Benny Does Baltimore, part 1

I have been in Baltimore for 30 hours. It's been a great pleasure so far.

My spouse found out there is a light rail from BWI to our area. It was not easy find information on schedules, but he did, and we took it to the Convention Center area for $1.60. We visited with some locals on the way. One passenger had warned us about staying in bigger hotels as she saw something on Dateline recently about "bed bugs" problems in NYC. I thanked for the info, but wondered if the workers were not taught properly to look for such things in hotels, and moreover, were not paid enough to do so.

Another rider concurred that hotel workers were not paid a "living wage" most places.

A nice man helped us find the proper entrance to our hotel..didn't want a tip, just helping a struggling traveller out. Everyone has been very nice here.

I had a great time being a tourist in Baltimore this morning. Will supply pics later, but will say the weather was fab today. Around 70, nice breezes, waterfront great. Went to Benny and Elmo's place they wanted me to see for them (and probably envious), the National Aquarium. Cat TV galore.

Now that Senator Sarbanes is stepping down, saw a few supporters, and I think the candidate himself, Allan Lichtman, today. They wanted to talk with me, but I reminded them I was not a resident. But I wished them well.

Got to the "13 colonies flag" at Fort McHenry. Will throw up pics when I get back home. But really cool. Reminds me of the Constitution and what we stand for, and not those who only read Article Two, as I read in US News & World Report. Lots of big sailers, such as the Chesapeake, the Clipper, etc, today. Great weather for sailing. Had lunch on the waterfront at 1:00--and it was so nice.

And did I mention that EAE was on the short list of considered keynotes for my conference next year? Still there, but we'll see; may not be on it eventually if JRE announces a run later this year or early next.

Bluegrass Cat was second in the Belmont Stakes. Benson's sister, Elmo, picked the horse to win as it was the favorite. She won only $3 as she doesn't have much money to bet.

I have a new cell phone that can search the text world of the Net. Got into the blog, but could not post very easily. I'm still thinking about a Treo or Blackberry. I don't text message very well, but it's easier than doin' it on my current cell. Luckily, my hotel has this puter for free, including printing, as a courtesy to their guests (and I'm not in a very expensive, folks...very convenient too!!). Last night I was in the OAC chat room for about 15-20 min with some old timers of OAC (Jill, Bora, Wee), and it was great to hear from them.

That's my first report from Benny does Baltimore.