Why Travel Local?

Annapolis Rock, Middletown Maryland 

If you are a travel junkie like me, travel can morph into this grand and lofty idea. It becomes bigger than itself in the sense that so many people think that great travel can only take place when when you are off on some adventure in a far away and exotic land, in a place you need a passport to get to. It is often forgotten that there are so man beautiful places just outside our back doors.

Don't get me wrong. I am often one of those people. 

But, when you are in a situation where international travel is not exactly feasible you don't need to get on a airplane or use your passport to have a meaningful travel experience.

With gas prices lowering and insanely cheap bus tickets (thanks Bolt!) you can travel locally without breaking the bank. In the past month I have visited the Baltimore Aquarium, headed to the top of the Washington Monument and taken a cruise around Annapolis.

I always remember this quote from the movie Eat, Pray, Love. It's when the character Luca Spaghetti (yes, that's his name) says:

   "Americans. You work too hard, you get burned out. You come home and spend 

the whole weekend in your pajamas in front of the T.V."

That line stuck with me, because its so true. Trust me I love a weekend lounging on the couch, binging on some new TV show as much as the next person, but since we live in a country where half of the citizens don't use up all of their paid vacation days, weekends are precious time. So why don't we make the most of them and get out there and see what our backyards have to offer.

Have you traveled locally recently? Are there any places close to home that you have been dying to see?

A Visit to the Baltimore Aquarium

I hadn't been to the Baltimore Aquarium in over 10 years ... actually it had probably been longer then that, since elementary school. When deciding what to see on Jose's one day in Baltimore, he expressed interest in going to the Aquarium and I'm not going to lie I was not too excited. 

Well, this is probably the only time you'll here me say this, but I was crazy wrong.

It was amazing! It is set in such a great way as to guide you through the whole aquarium in a captivating way.

The jellyfish exhibit was by far my favorite part, which surprised me too, since I swore to hate them forever after being stung by one while wakeboarding in the Chesapeake Bay. But, I was amazed at how beautiful they were and how many different types of jellyfish there are.

 We paid the $5 upgrade to see the 4-D movie experience. 4-D means there are smells, things sprayed at you, poking you and much more. It was awesome, I highly recommend it!

 After the Aquarium we headed to the most touristy restaurant I could think of, the Hard Rock Cafe at the Inner Harbor.

 (I find this picture hilarious, like we are the king and queen of Hard Rock)

 Then we wandered around the the Inner Harbor looking at a few of the big ships that were still in the harbor after the 200th anniversary celebration of the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner.

Have you ever been to an aquarium? How about Baltimore?

National Aquarium - Baltimore

First Entry: 9am Last Entry: 4pm (M-Th) 8pm (Fri) 5pm (Sat-Sun)

Admission: $34.95

4-D Movie Experience: $5