Our Week in Photos: Vol 2

Once again a busy week, our last in Fell's Point. I (Robert) only made about 4 blunders that hit me in the wallet, a new low since the moving process began! We ate some good food, walked some good streets, and took some good pictures. 

The Queen of Baltimore City. 

Took a trip to historic Mount Vernon (not the one in Virginia) to walk around and see the historic Washington Monument (not the one in DC) 

227 winding steps to the top. We could feel the burn by the halfway mark. I'm not at my fighting weight apparently.

The view from atop the Washington Monument. There's really not that much that's interesting about this photo, but it took a while to stitch together in Lightroom so LOOK AT IT! 

Some say its true! Moments later we were disagreeing with this phrase as we tried to exit a "cash only" parking garage without any cash. The attendant said "I wouldn't go to China without cash." I was like, "what an interesting anecdote bro..." 

Leslie and Draper on a walk. Draper is obviously scared of everything so we had to pull over while some humans and animals passed.

There is a boardwalk around our temporary apartment which provides some pretty stunning views of the harbor. Under Amrour headquarters is across the way. 

This guy has some awesome art, which was heavily used to spruce up the set in HBO's The Wire. We are going to buy a painting to commemorate our time in Fells Point. Or maybe I'll take a picture of one his paintings and get it blown up... we'll see. 

Sorry to disturb you! Let's keep reminding ourselves that this is an animal... and that is my pillow. 

A little trip down Tequila road. I do love a good flight! Representing Herradura. A thing I like to say to anyone who will listen is, "there is huge disparity between good tequila and bad tequila, more so  than any other spirit." 

Heading to DC for the afternoon. I can't remember who took this picture for me, but thank you to them. 

WhiskeyFest DC. Working on my pouring motions. I'm getting pretty good. 

Thursday meetings in New York City. My first time in Brooklyn. I'm cool now y'all. Deal with it. 

All our belongings were finally shipped on Thursday. Here Draper is pulling his weight. 

Leslie loves when I take pictures of her all day every day. She didn't tell me this, but I just know it. 

Uncle Mike in town and took us to an awesome restaurant. More on that in "Baltimore Eats: Vol 2"

Our Week in Photos

by Leslie Rixman

Bob was on the road again which gave Draper my undivided attention to help him adjust to city life. This was very much required because the poor beast is struggling to adjust. I don't think he will ever understand the workings of the elevator let alone believe it's not a metal death trap. But there is hope still for him being a polite Baltimore dog.  By the end of the week he had made progress. Here are some pictures of everyone's adventures the past seven days:

Robert: Outside Madison Square Garden after coming in for an Old Forester event. Trained back to Baltimore right after.

Robert: The (literally) smallest car left at the rental car facility in New Hampshire

Leslie: Watching Crocodile Hunter with Draper. I learned he doesn't like snakes! 

Robert: Killington, VT for a team meeting Tuesday through Friday

Leslie: Draper's first Baltimore toy. As luck would have it, Robert met Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh at the airport the same day. 

Robert: Me and my sled

Leslie: Baltimore sets a new record for rainfall in a single day and Robert is not here to rescue me

Robert: Team Building. Up here the rain has turned to snow! 

Robert and Leslie: Walking Draper at 6:30AM on Saturday morning. Wharf sniffs.

Robert and Leslie: Brunch at Blue Moon Cafe, the #8 rated restaurant in Baltimore by TripAdvisor

Robert and Leslie: The World Famous Captain Crunch French Toast. Leslie calls it "the best breakfast I've ever had. 5 crabs out of 5!" 

Robert and Leslie: September 11th Memorial at the top of the Baltimore World Trade Center

Robert and Leslie: The red dot denotes our temporary housing location: Union Wharf Apartments in Fells Point

Robert and Leslie: Apps and cocktails at Watertable. We accidentally walked out without paying, but luckily our waiter sprinted to the elevator and caught us...

Remembering 915 Rosemary

By Leslie and Robert

This weekend we said goodbye to our first home. Here are our favorite moments from 915 Rosemary Drive.

Bringing Draper Home

This was back when he was afraid of steps

We will always remember the day we brought home Draper Dog. He had a big ole head and the culinary disposition of a San Francisco hipster blogger. At first we thought he was born without spirit and without personality, but no, just a serious allergy to poultry, pork, and red meat. If you’re wondering if grass fed free range bison bites with sweet potato blend costs more than regular dog food... it does. But nothing but the best for our wild beast of an animal.  

