My first day in Baltimore could be summed up by two words: hot and sweaty. Oh boy am I not used to such humidity. I literally felt myself melting into a puddle as the day wore on. I left New York around 6:45am on Amtrak. The ride wasn't too long. Only about 2 1/2 hours. And the Airbnb I stayed at was within walking distance of Baltimore's Penn Station, which was super convenient (and cost efficient). The neighborhood I stayed in is called Mount Vernon. Lots of statues and historical buildings. I mostly followed the guidance of The Every Girl and my Airbnb host for what to see and how to get there.

From Mount Vernon I made my way to Fells Point and Federal Hill. Both neighborhoods are on the water of the inner harbor. I used Lyft to get there as the public transit in Baltimore didn't seem as easy to navigate as it is in Manhattan. I'd never used Lyft before, always Uber in the past. But my girlfriend I'm staying with in New York sent me a link to sign up that gave me five $10 ride credits, which totally sold me. The whole time I was in Baltimore I only ever paid the driver a tip because the cost of the ride was covered by my credits! (I still don't know how I feel about the option to tip though...to me that's part of the ease and convenience of Uber, not having to worry about tipping...). But if you're new to Lyft too, use this link or this code: KELLY238516 to get free ride credits too!

Through the recommendation of my Airbnb host Amy I made my way over to the American Visionary Art Museum. I loved it! So many different mediums of art.

From the museum I made my way back (by way of water taxi) to Fells Point to check out the bar where supposedly Edgar Allen Poe was seen for the last time before mysteriously dying a couple hours later. To me, it mostly just reminded me of Old Sacramento and the saloons/taverns there. But it was still a fun experience and a much needed cold beer on such a hot day.

I finished off the evening sharing a bottle of wine with my host Amy and great conversation for like two hours before heading out for a later dinner. Through The Every Girl post I linked above, I decided on Sugarvale. It was so amazing. My drink was a spin on an old fashion, but even better. The ambiance was intimate and charming, and the burger that I got...holy cow (literally, see what I did there?). Especially the brioche bun it was on. I had very serious thoughts about going back my second night there to get it again...

xxo