Staycation– (noun) a vacation spent in one’s home country rather than abroad, or one spent at home and involving day trips to local attractions.
Staycation is a word we are hearing more and more these days as we await safer days ahead to hop on planes to far away places again. Until then, staycations are on the rise and people are finding hidden gems in their own town, state, or neighboring state to explore. Or simply staying in and relaxing.
If you know me then you know that I Looove celebrating my birthday! I usually celebrate all month long, with dinners, parties, and TRAVEL of course! (Check out my birthday celebration from last year here) This year I opted for more of a Staycation and I chose Baltimore Maryland.
Baltimore Maryland
Baltimore, also known as Charm City is known for its picturesque Inner Harbor which is a historic seaport, landmark, and tourist attraction. Surrounding the harbor you can find the popular National Baltimore Aquarium which is a fun family attraction, restaurants, shops, clubs, bars, and plenty of other activities. Nestled on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay makes Baltimore a prime spot to get delicious seafood, especially crabs. You can find Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs at some of Baltimore’s most popular restaurants.
Weekend Staycation Agenda
Saturday: (birthday): Arrival, Happy hour in the suite, Ruth’s Chris dinner reservation
Sunday: Brunch, Take a walk/explore, Virtual Paint and Sip in the suite
Monday: Breakfast, Check out
Saturday
Me and my quarantine crew drove from Pennsylvania to Baltimore so the ride was only about 1.5 hours. I booked a suite though Expeida at the Residence Inn Marriott Inner Harbor. I love that Residence Inn hotels are set up like mini apartments. They come with a living space and full kitchens. In the day and age of COVID19, this is nice because you do not have to leave the room much, you can even make your own food and don’t have to worry about going out. FYI- The Residence Inn Marriott has cleaning procedures put in place due to COVID19. Once people have occupied the room they try to limit the amount of times the cleaning crew comes in so hey only clean twice a week. We took our own cleaning products and disinfectant as an extra measure. (How many of you did this before the pandemic? check out some of my recommended COVID19 safety travel items here)
We arrived around 2 pm and checked in. The hotel had Valet Parking for $35/night. This was essentially the best option as there were other parking lots for higher fees. Our dinner reservation was for 6pm so our time at the hotel was spent getting ready and having a little happy hour.
Our reservation was for Ruth’s Chris Steak House. It was about a 5 minute drive from the hotel. Ruth’s Chris is known for their USDA prime steak options. The service and food was great! I highly recommend the Cucumber Martini! They knew I was celebrating my birthday so they brought out dessert with a candle which was a nice added touch! FYI- The restaurant was operating at 25% capacity due to COVID19. Masks were required unless you were seated at your table. 
Sunday:
The hotel offered a grab and go breakfast option, put in place as a safety measure after COVID19. Instead of their normal buffet style continental breakfast they began to make grab and go options. However, we came prepared with our own brunch. Pumpkin Waffles, Fried Chicken and Mimosa’s. After Brunch we went for a walk to explore the Harbor.
That evening we did a Virtual Paint and Sip through Painting with a Twist. I have done a few of these in the past, where I met up with friends at a bar or restaurant and we sipped and painted the night away while listening to and watching an instructor. Well… being that it’s 2020 and virtual is the way to go… Painting with a Twist now offers virtual paint sessions and it was so much fun! All you need to do is log on to their website, choose your location, and what painting you would like to do. Then you pick up all of your pre-packaged materials from their local studio. Once you are ready to paint you log in to the provided website and enter your code and watch the pre-recorded video of the painting instructor. The good thing is, you are able to rewind and pause as much as you want so that you can work at your own pace. This was a great way to spend the evening! This activity was perfect for a staycation. Check out my painting… how did I do?
Wine Glass Half Empty– I couldn’t celebrate my birthday with all of my friends and family like I normally do
Wine Glass Half Full– I still got to celebrate with close family, lived to see another year in good health!, created new memories to last a lifetime
Clothes and sunglasses pictured are from SHEIN Shop now to catch great sales
What are your thoughts on Staycations?