 

Our Garden

When we first moved into our house it was the early winter and most everything appeared to be either very sad or very dead. Then spring came and out of nowhere, our yard came to life. It was a home to tulips, peonies, and daisies. AND THEN thanks to the annoyingly and endlessly talented garden aficionado, Meg Kennedy, our garden went through an extreme makeover. It would be in this blissfully beautiful botanical paradise that a monarch butterfly would spring from its chrysalis and take off for its very first flight, right from my hands! Its a memory I will always cherish thanks to the wondrous and kind Meg Kennedy!

New Year’s Eve

The tequila of holidays, it can be really fun, you can be really hungover the next day, but most importantly, there is a huge disparity between a good one and a bad one. During this past year’s party, preparation met exact execution and everything came together for an unforgettable night. We had Bryson and Philip battling on the beer pong table. We had Ben’s shirt bending light and time (don’t look directly at it). We had Zack Hubbard AND Sarah Walker. If you get either one at a party you’re thrilled. If you get them both, shut it down. And for god sakes, we had DJ Deuce A.K.A. YaboyDC A.K.A. Carter Sauce, A.K.A. JosephLakinWilson A.K.A. Chef BoyarDrewby on the turn tables. That’s right; this party had a professional DJ. 

Summer Grilling

Is there anything more American than a good old fashioned summer grill out? It was like being back to College – every weekend we would squad at least 10 deep (back then it was usually 10 dudes, but nobody needs to know that). Whether it was Meg bringing out the Fox Hollow Farm beef or Yaboy LITERALLY throwing a football over our house and LITERALLY hitting me in the hands, or me getting video footage of Leslie dancing to Biggie, it was the best of times with the best of friends. 

La Rixman Cantina

How do you thank your parents for the wedding of your dreams? You can’t really, but we took a stab at it by inviting them out to Rixman Cantina for the evening! The secret to a great party: a “Make your own fresh Margarita bar.” Hand squeezed fresh lime juice intermingles with blue agave nectar and 100% Anejo Tequila in such a way that it will ruin all other margaritas for the rest of your life. We then built our own Cheesy Gordita Crunches, enjoyed chips and queso [cheese] dip, and finished the meal with homemade rum and cinnamon horchata (brand name redacted) ice cream! Nothing says “Thank you” like having your parents drive 45 minutes to your house to construct their own food and their own drinks, by hand. In all seriousness, it was great time with great parents!  

Operation Ring Retrieval

What could have been an absolutely terrible memory turned out to be not so bad. Leslie texts that "something terrible has happened," but refused to give specifics. It turns out her wedding band fell off the sink, rolled into the air vent, dropped down a few feet, and rolled out onto a tiny ledge no wider than the ring itself. Out of a million drops, this was the one time it didn't fall into oblivion for eternity. So, I wrapped my hand in masking tape like "The Sticky Bandits" and praise Tebow was able to retrieve it. 

The Great Dane

Nico writing his speech 

It wasn’t with pomp and circumstance that a young Dane found himself in Louisville in the waning days of late summer. He arrived near dusk at the Greyhound bus terminal on a balmy Tuesday. The day was as ordinary as days come and the place was as ordinary as places come. Yet the man was no ordinary man. From the rehearsal toast out of a Meg Ryan movie, to the antics in the groomsmen suite, to the moves of a forgotten time on the wedding dance floor, this Dane pitched the preverbal perfect game. But with all that, the best times were had telling stories and playing FIFA in the basement. My friend was back for a bit. The week wouldn’t have been the same without him and Louisville will never be the same again. 

O Christmas Tree

When we originally moved in it was just in time for Christmas but I royally screwed up. I wouldn’t let Bob get us a tree let alone decorate for the holiday because I thought it was too stressful for some reason and not to mention my time in the retail industry had soured Christmas for me (editor’s note: Leslie is the Grinch). The following Christmas, I wasn’t going to let that happen again. I was ready to see a brightly lit Christmas tree in our stain glass window. One Sunday in November Robert and I treated ourselves to a Starbucks Red Cup and ventured to Lowes to find the perfect pre-lit Christmas tree. Nothing like the “real thing.”  Decorated with a lifetime of ornaments (finally all those Christmas gifts had meaning!), our tree was aglow! (Editor’s note: Don’t tell Leslie that I ripped the power cord in half and ruined the tree forever when boxing it up). Leslie's heart grew three sizes!

