All things Baltimore

[roothy123]

It's too bad that seafood place near Timbuktu closed. (Is that now Stained Glass Pub? Haven't been up there for a while.) We loved the crab cakes there; came up from Silver Spring a couple times to eat there.

Edited March 8, 2015 by roothy123

[mitsugirly]

It looks very nice. Google Stained Glass Pub. There are tables AND they offer take out! And there's a coupon for $3 off a pizza! :p You could always order take out and just cross the street and find a nice spot for your pre cruise dinner! ;)

 

What do you mean by order take out and "just cross the street and find a nice spot for your pre cruise dinner"? I thought there wasn't any other spots around there. That's why we are pretty much forced to eat at this place. I guess we could get take out and take it back to the room to eat. But do tell if you have found something else in the area. :)

[Crusin Karen]

What do you mean by order take out and "just cross the street and find a nice spot for your pre cruise dinner"? I thought there wasn't any other spots around there. That's why we are pretty much forced to eat at this place. I guess we could get take out and take it back to the room to eat. But do tell if you have found something else in the area. :)

The restaurant is across the street from the hotel. At least I hope we are talking about the same one! :confused: In Elkridge? I am sure they have picnic tables or tables around the pool to sit and eat? Pub looks very nice with tables. I can understand you not wanting to take your DD to a bar, but it looks like just a nice restaurant/pub. Did you see the pictures on the web site?

[mitsugirly]

The restaurant is across the street from the hotel. At least I hope we are talking about the same one! :confused: In Elkridge? I am sure they have picnic tables or tables around the pool to sit and eat? Pub looks very nice with tables. I can understand you not wanting to take your DD to a bar, but it looks like just a nice restaurant/pub. Did you see the pictures on the web site?

 

Yep, same place (Best Western in Elkridge and the Stained Glass Pub). For some reason I thought it was in the same parking lot area as the hotel. I guess that's what threw me off when you said "across the street". LOL :p

 

Isn't the pool inside? I'm sure we'll find something that will work.

 

I did just look up the pub and it seems ok since they have the area with the tables and booths to eat at like a restaurant. It should be ok. I was just picturing this bar only type of thing where you have to sit at the bar to eat and drink. LOL :)

[roothy123]

Well, you guys got me curious, so I looked at the Stained Glass Pub to see if it's like the one we have in Silver Spring, a DC suburb. Apparently it's like the one I'm familiar with. I've only been there once, to eat and celebrate someone's birthday, but I found it to be a decent place - and no, it's definitely not a rowdy bar!

 

I also looked at Google Earth and there are a couple more restaurants not too far away, but I don't think they're within walking distance, and don't know if there's a bus that goes down there (or if you'd even consider a bus!) Personally, I would just stay at the hotel and eat at the Stained Glass Pub. If they take you to the port, that's great, and while the hotel doesn't have much around it, it sounds good to me.

[trixiegal]

Hey mitsugirly. I'm not going to claim that hte Best western is the best hotel in the world, but I will say that the pub adjacent to it has some pretty good food. Well, some of it at least. Their pizza in different (if your a Baltimore native it's like Ledo's) but pretty tasty. Their burgers and sliders are real good. The rest is what you would expect from a pub. Timbuktu, that Terpfan mentioned, is essentially on the same road (maybe 1.5 miles away). I'm not a huge fan of the place, but people seem to love their crab cakes.

 

 

 

You would be a mile from the MARC (train) if you want to take that right into DC. You are also maybe 2.5 miles from the Arundel Mills complex that someone else mentioned. It's essentially everything from a sprawling mall to a casino to more every type of food chain imaginable. My wife would kill me if I didn't mention that you are also about 3 miles from the best cupcakes that she has ever had, Kupcakes and Company. I am not a huge sweets fan, but I will admit that even I like their cupcakes and the flavor that they manage to put into them. All taste is subjective, but yes, i think even better than the much heralded Georgetown Cupcakes or Baked and Wired. I am way off path here.

 

 

 

Anyway, it looks like it's in the middle of nowhere, but you are 5-15 minutes from anything. it's just maddeningly suburbia spread out.

