Baltimore Skyline

Who are we kidding? We've been playing Christmas music in the house since the day after Thanksgiving. The Christmas decorations were already primed and ready to be put up as soon as the Turkey was cold in the refrigerator. They may have been put up on November 23rd, the wreath wasn't added until the 28th. Ok, but tomorrow is December 1st, so now it's fully appropriate to bust out the Christmas cheer for the rest of the month. And what better way to get into the festive spirit by seeing what is happening around town in the next few days to kick off everything. If you haven't been up in Hampden as of late 34th street and the Avenue are already decked out. 34th Street is as bright and gaudy and wonderful as ever. The shops on the Avenue have their store windows decorated and light, and the whole street looks lively from Chestnut Ave to Falls Road. Sunday is the Mayor's Christmas Parade which traverses from Poly/Western to Hampden, and with the temperatures forec...

Tomorrow is the day that everyone looks forward to; today, on the other hand is the busiest travel day of the year. Across the country folks are packing the car or heading to the airport, or jumping on the train to go someplace for Thanksgiving. Around here that means cars will be cramming onto I-95, people will be queuing up at the security lines at BWI waiting to board completely full flights, commuters will be taking the early MARC train home, and long-distance travelers will be funneling into Penn Station to catch also full Amtrak trains along the NEC. This is also the time of the year that if you're lucky you will see MARC equipment making runs as extra Amtrak trainsets up the NEC toward New York to accommodate the holiday travelers. This year I won't be making the travels on Thanksgiving, instead Skyline wife and I are making the family come to us! In the past I have made many trips out of Baltimore Penn Station and Philadelphia 30th Street (when I lived there) at...