MD – Baltimore Magazine

Advice for Selecting Your Primary Care Provider

Megan McGaha — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 11:00:57 +0000

“Many patient-primary care relationships can last a lifetime, therefore find a PCP that you feel comfortable having open conversations with regarding your health.”

Dr. Danielle Baek became a physician because she enjoys developing strong relationships with patients over time, and successfully tackling their medical conditions together. Here she talks about the role of a primary care physician, and why it’s so important to overall health.

Explain the role of the primary care physician (PCP) in healthcare today?
A primary care physician is your main point of contact for most health care needs. We provide routine visits focused on preventative care, as well as visits for new medical concerns and management of chronic conditions. PCPs can also quickly refer you to specialty providers when needed.

What should patients consider when choosing their PCP?
Many patient-primary care relationships can last a lifetime, therefore find a PCP that you feel comfortable having open conversations with regarding your health. Besides choosing someone who is “in-network” for your health insurance plan, we also recommend asking about access to urgent visits, ways to reach your provider (online portal and after-hours access), and other resources available to patients (specialists, pharmacy, lab, and imaging services, etc.).

What are the benefits to having a PCP in addition to other specialists?
As primary care physicians, we’re your partners for better health. We really focus on coordinating your care across all specialists on your care team, and make sure that the changes made by one specialist don’t interfere with the medical plan of another. If you have a new medical concern and don’t quite know who to reach out to for help, we are also there to assist.

Tell us about the most significant preventative measures patients can take to age well.
While not always required, a full physical exam and some “baseline” lab work is always a great place to start. And we encourage our patients to stay active in the best way they can.

What are key preventative screenings you recommend patients receive?
There are so many! It really does depend on your medical history, but we definitely screen for certain cancers (for example: colon cancer, cervical cancer, and breast cancer), osteoporosis, sexually transmitted infections, blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. We also love to review your vaccine history.

How often should patients visit their PCP?
Everyone should have at least a check-up once a year. A lot can happen in a year and we want to make sure you are as healthy as possible. For people with chronic but stable medical conditions, we usually see them somewhere between two to four times a year.

When should a patient seek medical care?
It’s never wrong to check in with your doctor if you have a concern about your health. Most physicians have online patient portals where you can start that conversation via messaging. With advancement in telemedicine, we often can see you quickly for a check-in by phone or video. Given the long-term, supportive relationships PCPs build with patients, sometime we can more easily determine whether a symptom is related to a chronic condition versus something new that we need to work up.

What is your overall best health tip?
Every little bit helps! We want to help you find incremental, sustainable changes to your daily routines, diet, and health habits to help manage your medical conditions for a long and healthy future.

MEET THE EXPERT:

Danielle Baek, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Associate Division Chief, General Internal Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine

Locations: Baltimore City & Owings Mills
Appointments: 667-214-1515

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Recalling the “Lost” Irish Quarry Town of Texas in Baltimore County

Ron Cassie — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 18:11:21 +0000

—Courtesy of Cassie Kilroy Thompson

At the height of the Great Famine in 1847, some 1,500 Irish tenant farmers and their families were evicted from their land and made to walk 165 kilometers along the Royal Canal from County Roscommon to Dublin. Among them were 366 men, women, and children—mostly children, in fact—from the village of Ballykilcline, which was in the 13th year of a rent strike against the British Crown.

The Queen’s calvary and police “tumbled” their thatched homes, dispatching them en masse to Liverpool and then New York as part of a forced migration scheme to steal their farms. Officials had labeled the Ballykilcline families “troublemakers,” as neighboring tenants, many of whom had lost loved ones to starvation and famine disease, also began refusing to pay their rent.

Today, their sorrowful trek is marked by 30 pairs of bronze shoe sculptures on the National Famine Way walking trail from County Roscommon to Dublin. (The small bronze statues were cast from a child’s weathered shoes, later discovered by a farmer in a ruined 19th-century cottage.)

The National Famine Way is a 165km walking trail that traces the footsteps of the men, women and children who were marched from County Roscommon to Dublin in 1847 after they failed to pay their rent. —Photo by Ron Cassie

In a twist of fate, many of these Ballykilcline survivors would end up in Baltimore County, where they would establish an Irish community with the unlikely name of Texas around a promising quarry and the burgeoning North Central Railway line.