 

 

We LOVE Kupcakes and Co.! I ordered a graduation cake with the particular design of a graduation cap in her school colors of silver, black, purple. It was incredible and absolutely delicious. Everyone raved about it at her party. I do think they're better than Georgetown Cupcakes but I'm still partial to Crumbs.

 

I tried to say earlier in the thread that looks are deceiving but Elkridge has a lot of food and shopping options. However, they are really only accessible by car from RT 103, which is the road that BW Elkridge is on.

[trixiegal]

Well, you guys got me curious, so I looked at the Stained Glass Pub to see if it's like the one we have in Silver Spring, a DC suburb. Apparently it's like the one I'm familiar with. I've only been there once, to eat and celebrate someone's birthday, but I found it to be a decent place - and no, it's definitely not a rowdy bar!

 

 

 

I also looked at Google Earth and there are a couple more restaurants not too far away, but I don't think they're within walking distance, and don't know if there's a bus that goes down there (or if you'd even consider a bus!) Personally, I would just stay at the hotel and eat at the Stained Glass Pub. If they take you to the port, that's great, and while the hotel doesn't have much around it, it sounds good to me.

 

 

It is the same Stained Glass Pub that is off of Layhill Road in Silver Spring, where I grew up. It's good and it's really more of a family-friendly neighborhood restaurant than a rowdy bar. The most crowded that the bar gets is around happy hour with the after work crowd. However, there are areas in the restaurant to sit away from the bar.

[trixiegal]

What great info! I don't need it, but it was nice of you to share! The Pub you are talking about, is that the Stained Glass Pub? I went to their website and looks like a great place to have a burger and beer on Saturday night. Murphy's Law, the Orioles are playing my Yankees in NEW YORK during the day, so will miss the game on tv. We went on a Super Bowl cruise from SanDiego to MX Riviera years ago which happened to be the year the Giants were in it. Couldn't believe we were ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY when our team was playing the Super Bowl! :eek::rolleyes: Anyway, someone had mentioned a shopping center/grocery store near the ship. Do you know anything about that? That might be an option for anyone needing to pick up carry on allowables before boarding. :confused::confused:

 

 

Yes, there are several grocery stores nearby. Giant Food is in Elkridge and is easy to go to by taking 103 (same road that BW Elkridge is on) to Marshalee Drive, which is also adjacent to the fantastic bakery, Kupcakes and Co. mentioned a few posts up. Another grocery store is a few miles north on Rt.1, the main road in Elkridge, called Green Valley Marketplace. There is also a well-stocked liquor store in the same shopping plaza as Green Valley called Cindy's Liquors and a Rite Aid. I shop at both grocery stores and they both should have whatever you need.

[BruinsFan08]

What do you mean by order take out and "just cross the street and find a nice spot for your pre cruise dinner"? I thought there wasn't any other spots around there. That's why we are pretty much forced to eat at this place. I guess we could get take out and take it back to the room to eat. But do tell if you have found something else in the area. :)

 

The Stained Glass is pretty family friendly. Like Trixiegal said, it really only gets packed during happy hour with the local crowd. But, you probably won't have to eat there if you don't want to. The hotel shuttle, as long as they are not making an airport run, will take you to Arundel Mills. Not sure if they will do the return run, but either a cab or uber would be really cheap if they don't.

[trixiegal]

It's too bad that seafood place near Timbuktu closed. (Is that now Stained Glass Pub? Haven't been up there for a while.) We loved the crab cakes there; came up from Silver Spring a couple times to eat there.

 

 

If you're talking about Gunning Seafood, I was not happy to hear they had closed. Their food was very good and I liked them better than Timbuktu. Well, at least we still have G&M for good seafood.

[Terpnut]

A question: we will be arriving on a Saturday. Is it possible to do a "drive thru" in DC, not really stop...just go past White House, Capital, etc. by car? Maybe just pull over for a photo op?

As I had previously posted, driving in and around the city on the weekend is entirely doable and relatively easy as long as you have some level of comfort driving in an urban environment. Even with empty streets, some people just don't like driving in a city! LOL And for the period you will be visiting, I don't think you will have to deal with street closures and/or high volume of tourists/visitors due to a major event like the Cherry Blossom Festival, Restaurant Week, Folklife Festival and Marine Corps Marathon.

