Monday, May 28, 2012

A Day trip To Annapolis

THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE SERVED IN OUR MILITARY
Eric and Ann had been wanting to drive down to Annapolis and since neither Bev nor I had been there, we thought it would be a fun thing to do while visiting with them.  In case you’re unfamiliar with the town, it’s the capital of Maryland, county seat of Anne Arundel  County, home of the US Naval Academy & St. John's College, capital of the United States from 1783-1784, sailing capital of the world, and all around quaint little town with a population of just 38,000+ situated on the Chesapeake Bay. 

And the fascinating part is that it’s all within easy walking distance, although they do have a continuously running shuttle system that helps with the further away parking garages.  This is a winter shot from the web with church circle bottom center, the state capital upper center and the govenors mansion between them on the left.

This is my shot of Main Street (click here for map) which runs from church circle in the center of town down to the water at the City Dock and it is made up of nice shops and good sounding restaurants.

A shot back up the hill from the web.

It is a clean and enjoyable place to visit and I especially enjoyed seeing the Midshipmen and women walked around in their white uniforms with their crisply ironed lines and everything just so – a real pleasant contrast to the look of most college students.

This is the dock area at the bottom of the hill.

Since we’d had a big breakfast, we decided on a mid-afternoon meal at the well-known and obviously popular Jimmy Cantler’s Riverside Inn located a couple of miles east of town on the water. 

The restaurant appears to have been a home that was turned into a restaurant and we had to wait about an hour to get a seat - at least we could wait down by the water in the shade and watch them sort the crabs.

The inside dining area was a large room with picnic tables lined up – sorry about the blur. 

Since it was well known and very busy, we were expecting outstanding food and knew it would be pricy, but while the second part was true, Bev and I were very disappointed with the food while Ann and Eric enjoyed theirs – Bev had a lump crabmeat sandwich. 

For $20, I got two smaller than expected deep fried Maryland backfin crab cakes, French fries, and slaw.  The slaw and fries were both good (I don’t think either were homemade) but I believe we make much better crab cakes.  I might have expected disappointment had I ordered BBQ ribs from a crab house, but not when getting a crab dish.

I won’t cover the rest of the meals but would sure not go there again and I was surprised it was so popular – part of the crowd may have been due to the recent opening of crab season and they served many trays of them at $65/dozen – the couple beside us was having them and advised the price was a bit steep.

In spite of the meal experience, it was still a very nice way to spend an afternoon and save for knee pain and a pretty hot day, I would like to have spent more time walking around Annapolis, including the USNA - I would definitely go back, but on a cooler day and maybe during the week.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.


Two years ago: Breakfast From The Frig

Larry

5/19/12  event date

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for taking the time to upload all the photos and take us along on that trip. I've never even seen photos of Annapolis let alone visit. Isn't it surprising when a restaurant like that is over-priced, over-packed and underwhelming? I think you should get Jimmy on the horn! :)

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  2. Isn't it crazy to go to a 'crab' restaurant and have BAD crab??????? Too Bad.... Glad you enjoyed the rest of your experience there.

    Happy Memorial Day. Let's never forget those men and women who gave their lives for us and for our freedom.

    Betsy

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  3. Happy Memorial Day to you too, Larry - and thank you!!!

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  4. I've been to Annapolis a couple of times -- my nephew graduated from the Naval Academy in 2001. It is a pretty little town, but I have never eaten at any of the restaurants there.

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  5. Jenn! thanks for wishing memorial day. it is wonderful to hear from all of you friends.

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  6. Yes it was, and is, HOT! This feels like August :(
    Sorry to hear about the bad crab. Yuck - but the photos are great!

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