The crystalline, blue-white dolomite marble quarried by some of these Irish workers would eventually be used in the construction of the Washington Monument in D.C., the porticoes of the U.S. Capitol, City Hall, and, poignantly, the spires atop St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. If you live in a 100-year-old rowhouse, your marble stoop may have been quarried by these Ballykilcline refugees—or their descendants.

Similarly, Texas marble helped the Irish arrivals build the quarry adjacent St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church between 1850 and 1852. Some of their headstones, indicating the year of their birth in Roscommon County, can be found in the cemetery behind the still-thriving church.

An older photograph of St. Joseph's Parish, which was founded in the early 1850s by Irish famine refugees. —Courtesy of St. Joseph's Parish

How exactly the village, which has all but disappeared, like several other former industrial and mill towns in Baltimore County—including Ashland, Oregon, Gunpowder, and Warren—got the name Texas remains a question. The best guess is it originates from volunteers who left the nascent village in 1846—the year before the Ballykilcline migrants arrived—to fight in the Mexican War. When they returned, they named the town Texas, initially New Texas, because it apparently reminded them of the Lone Star State.

By 1895, the Irish were well established, with the formerly evicted families able to buy small plots of land and houses made affordable by ground rents.

“Everyone’s heard of the ‘No Irish Need Apply’ signs,” says Cassie Kilroy Thompson, a local public historian of Roscommon descent. “In Texas, it went the other way: ‘Only Irish Need Apply.’”

In March of that year, The Sun ran a detailed description of St. Patrick’s Day festivities in Baltimore County, including close-knit Texas, entitled “Ireland Forever!” (Éirinn go Brách in Irish). The 1940 Census listed Texas with a population of 494, including 111 dwellings, three farms, eights businesses, one school, two churches, one public building, two industrial plants, one cemetery, and one amusement park.

Headstones of the Irish famine refugees who built Texas, MD in the cemetery behind St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church.

—Photos by Ron Cassie

But by then, mechanization was reducing the need for quarry workers, and the land around the quarries became more valuable for commercial development. In 1951, the Texas post office closed, with mail going through increasingly sprawling Cockeysville, which eventually subsumed Texas entirely. Outside of the church, cemetery, and quarry—operated now by Martin Marietta—few markers remain. A notable exception is Padonia Road, named for Richard Padian, one of the Ballykilcline rent strike leaders and among the first to make his way to Baltimore County with his wife, Mary, and their four children.

The secular heart of Texas—McDermott’s “Don’t Worry About It” Tavern, down the street from St. Joseph’s on Church Lane—held on until 1991. That’s when former quarryman, professional boxer, and longtime owner of the legendary tavern, James McDermott, finally sold his bar to make way for the Light Rail. Known as the “Unofficial Mayor of Texas,” he once said the reason he didn’t sell the place and retire earlier was that, as a lifelong bachelor who lived above the bar, he never had to worry about being lonely.

“All I have to do is walk down the steps,” he said in an interview, “and I’m with all my friends.”

St. Joseph's Parish today. —Ron Cassie

Interestingly, St. Joseph’s, like many Catholic churches, again has a large immigrant congregation—with numerous Mexican and Central American families among its 7,000 members.

Even so, those congregations (including those founded by Irish refugees) occasionally need a reminder of the Christian principle of “welcoming the stranger.”

“We try to make the connection this has always been an immigrant church,” says Msgr. Richard Hilgartner. “The marble for the new sanctuary arch is coming from the old quarry.”

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Regenerative Medicine: The Body’s Ability to Self-Heal

Megan McGaha — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 17:45:11 +0000

“The potential for this innovative treatment to decrease pain and increase function is really compelling for me.”

Whether you’re an athlete, labor worker, or have a history of orthopedic injury, chronic pain can negatively affect your daily activities, disrupt sleep, and even cause depression. The good news is, there’s an innovative procedure using the body’s own healing powers that can provide long-term pain relief when traditional methods no longer work.

To find out more about this unique treatment, we spoke with Idris Amin, MD, from University of Maryland Orthopaedics.

What is regenerative medicine, also known as orthobiologics?
Regenerative medicine addresses the underlying root causes of injuries and pain, not just the outward symptoms. These procedures work by activating the healing processes our bodies naturally go through when we are hurt, and enhance their effectiveness.

