Our jaunt down to Baltimore ran the gamut from commercial to cultural to kitsch. It was an easy train trip from New York with a five minute ride to our hotel just over the bridge from Baltimore's Inner Harbor - a perfect launching pad for our forays to the Aquarium, Baltimore Museum of Art and walking tour of Hampden.
The Inner Harbor is chalk-full of child-friendly fun and we only had time for the aquarium (my third trip so obviously a highlight). The special Australia exhibit was full of snakes and bats and other cozy creatures. We hit it early and enjoyed it relatively crowd-free. The regular exhibits were so packed I skipped right, over them other than sneaking up the disabled elevator for a brief run through the rainforest. Jaclynn's favorite was the Dolphin Show; Elliott loved the 4-D Polar Express movie; and Shelaine wanted to take home the rescued finless sea-turtle.
A trip to Baltimore is not complete without a visit to the Baltimore Museum of Art (my fourth time) and the fabulous Cone collection. The BMA is free (except for occasional special exhibits) so a wonderful way to while away an afternoon. Before heading out to the sculpture garden, our gaggle of gals gathered on the sofas in front of the 3-D screen and propped ourselves up as Jaclynn toured us through the apartment of Etta and Claribel Cone.
We wandered over to the weirdest part of town where every row house on 34th St. is dressed up in Christmas clutter. This is an annual event in Hampden where kitsch reigns on the Avenue. As we visited on a Sunday afternoon most of the shops were dark, but the Raven's game was playing on the giant-screen TV perched on someone's porch-roof. Did I say weird?
Happy New Year! May your year be blessed with lots of culture and a sprinkling of kitsch! 
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