Trip to Baltimore: Mount Vernon

This year we stayed in the neighborhood of Mount Vernon, home to the original Washington Monument. The monument, surrounded by a cobblestone circle, sits in the center of Mount Vernon Park, which is essentially four grassy lawns with some fountains and statues. Not exactly the most spectacularly designed park I've ever seen but it's a nice, tranquil place to sit down on a bench and mull over the day.




I really liked this old sign on the side of a building, though I wish I'd gotten closer.

I was attempting to photograph the strange interior of this empty apartment that I encountered on a walk through the neighborhood (well, empty except for the row of heads on the mantel and crown shapes on the wall) but should have known that the reflection and the flash would not yield the results I wanted--but I kind of like it anyway.

Also in Mount Vernon are a variety of museums, shops, and restaurants, such as Red Emma's and the Woman's Industrial Exchange (at least, those are two that I visited). I briefly checked out the Walters Art Museum since admission is free and it was around the corner from our hotel, but the mostly ancient and 19th century art just isn't my thing. The Chamber of Wonders is pretty great though.