How did you become interested in this clinical specialty?
I’m fellowship-trained in sports medicine and treat a wide range of musculoskeletal disorders for all types of patients, from the well-trained athlete to the weekend warrior and casual jogger. The field of orthobiologics has been around for more than twenty years and has grown rapidly in the past decade, fueled by exciting new research and development of new procedures. The potential for this innovative treatment to decrease pain and increase function is really compelling for me. Tell us about the regenerative medicine procedures offered. The most commonly known procedure is Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP). Platelets are derived from our blood and are packed with proteins which stimulate growth and healing. When injected into the injury site, platelets provide nourishment and signal the body to bring in other healing cells. PRP can be helpful for many orthopedic conditions, including tendonitis and arthritis.

Another common procedure is Prolotherapy. This is a mixture of sugar, water, and numbing medication. When combined, they act as an irritant stimulating the body to bring in healing cells to repair the problem at the injury site. Prolotherapy also targets and destroys some of the pain-causing signals. Patients suffering from arthritis, tendon or muscle strains, and joint or ligament sprains, may find relief from prolotherapy.

Who is a good candidate for regenerative medicine?
Patients with long-term chronic pain that has not responded to conventional treatment. For instance, patients with arthritis, long-term sports injuries, and tendon injuries that have not healed within three months.

How should patients prepare for their treatment?
It’s recommended patients drink plenty of water, follow a healthy diet, and avoid certain pain medications, like NSAIDs – Ibuprofen or Aleve, for at least a week. This will help maximize success from the procedure.

How many orthobiologics sessions are usually needed?

Depending on the problem, one treatment session may be enough to see positive results. A follow-up appointment is scheduled for six to eight weeks after the procedure, where we discuss the rehabilitation program further. At completion of the program, about three months post-procedure, we determine if additional treatments are needed.

Tell us about the recovery process.
Patients may experience increased pain for about a week, but the level of pain is usually mild and manageable without pain medications. I typically advise my patients to take things easy after the procedure, and not plan any strenuous activities.

How is University of Maryland unique in their approach to regenerative medicine?
Our understanding and involvement in research related to orthopedic uses for orthobiologics is unique for an academic medical center in this region. I believe it is important for patients to go to a provider they can trust, and one that is up to date on this constantly evolving field of medicine.

MEET OUR EXPERT:

Idris Amin, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology and Orthopaedics, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Physiatrist & Sports Medicine Specialist

To schedule a Regenerative Medicine consultation in Columbia or Downtown Baltimore, please call 410-448-6400.

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These World-Class Entertainment Venues Take Center Stage in Montgomery County, Maryland

Megan McGaha — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 19:52:42 +0000

You don’t have to drive far from Baltimore to have an incredible entertainment-centric weekend getaway. With theaters big (think Strathmore, Olney Theatre Center) and intimate (Best Medicine Rep Theatre and Gaithersburg Arts Barn), a range of world-class performances and cultural experiences are offered up for every taste in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Olney Theatre Center
2001 Olney Sandy Spring Rd, Olney, MD 20832
Olney Theatre Center offers a diverse array of professional productions year-round that enrich, nurture, and challenge a broad range of artists, audiences and students. One of two state theaters in Maryland, the center is situated on 14 acres in the heart of the beautiful Washington-Baltimore-Frederick “triangle,” within easy access of all three cities.

The Music Center and Mansion at Strathmore
5301 Tuckerman Ln, North Bethesda, MD 20852
High-quality arts programming, served with the hospitality and warmth of a family enterprise, are the hallmarks of The Music Center and Mansion at Strathmore. The 1,976-seat theater regularly hosts favorites like the National Philharmonic Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. The Mansion at Strathmore hosts smaller performances and private collections. Walk the elaborate Sculpture Gardens, enjoy tea in the Strathmore Tea Room, or catch a music festival on the front lawn.

AMP by Strathmore
11810 Grand Park Ave, North Bethesda, MD 20852
AMP is your place to come together for great music at Pike & Rose, a Metro accessible neighborhood in North Bethesda. Powered by Strathmore, AMP puts a premium on authentic live music and comedy experiences, bringing new energy to this growing neighborhood.

Imagination Stage
4908 Auburn Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814
Located in Bethesda, Imagination Stage has grown from a handful of children in a single classroom to a full-spectrum theatre arts organization, with theatre productions by professional actors and artists that features new works for children every year.

The Fillmore Silver Spring
8656 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910
The Fillmore Silver Spring brings a dynamic, first-class music, and entertainment venue to downtown Silver Spring. With a capacity of 2,000 revelers, The Fillmore features an array of diverse live music programming and entertainment in a state-of-the-art venue.

