Will Pikus Travel Blog WR-355-01

      Though I've been in Baltimore for four years now, my final semester has certainly been my most formative. I knew of Baltimore before I came here for college, but I wasn't quite sure what the experience was going to be like.      The time that I've spent here has  been nothing short of fantastic. This semester, I've spent my time going out to new places, meeting new people, and just enjoying my last ride with my friends at Loyola. I've also spent a lot of time putting in work for my philosophy major.      At the end of the day, my semester was well spent. I would be remised if I didn't mention that I came into every semester here bright eyed and bushy tailed. Little by little, the academics have beaten me down, but I've been able to stay determined and work towards my goal.     As you've read in my previous blogs, I am not from here. I grew up in New  Jersey. I also spent much of my time in Co...

 My time in Baltimore has been an absolute blast. If you asked me to leave a note to the person who will inevitably follow in my foot steps, this is what I would say: Enjoy it. It goes faster than you can imagine.      The first thing I always recommend to people coming to Baltimore for the first time is the harbor. It has some of the best food on the East coast in my opinion. The bars in the harbor are decent too. It's different from what I'm used to since I grew up in the New Jersey/New York area.      Obviously, I would also recommend trying crabs smothered in Old Bay and butter. If you look back at the rest of my blog posts, Maryland crabs are mentioned a few too many times. There's plenty of  restaurants where these can be procured, but the best ones I've ever had aren't even from Baltimore.      I can remember  finding the best crabs I've ever tasted all the way out on St Michael's on the Eastern shore. Though i...

 As I reflect on all of my time in Baltimore, there are many smells and food that come to mind.  When in the right areas, you can smell the scent of a bakery making fresh bread. You can also smell the scent of burgers roasting at a high temperature on a grill. There are many smells that remind me where I am, but the one that strikes me the most is Old Bay seasoning.      Old Bay seasoning is a blend of herbs and spices that first came together in Baltimore more than seventy-five years ago. Since then, it's become a staple in our city's dishes,  particularly in crabs. The smell of Old Bay is present all throughout Baltimore. From the bustling sea food market near the harbor to the quiet neighborhoods in the suburbs, Old Bay is there.      Though Old Bay comes from Maryland, I've been  well acquainted with it for a while now. I find the smell to be overwhelmingly pleasant. It reminds me of family barbecues I grew up going to at the Ne...

       The food in Maryland is decent. For the sake of my reader, I'm going to try and avoid writing about crabs in this post. Crabs have been the subject of my blog for the past few posts. It is becoming far too tiring to think up different ways to come up with different ways to describe the taste and texture of our favorite blue crustacean.      Food in New Jersey is anything but healthy. It certainly tastes good, but people really forget that they need to take care of themselves. The fast paced lifestyle leaves no room for any thought of a healthy meal. Everyone from my hometown typically lived in town but worked in New York  City which is about and hour and ten minutes away from us.      This long commute usually leads everyone to eat a quick pork roll egg and cheese on their way to the train station. The pork roll sandwich is famous as a New Jersey staple. Some people refer to pork roll as Taylor ham. T...