Life's Persistent Questions

April 18, Baltimore, “Rule of Three” part 2.

So the third thing to drop, after the bird poop and a batting practice ball, were my glasses. The cool cat that I was I hanged them on my t-shirt, which then caused them to fall when I leaned over. A piece of the lens popped out, and now I will have to go the rest of my trip without them. At least the string of bad luck is over.

First stop today was the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the first Catholic cathedral in America. It was designed by the same architect, Benjamin Latrobe, who designed the Captiol in DC. It was interesting that both buildings were built in the neo-classical style. John Carroll, the first American bishop, chose it over the typical European gothic design because he wanted to convey a feeling of simplicity, openness, and republicism instead of the threatening and awe-inspiring gothic design.


I visited USS Constellation, the last all-sail warship built by the US Navy. It was pretty fun except the three decks below were so cramped that I spent 45 minutes hunched over. I would hate to be stuck on that ship for months on end.


The rest of Inner Harbor was what you would expect for a tourism hotspot. Lots of restaurants, shops, ferry and cruises, aquarium and museums. I did saw an acrobat class going on, which was pretty cool.


The American Visionary Art Museum has built quite a reputation online. One of the museum’s focus is on artists afflicted by psychiatric illness such as schizophrenia or depression, or mental retardation. It is a powerful experience to witness these artists channeling their concentration to produce great pieces in spite (or perhaps because) of their crippled minds.

posted by hedgehog @ 9:33 PM