Annapolis:
City on the Dock of the Bay

Annapolis. The name is synonymous with both Maryland's government and the US Naval Academy. It's both of these, and more. It's a 1700's city - with all of the history and physical charms that implies - time warped into 21st Century urban America - with all of the momentum and dynamics that implies. The combination makes "Crabtown" a great getaway.

Driving and parking in Annapolis are as much fun as filling out 1040 forms. The narrow cobblestone streets are definitely not designed for RVs. However, the Navy\Marine Corp stadium just outside of town has parking and a shuttle into town. Just remember that the deal is off on weekends in the fall if there's a Navy home game. It's not a bad walk from the stadium into town, either. There is also limited parking at the Naval Academy for visitors.

If you want a guided walking tour of the city, the best bets are 3 Century Tours and Annapolis Walkabout. The guides for 3 Century are all in period costume and stay in character as much as practical during the two-hour walk. Find out how the women really dressed and just what a 'tussie-mussie' is. (It's "G" rated; I promise.) They cover the historic district, the State House, and the Naval Academy.

Annapolis Walkabout is another 2-hour ramble, focusing on the town's architectural history. There are short, free guided tours of the State House, for those with limits on how much history they want to absorb in one afternoon.

West Street offers a smorgasbord of restaurants. The Rams Head Tavern (home of Fordham Brewing Company) also has a busy schedule of live entertainment from a variety of artists. Sean Donlon is an Irish pub just down the block that's getting a good reputation.

West Street ends at Church Circle, which is the border of the historic district. Annapolis is built around two hills - Church Circle and State Circle. The planners deliberately built the State House on the higher hill, to avoid the appearance that any religion (in this case, the Church of England) was more important than the civil government.

Church Circle is also the upper end of Main Street. Along with Maryland Avenue off State Circle, Main Street is a magnet for credit cards. It's a mix of familiar retail chains and independent shops with more distinctive inventories. Good places to check out; the League of Maryland Craftsmen for original art work and crafts and Chesapeake Trading Company for its eclectic inventory of books, sweaters, boat clothes, and house accents. The CD selection there covers jazz, swing, and Patsy Cline.

Chick & Ruth's deli is the spot for lunch. This dog-eared eatery was serving politicians when William Donald Schaefer was in diapers. Many of its sandwiches are named after politicians past and present. The Bill Clinton is turkey breast on lettuce; the Al Gore is a chicken sandwich. (For the record, nothing was named after George W. Bush.) It's famous for huge breakfasts and strong coffee.

Annapolis city dock is also known as Ego Alley. Just wide enough for the vain to maneuver their yachts, sailboats, cigarette boats, and cruisers, it's an unending parade of floating displays of testosterone. Enjoy the show while sitting next to Alex Haley. The author of Roots is immortalized by a sculpture on the dock. A life-sized Haley sits facing three wide-eyed children as he reads from his novel. Why Haley and why here? Because this is the dock where Kunta Kinte and thousands of other African slaves made landfall.

Back up the hill to the State House, one of the loveliest government buildings in the country and the oldest state capitol building. For an instant self-guided tour that covers the main points, pop into the room where Washington resigned his commission at the end of the Revolution, then stand under the rotunda and look up. The entire dome is constructed without nails.

Maryland Avenue is not as big or as busy as Main Street and has fewer souvenir shops and no chain stores. The antique, gift, and home accessories stores are tucked in tightly to each other. This is also Gallery Row, with stores selling almost limitless selections of "Boat on Bay," "Dog with Duck," and "Geese in Flight" paintings. Many works cover other themes, but this is Annapolis, after all; don't come here looking for Gorman or Chagall.

In the 1700's, Annapolis was known as the "Paris of the Americas." The planters and politicians migrated here for the winter, kicking off a season of parties and gossip that filled the pages of the Colonial versions of "The National Enquirer." Before he got caught up in all that Revolutionary stuff, George Washington was one of the original party boys, known for his interest in horse racing and other games of chance and, by all accounts, was something of a ladies' man. Not bad for a guy with wooden teeth.

The accounts of those events have all been sanitized, but some of the mansions where the rich and famous danced those racy minuets survive and are open for tours. The most impressive is the William Paca House and Garden. Rescued from a fate as a hotel, office building, and parking lot, it's a step into a different world. Closer to the town dock is the Charles Carroll House, home of another signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Yet another world is behind the walls of the US Naval Academy. The gleaming dome of the Academy Chapel is as much a part of the Annapolis skyline as the State House, and the Mids are as much a part of the town as Ego Alley.

The Armel-Leftwich Visitors Center is the starting point for guided tours of "The Yard." Parents of teenagers will marvel at the condition of the typical Mid's room - every piece of clothing precisely folded and put away, beds made, books neatly places on shelves. Maybe it's something in the water…

The Center's displays focus on what's involved in gaining admission to the Academy and the demanding commitment the young men and women have chosen to make. The film about the life of a Mid is so unapologetically patriotic that it would bring tears to the eyes of John Wayne.

The 'other' college in Annapolis is St. John's. Its pedigree is no less impressive. Founded in 1696, it was a busy place during the Revolution. The Liberty Tree - a tulip poplar which served as a gathering point for discussions, debates, and demonstrations by the Colonists - survived on the grounds until 1999, when age, disease, and damage caused by Hurricane Floyd finally forced the college to cut down the 400-year-old tree. St. John's curriculum is as liberal as the Academy's is rigid. It's based on the Great Books of the Western World, which students read, analyze, and discuss.

There is a genial rivalry between the two schools, which comes to a head every year with the annual croquet match, held on St. John's spacious grounds. Mids dress in period uniforms, St. John's team wears whatever seems appropriate for the day, both teams toast each other before whacking the mallets in pursuit of honor for their school. (Rumor has it that the first match was won by St. John's because the toast was alcoholic, which overwhelmed the Mids, who are part of the 'dry' Navy.)

It's silly to visit a city on the water without getting on the water. While Annapolis claims to be the Sailing Capitol of the World, knowing a jib from a mainsail is not required for an outing on the Bay. The nautically challenged need not be in command of their own vessel. There are sailboat rides and sightseeing tours from the city dock and the Marriott Hotel. Guided kayak tours up Spa Creek also leave from the Marriott. And there are half a dozen places that teach sailing, including one whose motto is "Nobody Yells."

Food is a big part of the Annapolis experience. Crabs, rockfish, oysters, and other
Chesapeake natives show up on the menu almost everywhere. Contrary to some rumors, the new sushi bars on Main and West Streets are not where unlucky watermen sell off their unused bait. Middleton Tavern on Market Square might have seen George Washington and Chuck Carroll on occasion, although the clientele back then leaned more towards the less-gentile crews from the ocean-going sailing ships docked nearby. The Treaty of Paris Restaurant on Church Circle is known for its killer Sunday brunch - pricey, but excellent, while Harry Browne's on State Circle has an inventive dinner menu. To really mix cultures try Armadillo's on the dock for Mexican food. Or meander through the Market House, also on the dock, and graze through the salads, delis, and bakeries there, then nosh on a bench outside while watching the Ego Alley antics.
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