Nick Around Town

          With Baltimore being such a creative city, I had to go see what all the hype is about at the biggest museum in Maryland, the (BMA) Baltimore Museum of Art.  So on a chilly Friday afternoon earlier in November, I went alone to appreciate some artwork for myself. For some reason my Uber did not drop me off at the real big steps of the museum that you would see in pictures, so I walked in through the visitor entrance, which is what I think is in the back of the building. I walked through the glass doors into the lobby and was greeted by the security guard and a lady at the front desk. Unaware, I asked how much it costs to look through the exhibits and found out it was free! Now that’s something that can’t be beaten.  There were families, some with strollers, and it looked like a class trip was taking a tour of the museum as well. Everyone was pretty quiet and talking really low to each other, almost like they were whispering as they admir...

     Last weekend, my friends and I went to the inner harbor to see the National Aquarium. This aquarium is one of Baltimore’s most famous attractions along with being one of the biggest aquariums in the United States. The design on the building makes it stand out and being placed right on the water also adds a cool touch. We walked up and bought our $50 tickets, but all gave each other a joking look that pretty much said, “let’s hope this is worth it.” Yes, I will say that while on the way, I was looking forward to seeing everything considering my interest and curiosity for animals since I was young. However, I did not realize how genuinely excited I’d actually be once I got in there. I felt like a little kid bouncing around to each exhibit, as if I were a kid going door to door on Halloween night. We walked around one area that had a lot of tropical fish, and I can’t lie, I couldn't stop looking at the seahorse. I honestly forgot they even existed, but it was awesome to...

     A few weeks ago, my brother and I visited the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum. Growing up loving baseball as much as we did, we knew this was something we should check out. While we are from Philly and we are Phillies fans, growing up the Yankees were always “the other team.” We had Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and many more Yankee greats’ collectibles such as portraits, bobbleheads, McFarlanes, cards, you name it. My family and I would even travel to New York as a kid to see them play in their own stadium, so this brought back a lot of great memories for me as well.       It is located on 216 Emory Street, not far from Camden Yards. Aside from the Babe Ruth flag hanging on the side of it, you would never know it exists. It’s not a mansion or anything like that, rather just another town home that you could walk right past if you weren’t looking for it. This part resonated with me because it ties back to Baltimore’s roots as ...

  Ever since I committed to Loyola along with watching The Wire with my brother, we always had Chaps Pit Beef on our must-try list for restaurants. While the show made us curious about the city’s neighborhoods and culture, we also did our own research on this pit beef sandwich as it was featured on an episode. Once we realized the popularity behind it along with the restaurant appearing in the show, we knew we had to taste what Baltimore is known for.  A Saturday afternoon in early October, we were lucky to get a sunny and warm day to go eat. The mood was set on the drive there. The excitement that filled us was like two little kids getting ready to enter a candy shop. It was about a 25 minute ride to the place and as soon as we stepped out, there were signs painted onto the outside of the building from the same famous reviews. Some that were listed were Diners Drive-ins and Dives, The Washington Post, Zagat, Food & Wine Best in Maryland , Food Network, The Daily Meal...

Two Sundays ago, October 5th, I finally went to my first Ravens game versus the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium. As a lifelong sports fan, this was something I’ve had on my bucket list since coming to Loyola freshman year. My friends from Philly along with my brother were visiting for the weekend to join in on the fun with some Loyola buddies and I.  As a sports lover, there is nothing like waking up on a Sunday morning feeling energized to watch football, whether it's with family, friends or both! Moreover, going to the game to cheer on your favorite team is a feeling like no other. Just this time, I was going to be a fan of the game rather than cheer on one team. Yes, maybe I’d rather see the Ravens win considering I’m at the game and having been living part-time in Baltimore for the past 4 years, but I’m an Eagles fan at heart. And yes, I am true to my team so I did not wear any Ravens attire!  The minute we stepped out of the car, I could feel the buzz and knew ...

          No better time to visit Little Italy with my Italian-rooted family than parents weekend! As soon as you step into Little Italy, you feel as if you left Baltimore and entered another city. The streets themselves are narrow with Italian flags hanging from the rowhomes, mini Italian flags taped onto gates, fire hydrants painted in the colors of the Italian flag, and the old brick buildings give the neighborhood a historic and Italian feel. Moreover, strings of lights stretch across some of the streets, which adds to that homey and welcoming ambiance. However, the neighborhood is small, much smaller than Little Italy in New York or Boston, making the entire neighborhood more walkable and quiet. While it doesn’t cover many blocks, you can tell that the people take pride in keeping the Italian heritage alive in the area, adding to Baltimore's character.  The quietness was striking. I’m used to Italian neighborhoods feeling noisy and alive, whethe...