My Hometown - Annapolis

In trying to find a way not to miss any more days of posting in November I am stealing an idea from my friend Camille's blog. Apparently she has some sort of journal jar that has little pieces of paper in it with questions on them and one of the questions was: Describe the main street of your hometown.... And well that's a great one for me.

I grew up in Annapolis, Maryland and I believe in my heart of hearts it's the very best place in the world. If you've never been there you should book a trip as soon as you can - the warmer months are the best.

Annapolis is a quaint historic town at the mouth of the Severn River right where it opens up to the Chesapeake Bay. You sail under the Bay Bridge heading towards the Severn River at the last minute you bear left (port since we're on the water) and head down Ego Alley; so named because many a person takes their boat both sail and power down this narrow strip of water sitting smack dab in the middle of Annapolis to show off. And there you sit sipping a cold beer taking in the beauty that is Annapolis.

The main street of Annapolis is in fact called Main Street and it's one of the prettiest streets in the world. It's a one way up hill brick paved street starting at Ego Alley and ending at Church Circle. It was originally paved in big beautiful cobble stones. Sometime well before I was born the cobbles were replaced by brick and the old cobbles somehow became the retaining wall in the back yard of my grandparents house who lived a bunch of blocks from Main Street. Church circle is as you guessed a circular street that surrounds a church; St. Anne's Episcopal Church to be exact. This is the church I grew up in. It's the church my mom went to when she was a kid. It was the church my grandpa went to when he was a kid. The little cemetery within the wrought iron fence that surrounds the church has headstones that date back to the 1600s.

The street itself is lined with quaint little shops full of old Annapolis Charm. A delightful mix of homemade ice cream, wonderful baked goods, nautical shops, and plenty of preppy clothing stores. If you need a bright pink belt with green trim and a whale buckle there's no doubt you can find it here. Main Street is the place to go for all kinds of things; Docksiders or espadrilles or flouncy church hats, ropes, lines, canvas bags, a bushel of crabs, a cold beer, a night out, an afternoon stroll, a nice time with old friends, amazing people watching, history, beauty... peace.

Can you tell I love and miss Annapolis - we may have to figure out how move back there.