All the Days in Between   

Those days when I would beat Robert home from work and the weather would be nice so I could open the front door and let the sunshine through. Then Draper and I would eagerly await Bob’s arrival home. Once we saw his car pull up on the parking pad Draper would get super excited wagging his tail and pawing at the storm door.  As Bob walked up our sidewalk I’d release Draper to race to Bob at top speed. Drapey would then escort Bob to the door and we could all embrace! Bob was home!

It was old, it leaked at times, it needed paint, it needed yard work, it needed repairs, it was flawed, it was perfect, it was home.

Baltimore Eats: Part 1

by Robert Rixman

With 30 days in the heart of Baltimore, walking distance to numerous bars and restaurants, Leslie and I plan to check out as many as we possibly can. Here is a look at our first 24 hours. 

Quick mirror selfie to get us ready for the day

1) Taco Fiesta

It came like this which was weird...

Our first restaurant experience in Baltimore was completely unplanned. While looking for a Whole Foods, we see a sign for a Taco Fiesta, immediately walk in and see four of the greatest words in the english language: "Breakfast Burrito Menu Available." Pick your ingredients like an omelet bar. I went with eggs, chorizo, guacamole, sour cream, and jack cheese. It was enough food to fill me up for the next 9 hours, but it was absolutely incredible. 

Crabicurious Rating: 4.5 crabs out of 5

2) The Red Star 

A literal stones throw from our apartment complex, Red Star came to be a sort of life raft during a 15 degree evening. All we had to do was cover our face and run across the cobble stone street. Inside we are met with a hip, modern joint that melds corner pub with upscale sheik. Leslie and I started with a cocktail and guess if we ordered one called "The Draper?" No.... we ordered two.

Appetizer was the best crab dip this side of the inner harbor (so far) and for the entre we went with fish tacos and a buffalo chicken wrap. All in all, I'm guessing we will be back.

Crabicurious Rating: 4.5 crabs out of 5

3) Ra Sushi Bar 

Well its Valentine's Day so the first thing I plan to do is make a reservation for dinner. As luck would have it, the 2:00pm time slot hadn't been taken yet! So me and my lady started walking to Ra Sushi Bar (the top rated sushi restaurant in Baltimore according to Trip Advisor). All the bar was serving at this hour was mimosas so... we had mimosas. The dish of note here was the Las Vegas roll which was tempura shrimp and crab topped with spicy crab and tuna with a pin wheel cracker. It was the greatest sushi roll I've ever eaten and the second best one Leslie had ever had. And if you can believe it, we saved room for dessert, a light and flakey deep fried cinnamon ice cream. 

Is Leslie A) laughing at my hilarious joke or B) overcome with joy and happiness at that dessert?

Crabicurious Rating: 4 crabs out of 5

 

Up in the Air

by Leslie Rixman

I won't ever forget the day I moved to Baltimore. Not because blah blah insert life changing experience here. I wont forget the day I moved to Baltimore because I had the absolute worst flight experience of my life. Now, this really all started a few days prior when Bob gifted me a cold from his travels in New York City. However, all was fine the morning of the move. 

So we board. We are comfortably seated in the back of the plane. And we both get middle seats. I can’t speak for Robert but my seatmates were very pleasant people. Everything is normal. We take off. And then it starts… 

My ears start continuously popping, alternating between the left and the right ear and before I know it, the plane turns into a sauna. I turn on my A/C and let the cool air hit the back of my neck as my head spins, but it may be too late. My neighbor to the left is up out of his seat and out of my way before I even have a chance to ask. I toss my iPad to the ground and race to the back of the plane. 

Here is where is gets embarrassing.

I reach the very back of the plane. At this point I am a little dizzy and slightly disoriented. I could not find the bathroom. Ah but allas! There is a flight attendant on the ground prepping snacks. Too scared to bend over to reach her or speak loudly the best I could do was… gently tap her on the head.  This did not go well. She so angrily responded, “Did you just tap me on the head?!” So at this point I am A) mortified, B) no closer to the bathroom, and C) two seconds from vomiting on her. So I muster up the strength to quietly apologize and ask for the restroom. After she angrily directs me to the bathroom I reach my destination!

I wonder how Robert’s flight was?