile loop to be able to get back to where I should have been on the first place. :P

Alladin Kabob is great. That is if the nice owner is working the time you are there. When I went there for the first time, I was served flat bread with some kind of Indian past that tasted very good. That was for free, while I waited for the Shrimp Biryani (Amazing !) that I ordered. The first time was incredible. However, the second time, the not so nice owner was there, and did not get any freebies. Also, I and my wife chose dishes that one would imagine came with rice. For our amusement we were told that we had to pay extra if we wanted rice. Therefore, ask all the question before you buy anything there. Besides that, the food tastes great and place looks greatt. You should definitely try it. If you are luck enough, the nice owner will be there.





 

'Greener' city bars wood chip driveway - baltimoresun.com - http://shar.es/aSTOk

Poe descendants reject moving his body from Baltimore - baltimoresun.com - http://shar.es/aSTR1

Poe sites map in Baltimore: http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/poe/bal-poesites,0,7148278.htmlpage

Everything Edgar Allan Poe: http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/poe/

Bonaparte Bread & Cafe - Fells Point

Bonaparte (903 South Ann Street -(410)432-4000) is a hidden jewel in Baltimore. Actually, Baltimore is full of them. Living in Baltimore, one stumbles on hidden jewels all the time. That is probably the reason for it to be called the Charm City. But the jewels have to be kept hidden, otherwise Sheyla Dixon would take them home.

Back to Bonaparte, it is very surprising. The interior is decorated in a faux French style. It is not perfect, as the word "faux" suggests, however it makes a beautiful place and interesting experience. I dare to say it is almost like going to Napoleon's France without leaving present Baltimore. Just gay, as the word "French" suggests.

There are a lot of complaints about Bonaparte Bread & Cafe in the Internet. I personally can't say anything bad about it. Maybe because I am not snooty or self-entitled (Ouch!). Actually, the staff at Bonaparte are the ones who probably have something to complain about me. I am kind of broke presently. Not willing to spend too much, I asked if they served bagel with butter. The waitress almost had a heart attack. I can't blame her. At least she was polite enough to almost have a heart attack in very settled, soothing way. Probably, because that is the way they do it in France.

In the end, I bought a cup of decaf coffee and a loaf of bread (the butter came for free). My wife had tea. The cups are big enough for you to swim in them. The amount of the tea leaves was enough to fill a mattress. Looking back now, it feels like we spent two hours in Napoleon's France for ten bucks. It was faux but it was beautiful and nice, ah! and cheap. It was like being part of a display in a live museum, where we looked very important and interesting to ourselves. And you know it is a good deal when feeling important and interesting to yourself costs only ten bucks. Even if it is feeling important and interesting to yourself only.

By the way, the waitress with tattoos and piercings was great... ah! and they need a website. Jeez! What kind of business does not have a website, says my wife.

Baltimore, Beer-ltimore, Bar-ltimore.

The good news is that my wife has been in a good mood for a few days . The bad news is that she still thinks that my blog sucks. I can't blame her. I only read my blog because I am the one who writes it. And even then, I read only while I write it. The proof of what I am saying is that you can find more typos in my website than Seagull poop in Fort McHenry's lawn (Sorry, my wife just edited out all the poop from this page to avoid public humiliation).

OK. Let's talk about Baltimore.

I have to say that I was impressed by the enormous amount of neighborhoods bars in Baltimore when I first moved here. I've traveled extensively all over the US, and have never seen a city with neighborhoods so crowded with bars like Baltimore. In the end, it is all just for a good reason - Baltimore people are love fun. It's not for nothing that Baltimore was elected the best alternative scene by Rolling Stone Magazine in 2008.

Baltimore is much more fun than DC, I can tell you that much. DC is a city without a soul. Most of people who live there weren't born there and are planning to leave as soon as possible. The average young Washingtonian is a lounge goer, daily Starbucks latte drinker, desk worker, condo dweller, apartment dog owner. DC has many more apartment dogs than children. This last sentence alone should be enough for you to understand what DC is about.

Anyway, enough bashing DC. This blog is about Beer Bar-ltimore fun town.

One of the things that I most appreciate about Baltimore is the availability of high quality locally brewed and international beers. That is just amazing. Here is a list of the main places where you can find beer that will drive your soul to a whole level of sublime spiritual development.

Clipper City (Brewery) - "Currently Clipper City Brewing produces over 14 styles of ales and lagers, is distributed in over 18 states and has won hundreds of International, National, and regional awards." - Cut and Pasted straight from their website.

The Brewer's Art (Brewery & brewpub) - The brew their beer on premises and they also have a large selection of imported beer. The food is great. The atmosphere is great. Located inside a beautiful historic building. They need a better website though.

The Wharf Rat (Brewpub) - Their ales (Oliver Ales) are "open fermented, fined and dry hopped. Served at 54F and dispensed by pumps. As "true and proper" as ales found in any English pub". Their website states an address in downtown Baltimore, but as I was told by one of their managers, that place has been sold. They only have the Fells Point place now.

Max's Tap House - They don't brew their own beer, but their website sates that they have the East Coast's largest fresh beer selection. They've been rated as the 18th best beer bar in the world by Ratebeer.com survey in 2007, and voted Best Beer Selection by City paper in 2005.
You should check out their "Tuesday beer social" with beer tasting and guest speakers.

Mahaffey's Pub - House of the "100 beers club" and of the meeting place of "Cross Street Irregulars Brew Club" based here in Baltimore is one of the oldest homebrew clubs in Maryland. "This club’s primary mission is to promote the art and science of homebrewing, offer technical assistance, skills, and experience to homebrewers."

DuClaw Brewery - I don't know what to say about it. I've never been there and never tried their beer. They got a B- (Very good) from Beeradvocate.com and a so-so rating from Ratebeer.com. I admit that I am a little suspicious about chain companies in general.

And last on the list, but not the least (Actually, to tell the truth, the least) :P

Pub Dog (Draft House) - Their house-brewed craft beer is not great, but it is fun. Their special is two mugs of their house crafted beer for $4.00. Paying that kind of price for the beer, I shouldn't complain about its quality. It is the only place where one can find a decent selection of imported (or any) beer in Federal Hill too. That means in in Federal Hill, regarding beer, one has two choices: Pub Dog's beers or Dog pee beer (ex. Bud light, Miller, Heineken, Pabst,...).

I am tired now. Enough blogging.