Gaithersburg Arts Barn
311 Kent Square Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Recalling the charm of a bygone era, the Arts Barn is a beautifully renovated stable that once housed horses on the former Tschiffely Estate. Today, the Arts Barn is part of Arts on the Green, the City of Gaithersburg’s home for visual and performing arts, including a 99-seat theatre.

The American Film Institute (AFI) Silver Theatre and Cultural Center
8633 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910
The American Film Institute (AFI) Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring is anchored in the restored 1938 Silver Theatre, creating a classic feel to the films and movies shown within its walls. AFI examines the significance of films, while showing filmmaker interviews, discussions, and other events, making the films a true centerpiece.

BlackRock Center for the Arts
12901 Town Commons Dr, Germantown, MD 20874
BlackRock Center for the Arts, the leading venue for the performing and visual arts in Germantown, provides the community with the highest level of quality performances, free gallery exhibitions, and arts education classes in a welcoming and intimate setting close to home.

Scott Fitzgerald Theatre
603 Edmonston Dr, Rockville, MD 20851
Experience a captivating musical by the Rockville Musical Theatre, become moved by the Victorian Lyric Opera Company, or lose yourself in the spellbinding Rockville Civic Ballet. The F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre is a vibrant, local theatre in Rockville at Civic Center Park. Dedicated to the performing arts, this 446-seat theatre boasts over 100 shows a year.

Boardwalk Stage at Rio’s Lakefront
9811 Washingtonian Blvd, Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Featuring Friday night concerts in the summer, Boardwalk Stage is located along rio’s lakefront and offers views of paddlers and the popular carousel. Enjoy a cocktail and a meal at one of several dining options along the boardwalk.

Round House Theatre
4545 East-West Hwy, Bethesda, MD 20814
Round House Theatre is a home for outstanding ensemble acting and lifelong learning. Known for its adventurous programming and deep investment in local talent, Round House has become a premiere destination for the serious theater enthusiast in the Washington, D.C. region.

Best Medicine Rep Theatre
701 Russell Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 20877
Best Medicine Rep is a nonprofit, professional theater company that develops and produces comedies. It is dedicated to the artistic, educational, and cultural development of the Gaithersburg and Montgomery Village area. Located in the Lakeforest Mall, Best Medicine Rep offers full productions, classes for children and adults, and free readings of new plays. Please visit this page and our website for more details.

Plan your next weekend getaway to Montgomery County, Maryland by requesting a free Getaway Guide.

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Small Towns, Big Appeal

Lauren Cohen — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 14:00:58 +0000

Dream vacations deferred. Cruises canceled. Beach rentals revoked. If there’s one thing this fraught year has taught would-be travelers, it’s to seek homebound solace. Tending a garden, for example, or walking a neighborhood trail.

But there’s wisdom in expanding your travel horizons, if only slightly. Self- isolation can “adversely affect immune function and enhance risk for chronic health conditions,” say the authors of a recent article in the Journal of Sport and Health Science. So take their advice and fill this timely, immunoenhancing prescription: Embark on a day trip with your nearest and dearest to someplace like home, and not far from it. The Mid-Atlantic abounds with modestly sized towns possessing outsized appeal.

We’ve picked six within two hours’ drive of Baltimore. Most have populations so small they couldn’t fill a large concert hall, even with their pets. (The two “big” towns would require a second seating.)

Each place beckons the cabin-feverish with its own balms, from a tranquil Chesapeake Bay waterfront, to cobblestone streets that echo history, to a secluded arts haven that honors, among other things, an infamous insect. Though, as of press time, COVID-19 restrictions are easing, operations and hours at these destinations may vary.

→ DENTON, MD

Drive time: 1 hr., 15 mins.

If you’ve only buzzed by en route to a Delmarva beach, you owe yourself a stop in this revitalized Eastern Shore community. Denton straddles the Choptank River, the Eastern Shore’s longest tributary and among its most scenic. Get acquainted with local attractions and history at the Wharves of Choptank Visitor and Heritage Center. Perched on pilings above the water, the facility is an information and recreation hub. Watch soaring ospreys and eagles from observation decks. Launch a kayak or cast a line for bass and catfish.

Don’t miss the photomurals at the base ofthe Choptank River Bridge (Business Route 404), which depict the town when steamboats cruised on roundtrips to Baltimore.