 

If you're talking about Gunning Seafood, I was not happy to hear they had closed. Their food was very good and I liked them better than Timbuktu. Well, at least we still have G&M for good seafood.

If you are looking for a decent seafood option to G&M, you may also wish to consider the Olive Grove. We drive right by G&M to get crab cakes there. :) Edited March 8, 2015 by Terpnut

[Crusin Karen]

As I had previously posted, driving in and around the city on the weekend is entirely doable and relatively easy as long as you have some level of comfort driving in an urban environment. Even with empty streets, some people just don't like driving in a city! LOL And for the period you will be visiting, I don't think you will have to deal with street closures and/or high volume of tourists/visitors due to a major event like the Cherry Blossom Festival, Restaurant Week, Folklife Festival and Marine Corps Marathon.

 

If you are looking for a decent seafood option to G&M, you may also wish to consider the Olive Grove. We drive right by G&M to get crab cakes there. :)

Thanks! DH grew up in the Bronx so I don't think DC would be a problem for him lol. :p

[Crusin Karen]

One more question about a look/see/drive thru in DC....Viet Nam Memorial Wall is very important to me. Also Arlington National Cemetary. It's okay to drive past White House, Capital, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial this time (because I'm determined to go back for a longer visit!) but I would REALLY like to go to these 2 special places. Any advice? We are driving from NE NJ (we are right by the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan) so it's about a 4 hour drive. Check in at the hotel is 3pm, so I figure we would leave about 8-9am, then can take a detour into DC, then drive to our hotel for check in by 3pm. Sign up for the lst shuttle to ship the next day, go to Stained Glass Pub for a burger and beer and see the highlights of Yankee/Oriole game...maybe drive around, go to bed and get a shuttle to the ship the next day! (excited just thinking about it!) What do y'all think about the DC plans? Thank you in advance. :)

[Terpnut]

One more question about a look/see/drive thru in DC....Viet Nam Memorial Wall is very important to me. Also Arlington National Cemetary. It's okay to drive past White House, Capital, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial this time (because I'm determined to go back for a longer visit!) but I would REALLY like to go to these 2 special places. Any advice? We are driving from NE NJ (we are right by the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan) so it's about a 4 hour drive. Check in at the hotel is 3pm, so I figure we would leave about 8-9am, then can take a detour into DC, then drive to our hotel for check in by 3pm. Sign up for the lst shuttle to ship the next day, go to Stained Glass Pub for a burger and beer and see the highlights of Yankee/Oriole game...maybe drive around, go to bed and get a shuttle to the ship the next day! (excited just thinking about it!) What do y'all think about the DC plans? Thank you in advance. :)

If I am understanding your plan for that Saturday, you don't leave very much time for touring:

 

1. Leave New Jersey at 8 am or 9 am.

2. Assuming little to no traffic and no stops along the way, arrive in DC sometime between 11:45 am and 1 pm.

3. Tour DC/VA in 1.5 to 2.0 hours

4. Leave DC by no later than 2:30 pm to arrive at BWI-area hotel just after 3 pm.

 

Since you are visiting on a Saturday, parking should be plentiful along Constitution Avenue anywhere between say, 20th and 22nd Streets which puts you closest to the Vietnam Memorial. But since you are already parked in that area, you might consider using one of your two free hours for a short stroll around the reflecting pool area and get close-up pics of the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and/or WWII Memorial too. Stroll another few minutes to the east and you can get some decent pics of the White House, Mall, and U.S. Capitol too!

 

As for Arlington National Cemetery, I can't give you any specific advice beyond the fact that it's a little over a mile (5 minute drive) from your parking space near the Vietnam Memorial. If you have the time, the energy and the weather is nice, you could walk all of the above in a couple hours! But you've allowed only two hours maximum for your visit, so are you sure you want to visit the Cemetery? I would think that with the visitor center and a long walk to any grave sites, you wouldn't have sufficient time for a decent visit.

