|
You know how when you go to the zoo, you can often find
the biggest, most animated crowds standing in front of the orangutan
enclosure, snapping and yapping away while the old man of the forest
obliviously picks fleas from his pelt, tosses vegetables and stares into
space? Well, I can kinda relate to that orangutan,
having spent four years on the other side of the bars as a resident of Annapolis, Maryland's number one tourist attraction: the United States Naval Academy.
I was a busy little primate while I was there, mind you, getting a hell of an
education while preparing myself morally, mentally and physically to defend
my nation and all of its citizens from threats or dangers, foreign or
domestic. But I was also always acutely aware of the eyes focussed
on each and every one of us there--and not just by the vigilant officers
entrusted with our training, but also by the countless visitors who came to Annapolis looking for a show. And let me tell you right up front, if you've
never seen it, that the Naval Academy provides a grand show indeed to
visitors and alumni alike, what with 4,000 or so midshipmen rushing from
great photo op to great photo op, all for your picture-taking pleasure.
See (for instance) the Brigade of Midshipmen as it gathers for noon meal formation in Tecumseh Court! Thrill to the feeding of the multitudes in King Hall! Marvel at
the forced march from "the Yard" (as the Academy's campus is known)
to Army-Navy Memorial Stadium for home football games! Gaze in awe at the
splendor of the formal color parade on Worden Field! (Think that those
fabulous sailboats flying spinnakers in the panoramic background are there by
accident? Well, here's a clue: no). And if you can't figure out the
significance of the Macedonian or Mexican Monuments, then just ask any passing midshipman--they're trained to answer
your questions, and call you "ma'am" and "sir" while they
do it.
There are times during the year, however, when you might visit the Naval
Academy, or Annapolis in general, and the Brigade of Midshipmen won't all be
on the Yard for your touring pleasure, but instead will be dispersed around
the world, flying planes, driving ships, or just enjoying well-earned leaves.
But guess what? Annapolis is still a tremendous tourist destination, even
without Uncle Sam's little helper elves, rich in architecture, history, and
leisure activities, chockablock with fabulous seafood restaurants and the
sorts of salty old port-side bars that real sailors frequent, and have
for centuries.
For Maryland's capital is one of our nation's oldest cities and harbors
alike, located on a sheltered deep-water inlet of the Severn River, itself a
tributary of the mighty Chesapeake Bay, a key hub for early European settlement in the Americas. Founded in 1649 by Puritan settlers, the present-day configuration
of central Annapolis (two circles with radiating spokes) was set down by Governor
Francis Nicholson in 1693. Governor Nicholson also changed the name of the
settlement from "Anne Arundel Town" (named after the late wife of Cecil Calvert, the second Lord
Baltimore) to "Annapolis" (named after Princess Anne) in 1695, delineating shifts in
political affiliation as the "Glorious Revolution" played out in England. In the same year, the Province of Maryland's capitol moved from St. Mary's to Annapolis. Maryland's current State House was constructed between 1772 and
1779, served as the United States' capitol from 1783 to 1784, and remains the
nation's oldest state capitol building still in use today. St. John's College (America's third oldest) was founded in 1796, and the United States Naval Academy was founded in 1845 on the site of an old Army fort.
The Academy's now 238-acre-large campus dominates downtown Annapolis. While on the Yard, be sure to visit the Rotunda and Memorial Hall,
both located inside of Bancroft Hall (the world's largest dormitory, covering
some 33 acres all by itself), the Chapel (where John Paul Jones' remains lie
buried in a subterranean crypt), and the Armel-Leftwich
Visitor Center, just inside Gate One. (Yes, there's a wall with gates all the
way around the landward-facing portions of the Naval Academy; when a midshipmen refers to "going over the wall,"
you'll understand what he or she means once you've visited). Visiting hours
at the Academy are generally from 9 AM to sunset, but it
may be worth a phone call before you visit (410-293-2108), just to make sure
that there are no additional security requirements in force.
The rest of downtown Annapolis lies outside of Gate One (nearest to the City
Dock) and Gate Three (across from St. John's College) of the Yard,
conveniently close and tightly-packed for both the Brigade's and your own
convenience. The focal point of the downtown area is the City Dock, around
which one will find great provisioning points at the City Market House (a
sort of quasi-open air emporium) and the Middleton Tavern (established in
1750 as an inn for seafaring men, and now one of the best fresh seafood
restaurants on the Eastern Seaboard). The City Dock also bears witness to one
of the darker elements of Annapolis' history, in the form of plaque dedicated to Kunta
Kinte, marking the site where the young African
(immortalized in Alex Haley's Roots) was sold into slavery; a
sculpture of Haley reading to children stands nearby.
Walk uphill from the City Dock on just about any of the roads that radiate
from the city's center, and you will come to one of two circles atop a pair
of nearby hills: State Circle and Church Circle. St. Anne's Episcopal Church
provides the namesake for the latter, on the site where Annapolis'
Episcopalian families have worshipped since 1699, with the current structures
having been built in 1858-59. Just off the circle, on Franklin Street, is the former Mt. Moriah African Methodist Episcopal Church, built in 1874, and now home to
the Banneker-Douglass Museum, a central repository for African-American history in Maryland.
The Maryland State House is in the middle of the State Circle, easily spotted
and identified from anywhere downtown by its extraordinary white dome, capped
with an ornamental acorn and a lightning rod designed and grounded to
Benjamin Franklin's specifications and satisfaction. Just off State Circle
lies the Maryland Inn, which has built in 1776, is still an operating lodging
house and is home to the Treaty of Paris restaurant, one of the downtown
area's most popular dining spots. (Call 800-847-8882 for reservations at the
Maryland Inn or any of Annapolis' other historic inns; those seeking a more
modern approach to downtown lodging are encouraged to call the Annapolis
Marriott Waterfront, overlooking the City Dock, at 888-773-0786).
Annapolis has dozens of other historic homes, business and sites, all packed
within a very pedestrian-friendly area, most of which can be visited by
taking one of the Historic Annapolis Foundation's guided walking tours; call
410-267-7619 for further information. Of course, this pedestrian friendly
city with its narrow, winding streets can be a nightmare from a traffic
standpoint, so seasoned visitors know the key outlying parking lots from
which a tourist assault on downtown can be launched. I generally park at
Army-Navy Memorial Stadium, for instance, just across College Creek from the
downtown, which is easily accessed by Rowe Boulevard, the main connector from downtown to the outside world; click on
the "transportation" link at hometownannapolis.com for up-to-date
information on how to get around downtown.
Or, if all else fails, just ask one of the hundred of young people milling
around the downtown in those spiffy-looking Navy uniforms. They may not all
be exactly happy to help you, but I can guarantee that they'll do it
anyway, yes sir and yes ma'am. Just do me one favor, though: Try not to point
at them and talk loudly about them as if they can't hear you, okay? It makes
us . . . err, I mean, uh, them crazy. Thanks.
Getting there and staying there: It takes about six hours to drive to
Annapolis in good traffic; take the Thruway south to I-287 South, then get on
the Jersey Turnpike and follow I-95 all the way to Baltimore, then take I-895
across the Harbor Tunnel and look for signs for I-97 south into Annapolis.
You can also fly into Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Airport, or
take AMTRAK, which has a station stop right at BWI. Those who don't relish
the thought of driving or staying in the congested Annapolis downtown may
want to investigate one of the many hotels in and around BWI, most of which
offer shuttle service into downtown Annapolis, Washington or Baltimore.
Copyright 2002: J. Eric Smith.
|