After orientation, head downtown to enjoy a juicy Guinness burger and a pint of Irish ale at the Market Street Public House, a popular local tavern. From there, it’s a short walk to Denton’s flourishing Artsway, a multi-block cultural and shopping nexus spurred by the restoration of one of the oldest houses in town. Now, respectively, The Foundry and the Fiber Arts Center of the Eastern Shore, the galleries sell the works of local artists, artisans, and quilt-makers. The large, hand-painted blocks that adorn neighborhood buildings mark waypoints on the Byway Quilt Trail, a public art project and history lesson complementing the region’s Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway. At day’s end, visit Harry’s for “Harry Hour” specialty cocktails and Gallic-inspired entrees.

The Choptank River Lighthouse.

Beer at Harry's. —Courtesy of Harry's in Denton.

→ HANCOCK, MD

Drive time: 1 hr., 30 mins

After the pandemic struck, this Western Maryland community saw an uptick in visitor traffic—of the two-wheeled type. Nicknamed “Trail Town,” Hancock is a popular stop along the C&O Canal Towpath and the Western Maryland Rail Trail, which pass through to the south (towpath) and north (trail).

The primary visitor attraction remains the C&O towpath. Here, discover picturesque vestiges of its 19th-century past. Round Top Cement Mill, whose abandoned kilns peer vacantly from a rocky hillside, literally supplied the U.S. Capitol’s foundation. Tonoloway Aqueduct, now waterless and vine-clad, once carried canal boats across Tonoloway Creek. Bowles House, an early farmhouse, conveys lore as a National Park Service museum and the town’s official visitor center.

Rent a bike at C&O Bicycle to explore the earthen towpath or the more cyclist-friendly paved rail trail. The shop’s owners suggest that rail-trailers head west, where the scenery— like the Paw Paw Tunnel’s majestic maw—is stunning and visitor traffic is sparser. The shop will shuttle customers and bikes as far as Pittsburgh or Washington, D.C., to access different sections.

Satisfy your post-hiking and biking hunger at Buddy Lou’s Eats Drinks & Antiques, where locally sourced ingredients meet comforting cuisine in dishes such as spiced duck breast salad and savory truffle fries. Sample local favorites like the steak and cheese sub at Triangle Restaurant and hand-dipped ice cream cones and sundaes at Fractured Banana. Or take dessert home—Blue Goose Market sells more than two-dozen varieties of luscious house-baked pies.

→ MIDDLEBURG, VA

Drive time: 1 hr., 30 mins

Nestled in Northern Virginia’s equestrian wine country, historic Middleburg maintains its small town-ness while embracing fame as a premier destination. The five-star Salamander Resort & Spa put Middleburg on luxury travelers’ maps seven years ago, embellishing a crossroads community that has dispensed Southern hospitality since the (still-operating) Red Fox Inn & Tavern opened in 1728.

For complete Middleburg immersion, tour the National Sporting Library & Museum, which celebrates field sports that define hunt-country life here. Don’t miss its collection of equestrian fine art. Downtown’s range of shops is small but compelling. Browse the latest women’s fashionwear at Chloe’s, riding accessories at The Tack Box, and holiday decor at The Christmas Sleigh. For lunch, pair a gourmet pizza with a glass of Virginia vino at Knead Wine, run by a master sommelier. The fieldstone building with the claret-red door is the Red Fox Inn, where Kennedys once dined. It’s the traditional starting point for a colorful, horse-and hound-filled Christmas parade, the Middleburg Hunt Review.

Today, VIPs and other visitors still gravitate to the opulent amenities at the Salamander, a 340-acre complex at the northern edge of town that reflects its Thoroughbred environment. Enjoy one of the countryside trail rides conducted regularly from the resort’s equestrian center. Afterward, drink in pastoral scenery from the terrace of Gold Cup Wine Bar over a bottle of vino and a plate of local charcuterie selected by Salamander’s new executive chef.

A Christmas tree at the Salamander lobby. —Courtesy of Salamander Resort & Spa

A spread from the Red Fox Tavern. —Jodi Kurt Photography

A horse and rider at the Salamander. —Courtesy of Salamander Resort & Spa

→ MOUNT GRETNA, PA

Drive time: 1 hr., 40 mins.

Best known by its adjoining neighborhoods, Mount Gretna and Gretna Heights, this wooded enclave isn’t a town in the traditional sense. What began as a multipurpose summer retreat for 19th-century amusement-seekers, Bible campers, and intellectuals has evolved into a largely year-round community devoted to pursuing its founding ideals and preserving its architectural inheritance. For arts lovers especially, it’s a must-visit.