 

I highly recommend you use Google Maps to see all of your sites and plan the drive/walk so you can best utilize your limited time. Given the short distances, if it were me, I'd park once and do everything as a ~3 mile roundtrip walk! :)

Edited March 9, 2015 by Terpnut

[BruinsFan08]

One more question about a look/see/drive thru in DC....Viet Nam Memorial Wall is very important to me. Also Arlington National Cemetary. It's okay to drive past White House, Capital, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial this time (because I'm determined to go back for a longer visit!) but I would REALLY like to go to these 2 special places. Any advice? We are driving from NE NJ (we are right by the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan) so it's about a 4 hour drive. Check in at the hotel is 3pm, so I figure we would leave about 8-9am, then can take a detour into DC, then drive to our hotel for check in by 3pm. Sign up for the lst shuttle to ship the next day, go to Stained Glass Pub for a burger and beer and see the highlights of Yankee/Oriole game...maybe drive around, go to bed and get a shuttle to the ship the next day! (excited just thinking about it!) What do y'all think about the DC plans? Thank you in advance. :)

 

Hi Karen,

 

I think Terpnut sums up the trip and parking fairly well. With regards to Arlington National Cemetery, I do have one other thing that may help. They offer temporary parking passes to visit the site of service members buried at Arlington (it's a big cemetery). The rules state that it is for family members only, however I've never been told no for the pass when we go to visit a friend. That said, they just started a shuttle service this year that takes visitors to a specific site, so if you are not immediate family, they may ask you to take the shuttle instead of giving you a pass. And yes, walking is always an option.

 

Here is their web-based tool that helps you find specific burial sites and also provides an interactive map of the cemetery. It's very helpful for finding friends and family members.

 

http://public.mapper.army.mil/ANC/ANCWeb/PublicWMV/ancWeb.html

Edited March 9, 2015 by BruinsFan08

[Crusin Karen]

Terpnut and Bruinsfan, THANK YOU so much for this GREAT information! I think I am definitely going to have to talk DH into leaving an hour or two earlier if I want to take full advantage of seeing the sights. If he gives me any "grief" I'll have him park in a space and take a nap while I explore! ;);) I am printing everything up to take with me. HAPPY CRUISING!

[roothy123]

Good advice from the people before me. Didn't know there was (maybe) a shuttle now in the Cemetery, so I learned something myself. I have relatives buried there and should go more often, I know.

 

Anyway, I would definitely leave at 7 or 8 if possible from NY, unless getting back to the hotel right at 3 is really important to you. (I'm always more interested in sightseeing in a new place than being the first one on a cruise ship, knowing that I'll have many, many more hours to come on that cruise ship, but everyone's different. I also don't know how popular that cruise port shuttle from the BW is, and whether you need to worry about signing up early! I'd be tempted to just call them when you're close to Elkridge and ask them if they have many cruisers, and if you need to worry about it. Who knows, maybe you can checck in a bit early, or at least get your room number, and leave your stuff, and not have to worry about getting back at 3. That wouldn't allow me enough time in DC to be happy, but then I'm pretty nutty about such things.)

 

I would be tempted to just drive to a DC Metro station (Greenbelt or Silver Spring, perhaps) and take Metro to Union Station, eat a quick lunch there (food kiosks downstairs) or else a hotdog and chips from a street vendor a little later on the Mall, pay $35 for the DC Trolley Tour, and ride around a lot, getting off near the Lincoln Memorial to see the memorials right in that area - Vietnam, Korean (one of my favorites from a photography standpoint), WWII, etc. I'd also take it to Arlington Cemetery to cut down on a bit of the walking required to get there and around in there. I assume Trolley goes to the other biggies of downtown DC - White House (although probably not right in front of it), Congress buildings and the Capitol, maybe the Supreme Court building, probably parts of the Smithsonian (Castle is cool) - but not really sure where they go, so check if that's anything you'd consider. By the time you park somewhere (likely $5 for Metro lots, pay when you leave), buy tickets, transfer trains (if taking train from Greenbelt to either Union or Mall or probably Arlington Cemetery too) I suppose you might do as well just driving and parking. I'd suggest you have good maps or nav system, have patience and don't sweat it if you can't get back by 3 unless you're really beat, craving baseball or food, or fearful of getting to the ship on time! Also, have quarters for parking meters. There aren't many parking garages or lots in that part of the city, and I don't know how many meters take credit cards. If you're a member of AAA, get maps of the touristy areas. They have a good one. If not, you can always use their online mapping service. The routings in this area tend to be the best I've used, and I've used a lot...(randmcnally, google, etc.)

