July 14, 2026 Finishing our time in Baltimore

Mid July 2026  Cleaning, farmers market, museums, food and drinks

Heavy duty wash needed on the boat. Our 4th of July banners bled blue and red ink that required special cleaners and scrubbing.  Hate doing that as it also takes off the wax.   Midges (also known as blind mosquitos) were finishing the season. Thankfully they are non-biting, but they would cover areas of the boat each night leaving plenty of black poop dots that required hard scrubbing to eliminate.  We have learned over time not to try wiping, sweeping or hosing these bugs off as that leaves a bigger mess.  Best method is to use the battery powered blower we have on board for just this problem. Multi-hour process in the heat but boat finally looks good.

Our location is very convenient to a number of shops.  Nice Ace hardware. A large Safeway grocery store makes for easy provisioning.  Had been having issues with the recharge cord being temperamental connecting into my phone which the uBreakiFix store was able to correct. 20 seconds to pull out a tiny dust bunny with a special tool.  Bit of a rip off but seems to have corrected the problem. 

Been trying to take advantage of the multitude of eateries within walking distance. NiHao was a highly rated Chinese restaurant. Very authentic.  Chopsticks only.  Lots of dumplings and shared plates. Took me back to my time in Taiwan and Hong Kong.  All delicious.  Mahaffey's Pub is one of those small local bars in the corner building in a set of row homes. Wed. happy hour and wings night.  Selected the Honey Old Bay sauce.  A sticky, flavorful, finger licking mess!    Went up to Canton square for an early dinner at Mama's on the Half Shell for some seafood.  Cream of Crab soup was delicious. Way too much batter on my fish and chips but Martha's shrimp tacos were good.  On to Vaccaros's for some Italian pastry - a slice each of Tiramisu and Napoleon.  Then stop at B'more Pies for a slice of Apple Crumb Pie and some Lemon Bars.   Fridge was filled with more desserts than food for several days.  And of course, B'more licks for ice cream a few more times.  

Mahaffey's Corner Pub

Typical corner pub.  A bar, some TV's, and a couple tables.
 Plaques covering the walls honor members of the "100 Beer Club"

Those delicious Honey Old Bay seasoned wings.
And a pint of hazy IPA on the side.  

Fells Point Farmers Market is every Saturday morning. Nice selection of produce plus usual collection of other vendors.  We picked up sweet corn, peaches, tomatoes, and a container of the smallest eggplants I had ever seen.  All consumed within a few days and all fantastic.  Nothing like a BLT sandwich made with a big home-grown beefsteak tomato where one thick juicy slice covers the entire piece of bread. 

 After the market we walked over to President Street Station - Civil War Museum.   First fatalities of the war during a skirmish between a regiment of Mass. Union soldiers headed to Washington and Southern successionist in Baltimore. The soldiers were trying to get from the train station in Fells Point to the one over in Camden.  The mob started throwing rocks, bricks, etc. at the soldiers.  Eventually shots rang out and 4 soldiers and 12 civilians were killed.  

In the mid 1800's tracks and covered stations ran for blocks behind this entrance. 
By the 1930's the building was abandoned, gutted and ready for demolition before it was rescued. 

Education completed we started getting hungry. Continued our walk over to Little Italy for a late lunch.  We had our heart set on Cafe Gia which was supposed to be open for lunch but doors were locked. Opted for Chiapparelli's.  Good meal and quite reasonable.  Waitresses were stereotypical Italian Grandma's.  Kept waiting for one to pinch my cheek and shout "Manga!!" Martha's standard  - Eggplant Parmesan.  John - Penne Vodka with Grilled Chicken. Bunch of walking in the heat.  Over 11,000 steps on the Health App on the phone so at least we're walking off some of the good eats. 

Cafe Gia - love the mural covered outside of the building

Looking for something to do one Sunday afternoon and decided to take a hike over to the Brewers Hill area and check out Mobtown Brewery.  Back in the 70's Baltimore selected the moniker Charm City as part of a marketing campaign.  But since the early 19th century it's routinely been called Mobtown. That civil war story above was just one of many instances where the citizens of Baltimore formed mobs and rioted.  Brewery Hill was a heavily German area with multiple breweries. Most notable was National Brewery who produced National Bohemian beer - a Baltimore staple referred to as Natty Boh.  The brewery closed but the brand is still around having passed through multiple hands.  The building is currently a condo complex but one-eyed Mr. Boh still sits proudly atop the building.  Got a nice flight of beer at Mobtown.   Building is located at the edge of what was once the start of a large industrial complex that provided the blue-collar jobs for so many of Baltimore's workers back in the day.  The Canton area was considered one of the most industrialized areas on the east coast at one time, with copper smelting, steel mills, refineries, auto plants, etc.    According to my bartender the Mobtown Brewery building at one time was used to produce aircraft engines.  Massive overhead cranes still hang overhead.  

The old National Brewery Building.
One time home to Natty Boh and their logo Mr. Boh

Mobtown Brewery.  Abandoned industrial complex property
 in background waiting for redevelopment

My Flight. #4 Breaking Bradish Hazy NE IPA 6.8%, #8 Disco Nap DIPA 8.0%,
 #3Natty Dough Vienna Lager 5.1%, #7 Old Fangs Baltic Porter 8.3%,
and #9 Ay, Caramba Mexican Lager 4.6%

Currently spending time looking closely at multiple weather apps as we get ready to start traveling again.  Need that nice weather window to go around NJ on the outside.  Also busy looking over our notes, guides and navigation charts trying to figure out destinations along the Long Island Sound.  It's been a fun but extremely hot time here in Baltimore. Quickly coming to a close.