Great Maryland (and neighbors) Photo Expedition

I've added a poll, based on what's been proposed to date. Multiple votes allowed; I don't know if we'll be able to re-open it for voting if anyone proposeds other options. Please vote for anything you might be interested in, regardless of where it may be. Location and/or themes provided where not obvious.

I did some research on the Aquarium/Train Museum:

Saturday - Both are open from 10-5
Sunday - The Train Museum is 11-4, the Aquarium is 10-5

Admission - both have group rates, but there may be restrictions.

• Aquarium -$21.95 normal admission - Your group of 15 or more must reserve in advance to receive discounts and express entry into the building.Group Rates
  Save money when you come as a group:
  • Adults: $16.00
    
  • Seniors (ages 60 and up): $13.25
    
  • Students (ages 12 to 18): $10.75
    
  • Children (ages 3 to 11): $8.75
  
  
• Train Museum - $14.00 normal admission - Bring your group of 20 or more people to the Museum and receive discounted admission. Group boxed lunches and rental facilities are also available. All group reservations must be made two weeks in advance. Adult / Senior Groups
  $10 per person
  Discount is offered to groups of 20 or more adults or seniors. Bus driver receives complimentary admission.
  

I know I am still a newbie here, but lived between Baltimore and Washington for 30yrs..I wasn't really into photography back then, but I actually like Baltimore better than DC..

The good thing with Baltimore is if you are down at the Inner Harbor, you can go just about anyplace within 15-20mins..For people comming from out of town, there are plenty of hotels just off the Baltimore Beltway, withing 10-15mins from Baltimore..
The architecture is great, alot of old buildings mixed in with alot of newer stuff..Alot of urban scenery, and also alot of up-scale city areas too..

Here is a list of some of the things I know of in Baltimore, and surrounding areas:
1 - USS Constellation
2 - All of the Inner Harbor
3 - Baltimore Aquarium, and Science Center, B&0 Musuem
4 - Fort McHenry, and Fedral Hill
5 - South Baltimore, Little Italy, and the rest of Downtown Baltimore
6 - Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the Ravens Stadium, Babe Ruth House
7 - Baltimore Zoo
8 - The Red-Light District (although I wouldn't really recommend that)

And I am sure there are alot more that I have not listed..Maybe some other members can give some other good reasons for Baltimore..
In my opinion D.C. is just over-rated..Everything that is down there has been photographed over and over again..Also to go from place to place you would almost have to take the subway..For the people comming from out of town it is hard to find a decent hotel close enough to D.C, and if you do its expensive..

These are just my opinions, so I hope I didn't offend anyone from the D.C. area..Once again I lived between both, and both are very beautiful places to be, I just feel Baltimore has a lot more to offer..

I can also post more information on these attractions if needed..!!!

Looks like Charm City's the current favourite. The only listed DC site is the NationalZoo - there's parking there. Most of the rest of the DC area locations are car friendly.

DC Monuments and Infra Red... hmmmm....

What time frame are you considering?

Sometime after the new year - sorta depends on when people are interested,and noone's yet really offered a "not . . . " date. I don't know how the locals would feel about around Cherry Blossom time with all the swarms of tourists that descend upon the Mall,Tidal Basin, and most other green,tree-covered areas then.

Being a hometown boy makes me a bit biased to Baltimore, but one thing to point out is that the admission fees for most of the Baltimore attractions mentioned are a significant factor to consider.

Parking at the B&O Museum is free, but any parking in and around the Inner Harbor will be $10 or more per car. Walking from the B&O Museum to the Inner Harbor is possible (its on the same street), but it is almost a mile. Not trying to dissuade, just inform. I have some ideas how to minimize parking fees that we can discuss if it gets that far.

I like D.C. a lot, but outdoors in the winter is significant, too.

A 'Spring Photo Fling' sounds like a great idea for D.C. - Cherry blossoms, the Mall, Air & Space Museum, other Smithsonian venues, other ideas mentioned above.

I'm out for 1/14 through 1/22, but I can make it other weekends.

Another 2 cents worth.

