Sipping in the shadow of the State House
When he's not listening to new music and shaping the play lists at WTMD, Tyler Laporte enjoys a cold beverage in Annapolis. Maybe two cold beverages. Take it away, Tyler:
This past summer, I received some unsettling news: I would have to leave my Federal Hill roof deck behind and trade it in for a room in my sister's townhouse in Annapolis.
I was sad to be leaving the noise of MTA buses, BCPD helicopter spotlights and a coveted two-block walk to my favorite haunt, The Idle Hour.
Baltimore had become my home, and I was nervous that I wouldn't fit into the shiny, polished, affluent Annapolis scene. But as the months moved forward, I had some really enjoyable moments in the watering holes of our state's capitol.
Now, as I am about to return to the city in the next few weeks, taking up residence in Hampden, I wanted to reflect on some of those moments ...
El Toro Bravo on West Street is the place to go for authentic Mexican cuisine. If you're looking for a great margarita, look no further. There's usually a bit of a wait to get in but it's always worth it. I've always had a great experience, the service is excellent and at the end you won't break the bank. You just may have a rough morning the next day, though, because one margarita is never enough.
I have also found myself closing a few nights out down at Armadillos right by the harbor. This surely isn't the nicest bar in Annapolis but it is one of the funkiest. Most Thursday nights you can catch the local band Higher Hands making heads bob in the upstairs bar. You can't go wrong with great music and $2 Guinness pints. One of my favorite nights at 'Dillos, was spent slamming shots of Jameson with the band’s lead singer, Jason, right before he jumped on the stage with the guys.
In October, I was trying to think of how I wanted to celebrate my 25th birthday but I was striking out on ideas. My sister suggested that our family go on a ghost tour of downtown Annapolis, which turned out to be a great time.
So on a cold and rainy October night, my family and I set out with our tour guide who gave us some spooky history lessons about colonial Annapolis. I never knew that Rams Head Tavern was a brothel, and that many people during that time were actually buried alive and the rich were afforded a bell to ring if they found themselves waking up from a long nap underground.
One of my favorite bar experiences since living down here was at The Sly Fox Pub only a few weeks ago. It was a Sunday afternoon and my lady friend and I were in the mood for a good Bloody Mary. The Sly Fox was mentioned on the ghost tour as one of the city’s oldest bars, where the likes of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson would hang out after long sessions in the state house. There is even an access tunnel that runs under the streets between the Pub and the State House, which made it an easy for our forefathers to get their drink on.
The basement bar still feels like you're sipping in the 1700s, except for the flat screen TVs. But when we went to order the Bloodies, the bartender told us he was out of mix. Instead of reaching for the pre-made bottled up mix that may as well be thinned out ketchup, he told us to hang on a minute so he could go whip some up back in the kitchen. Talk about service. We did have to wait a while, but it was totally worth it.
The combination of going the extra mile for us, the delicious spicy beverages, and watching the Ravens trounce the Patriots made for my most memorable Annapolis moments.
(Top photo of Armadillo's by Brittany May/Special to the Baltimore Sun. Bottom photo of the Sly Fox Pub by Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun.)
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
