Hello, I am Kim Kensler-Prager. I am married and the have two sons and two wonderful grandchildren ages 6 & 3. I love to cook, read and travel. I have a Travel agency Tyme for Travel and a brand I am building called the Traveling Granny. The purpose of this is to show that even disabled people can enjoy traveling. As these blogs will show I am not without challenges but with common sense and chutzpah, I can make my way with joy. My goal is to publish two to three blogs a week as I talk about traveling, my adventures.

This first blog is about our adventures in Baltimore including the train ride. My vacation in 2022 was with my husband Jim. This was a train trip on Amtrak with three stops Toledo to Washington DC, Baltimore to Enfield CT via Springfield, MA. and Springfield back to Toledo.

The first thing I discovered on the train trip is that it was hard to maneuver the steps with my knees. I have arthritis in both knees. I would go up and down the stairs, walking sometimes, or crawling, getting there slowly. It wasn’t until the end of the trip that I discovered that I could use my cane to help me get up and down the stairs. One solution to this would be booking lower-level seats. Another option would be riding on a single level train which we did later in our journey.

Once we arrived in Washington DC, I was able to get my equilibrium back. Washington was a rest stop for us. we thought about exploring further into the city but neither of us had the energy to do so. I for one wanted to get to Baltimore.

At Union Station I remembered they had a marvelous food court. One could get any kind of food: Greek, Chinese, Indian, Mexican etc. In an earlier trip, I enjoyed great Chinese. But that was before the pandemic. Some of the places were open but it did not have the same energy as before. While Jim was buying his meal from Crepe Luna’s. I started scouting for a bathroom. Finding one across the hall, I walked to it only to find it closed. I had to go upstairs walking almost to the train gates to find a working bathroom. Brief rant: with more than 100,000 people passing through DC in a day, I find it ludicrous to have 1 working bathroom. Once I had my needs taken care of, I enjoyed my lunch of a chicken sandwich and peach milk shake. Once we were satisfied and relaxed, we took off for Baltimore by train. We arrived at the terminal and then took a shuttle over to the main terminal.

Baltimore: Monday Night thru the Getting the Taxi

Once in the main Terminal of BWI airport it was confusing to figure out how to call and where to stand to get the shuttle. Once we made our reservation and in the correct place, it was 45 minutes before we were picked up. A leisurely ride took us to our hotel. The outside was fine but there was a banquet hall under renovation. The restaurant was not open.

Our room was dumpy looking. It seemed dated and the refrigerator would not keep things cold. I order Indian food for myself and a rice pudding for Jim. The was the best takeout food I have ever eaten. The meal included lamb, salmon and chicken from a tandoori grill, which was flavorful and filling. The best part of our room was the television. It had a multitude of channels. We watched the finale of BBQ Brawl and had a good night’s sleep.

The next morning, we awoke dressed and discovered there was no breakfast being served downstairs. We were on our way to Augsburg nursing home to visit our friend. Jim discovered that the commuter train, we needed was 20 to 30 minutes, walk from the hotel. It was fine to walk that morning. We hopped the train and started towards downtown Baltimore. Jim made an acquaintance of a train rider who suggested the stop to get off and then walked us towards the subway stop which was near the convention center. Hopping on the subway we made it to our stop thinking there was a shopping center and easy to grab a cab. However, it was just subway stop, with one large building across the street which turned out to be the offices for the Social Security Administration. I called several cabs and basically was told, when there is one in the area, we’ll call you. After 2 hours I was getting frustrated and needing to go to the bathroom. I started walking across the street towards the Social Security building. Just then Jim pulled up in a cab and we headed to Augsburg Manor.

Lunch through the Rest of the Day

Jim went into the manor and grabbed our friend. We headed out to lunch. Our first choice was a Chinese restaurant that happened to be closed on Tuesday. Boston Market was open and nearby, so we went there. Our friend treated us to delicious dinners. We also had great conversation. We took a cab back to Augsburg. When we went inside, we told we had to take Covid test to enter the facility. Our noses were swabbed, waiting the requisite 20 minutes, to find out we were both negative. We conversed for another hour and said our goodbyes.

We got off at the Inner Harbor and started walking around. Inner Harbor is a beautiful and fascinating place. Modern buildings compliment wooden, older structures. From where we were standing, we could see the water looking blue and inviting. Yachts and sailboats dotted the harbor. The day was warm, but our legs didn’t have the energy to walk to the water. However, being Tuesday, many restaurants were closed, but we discovered a Peruvian Restaurants and had dessert and water.

We took the Commuter train, heading back to the hotel: Walking home was another story. By this time, we arrived back at the station, my knees and legs were sore. I could hardly walk, which was a chore. I would walk for 1/8 of mile, then plopping down of the ground. Getting up I repeated the process a couple times until I made it back to the hotel. We had a quiet, relaxing evening.

As a Granny and a older person my knees got a workout this day. I realized I should had a better plan in maneuvering around Baltimore. When planning to walk I better have a good idea of the area around me and let it go to chance. Preparation is the key to any trip. As I connect this blog this my various platforms, I welcome your feedback, comments and suggestions.