Early March, maybe? We're about due for another March blizzard :{)#

FYI: there is a dollar day weekend on January 7 and 8 (2006). the fees to get into the aquarium, B&O train museum are $1 each. you can usually find free parking on Little Italy and then walk to the aquarium. there is plenty of free parking around B&O.

http://www.bop.org/

cheers

arpi wrote:
FYI: there is a dollar day weekend on January 7 and 8 (2006). the fees to get into the aquarium, B&O train museum are $1 each. you can usually find free parking on Little Italy and then walk to the aquarium. there is plenty of free parking around B&O.

http://www.bop.org/

cheers

Thanks for the link, arpi

This is a bit of short notice, but if there is enough interest, I can do a little leg work to try and organize something.

The good news - cost. This special would lower the cost quite a bit. Saturday would probably be the best day, as one of the attractions is open an hour later, which gives us more time.

More good news - The 3 special $1 offers each make for some interesting shots. The 'Top of The World' is best (obviously) with a slightly overcast, clear day. The B&O Museum and Aquarium are both on the short list, and make for great photography. The Aquarium and the observation deck are about 1 block from each other, and the B&O Museum is about 1 mile away, on the same street.

Potential good news - After dark, the Inner Harbor can be a nice place to be - dinner, some good night shots, whatever.

Potential bad news - If this offer is popular, the attractions could be crowded, and we all know what that means to photo opportunities.

I think I have a way to minimize the parking fees, too.

Any interested parties, post here or send me a PM.

Have Fun,

Hi all, just found this thread....I'm a little late

If plans are made to go to the inner harbor, the best way to get there is to ride the light rail into the city to avoid parking fees and traffic. All of the attractions mentioned are within a couple blocks of a train stop. I think a day pass for the train is around $3.50 and parking is free at the stops. We could all meet at one station and ride in or we could all ride in and meet somewhere in the city.

There is a ferry from the inner harbor to Ft.Mchenry that is worth a trip. Federal hill is a great vantage point to take pictures of the skyline and it's reflection in the harbor. Edgar Allen Poes grave is a nice place to visit, it's under a building ( I believe it's his home) in a small cemetary in downtown and a chance for some neat pictures. Little italy is great for those urban type photos, but is kinda dead in the winter. Canton has lots of little hidden away bars and such that can be fun.

For the out-of-towners (given that we decide on the B&O Museum) I was thinking that we meet there first thing (they open at 10:00) and park the cars there (free). About mid-day we take as many as we can in the fewest number of vehicles to the Inner Harbor and they leave their cars at B&O. Then go back to B&O just before they close (5:00 I think) and get the cars. Just a thought. . .Have Fun,

That dollar day sounds interesting - who else's up for it? Please post here so we can get a good handle on it.

I'm game.

I was nosing around a little, and I found some things to note:

• B&O Museum - Photographs are permitted for personal use only and are not to be published anywhere (including personal web sites) without the expressed written consent of the Museum. Professional photography is strictly prohibited without the written permission of the Chief or Senior Curators.
  
• If you're interested in ships and such, there is the Baltimore Maritime Museum: http://www.baltomariti​memuseum.org/index.htm​l They have a WWII submarine, a Coast Guard Cutter, a Lightship, and a Lighthouse that you can tour. They each have some interesting facts: the Cutter is the last ship afloat from the Pearl Harbor invasion; the submarine sank the last 2 enemy ships of WWII; etc. These are all in the Inner Harbor, close to the Aquarium/World Trade Center.
  
• I didn't see any photo restrictions for the Aquarium.
  
• Between the B&O Museum and the Aquarium are Camden Yards and the Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum: http://www.baberuthmus​eum.com/ if you're into sports.
  
• Fort McHenry can be reached from the Inner Harbor by Water Taxi: http://www.nps.gov/fom​c
  
• The Museum of Dentistry is only a short walk from the B&O Museum: http://www.dentalmuseu​m.org/
  
• The USS Constellation is in the Inner Harbor - it is the last Civil War era warship still afloat: http://www.constellati​on.org/