Admire the Victorian-era cottages that line corset-slender streets in the old Chautauqua and Camp meeting sections. See the rustic timber Tabernacle, which still hosts summer camp meeting events when the faithful gather for fellowship, music, and prayer. The Pennsylvania Chautauqua’s open-air playhouse and stately Hall of Philosophy hold cultural events seasonally, from classical music performances to sum- mer theater to the Original Mount Gretna Cicada Music Festival, featuring classic- rock concerts as earwormy as the festival’s namesake insect. Whatever the season, seek out the shop La Cigale, Mount Gretna’s family-run sewing business that produces vibrantly colored Provencal table linens.

Food options are also close at hand. Try the huevos rancheros at Porch & Pantry Café, and don’t miss the iconic Jigger Shop, an ice cream and sandwich parlor. Opened in 1895, it’s one of the few surviving businesses that catered to patrons of Mount Gretna’s old amusement park. Conjure sweet tooths of yore by sampling the shop’s sinfully rich campfire s’more sundae. Afterward, stroll to nearby Lake Conewago, the picturesque municipal beach and swimming hole.

→ NEW CASTLE, DE

Drive time: 1 hr., 15 mins

A 17th-century port, this Delaware River settlement was so prized that three nations claimed it before Delaware’s then-capital broke free, launching the colony’s rush to statehood. Today “Old New Castle,” the preferred moniker for the historic district in the heart of town, survives surprisingly intact, down to its cobblestone streets. With lovely private gardens, friendly neighborhoods, and a deep reverence for the past, it’s part living museum and all charm.

The New Castle Historical Society Visitor Center at the Arsenal can get you situated. Attractions in the strollable downtown tell the town’s tangled narrative. The humble Dutch House represents New Castle’s first colonists. The tall ship Kalmar Nyckel, occasionally seen at the Delaware Street pier in Battery Park, replicates the Swedish vessel that carried the second wave of European inhabitants. The first parishioners at Immanuel Episcopal Church on the Green were Anglicans, members of the state church of England, New Castle’s third overlord. At “Delaware’s Independence Hall,” the New Castle Courthouse (now a museum), assemblymen voted in June 1776 to separate the colony from English rule, thus creating the new nation’s first state.

If you’re not yet history-sated, lunch at colonial Jessop’s Tavern, whose historically ecumenical menu includes Dutch pot roast, meatloaf with lingonberries, fish and chips, and tavern-roasted turkey. Enjoy a taste of “new” New Castle: voodoo chicken po’boys at Nora Lee’s French Quarter Bistro, and saltimbocca burgers at Sonora, run by the operators of a popular food truck. Just be sure to visit a local landmark, the indoor-outdoor New Castle Farmers Market, which hawks everything from soft pretzels and fresh meats to cowboy hats and Korean plush toys.

→ NORTH BEACH, MD

Drive time: 1 hr., 15 mins.

On the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, North Beach bides quietly in the shadow of its sister community, Chesapeake Beach, a splashier resort, charter fishing, and water park destination. Drive the mere mile or so from the latter to the former—the twin beaches are that close— and discover a friendly small town with a lovely beach and boardwalk, multi-story waterfront cottages, and a mix of shops, restaurants, bars, and parks.

Get the lay of the strand while stretching your legs on North Beach’s half-mile-long boardwalk. Out-of-towners pay an access fee to use the small sandy beach, which may deter some. But visitors can enjoy water views for free at several town parks. Sunrise Garden near the waterfront features koi ponds, benches, drift- wood sculptures, and delightful bay breezes. Watch for herons and egrets at Wetlands Over- look Park, where gazebos and a pier bring visitors closer to nature.

From the Welcome Center, stroll north on Bay Avenue to explore downtown shopping and dining. COVID canceled the town’s popular Friday evening open-air farmers’ market in 2020, but you can still buy local seafood, artisan cheeses, farm-grown produce, and fresh-cut flowers at an indoor market, Chesapeake’s Bounty. Shop for oyster plates and other collectibles at Nice and Fleazy Antiques. The Artworks@7th co-op sells the works of dozens of area artists. Take a java break and join the lo- cals for lattes at Sweet Sue’s Bake Shop & Coffee Bar. For lunch, try the BLT deviled eggs and a plate of fresh fish tacos at Hook & Vine Kitchen and Bar, serving Southern coastal cuisine.

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