Getting the flavor of...Unexpected Baltimore

Unexpected Baltimore

Baltimore can be a bit too self-conscious, but it remains “distinctive and grounded” in a way other cities should envy, said Marc Fisher in The Washington Post. Even if you don’t buy into the “true-grit romance” of Maryland’s largest city, it offers ample attractions beyond the obvious. While the “Station North Arts and Entertainment District” might not fulfill its goal of becoming the next Brooklyn, for instance, there’s a creative buzz along Charles Street, and I recently enjoyed an open house at the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower, a landmark the city has converted into studios for a talented array of artists. “Of course, Baltimore isn’t all art studios and hipster shops.” You can start a day there with a great Italian sandwich from Trinacria, squeeze in some fun at the National Pinball Museum, enjoy a top-flight dinner in upscale Harbor East, then catch a jazz combo at An die Musik. The city feels “easy and open”—just right for exploring.

Going extreme in Alaska

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“When it comes to extreme sports in the winter, Alaska is as extreme as it gets,” said Ethan Todras-Whitehill in The New York Times. But March brings average 34-degree highs in Anchorage, making the area a marvelous—and nearly untapped—late-winter snow-sports playground. I went the extreme route, beginning with “snow-kiting”—rocketing across a snowfield on skis while being pulled by a kite. (I quit after one exhilarating, terrifying attempt.) The next day, an ice-climbing guide brought me to a 120-foot-tall “seep,” or a frozen waterfall, and climbed up ahead of me to set ropes. With an ice ax in each hand and spikes on my feet, I scaled the entire height, then “let out a misty breath.” Snow biking with some acquaintances from Anchorage proved more comical than anything. I knew that if I died while racing down a snowy hill on a bike with wide tires, “my obituary would at least make people laugh.”