 

If you're driving, as someone said, most people park on Constitution and walk south to the memorials. My husband says there's a street between State Dept and Constitution that might have a space - maybe 22nd? Don't know if you'd have time to drop down to the Tidal Basin beneath the Mall and reflecting pool (where Vietnam memorial etc. are) but there you'll find a little less traffic, get a glimpse of the Jefferson Memorial across the water, and if you're lucky, you'll find the MLKing monument (another of my favorites). Agree that parking once and doing as much as you can by walking is a good idea, although I don't think I would want to do a 3-mile tour! I'm an old lady, though....

 

My husband thinks it might take you more than a half hour from Elkridge to the Mall, but that's just a guess. I would Google it. Also, I wouldn't expect a Saturday in May to be dead there - there will be plenty of tourists and locals (and probably great weather) but at least May is better than April or hot, tourist-filled July & August, and Saturday is better than a work day!

 

Husband also says he has been to Stained Glass Pub in Elkridge and it's nicer/bigger than one off Layhill that we've both been to. I used to live off Bel Pre, by the way...

 

I just printed off an Orioles schedule for my brother this morning but didn't think to look to see when they're playing "your team" and whether it's at 7:05 (why do they do that - why not 7??) or other time.

 

Yes, I was talking about Gunnings. Loved that place - affordable, informal, great crabs and crab cakes. We now go to Coco's in Baltimore once in a while for crab cakes, but it's too far to go often, a bit cramped, and a tiny bit expensive as well. Elkridge is only a half hour from where I live (far reaches of Silver Spring) so if you recommend any particular place there for crab cakes, I might consider trying it! Don't really know much about the area...what's G&M? Oh, do you by chance know Deanna Bogart?

 

Happy cruising everyone. I'm jealous...have to wait until Sept. for my cruise!

Edited March 9, 2015 by roothy123

[roothy123]

Oh, forgot I was going to post pictures!

[Crusin Karen]

GREAT ADVICE. Thank you and pictures were a bonus! BTW, Orioles and Yankees play at 1:05. I know, that 5 minutes is really dumb lol. I did not realize that DC was further south than Elkridge. Good idea about stopping there lst even if we can't get into our room yet.

[LynnAnne]

We want to bring some Lobster & Crab Cakes home after our cruise. Where is a good place, might need dry ice also as it's a 10 hour drive home. Lobster Tails are so expensive here.

[LynnAnne]

We want to bring some Lobster & Crab Cakes home after our cruise. Where is a good place, might need dry ice also as it's a 10 hour drive home. Lobster Tails are so expensive here.

 

Feb. 2016 is when we cruise

[signman]

Forget the lobsters. Only frozen would be available. Maryland is only for crabs, and in February blue crab meat comes from Texas, or SE Asia (GandMcrabcakes.com). But contact LP Steamers. They are a block from the cruise pier. The Harris Teeter grocery just across the street sells dry ice.

[Mkehlb]

Re: the Vietnam Memorial. You really can't see it with a drive by. It is incredibly moving and requires some time to walk by and take it in. I've been there 4 times and have cried every time. Don't know if you have someone "on the Wall" but there are park rangers there who can help you locate the names.

[Mkehlb]

Oh, and don't forget the Vietnam nurses memorial as well

[Crusin Karen]

Re: the Vietnam Memorial. You really can't see it with a drive by. It is incredibly moving and requires some time to walk by and take it in. I've been there 4 times and have cried every time. Don't know if you have someone "on the Wall" but there are park rangers there who can help you locate the names.

Just want to pay my respects. So I WILL take the time to walk past and say a prayer of thanks for these brave men and women. :(