Small Towns in Big America

I remember having read a short satirical novelette called "Flash and Filigree" by Terry Southern, screen writer, journalist, lecturer and novelist who wrote the script for such films as Dr. Strangelove, The Loved One, The Cincinnati Kid, Easy Rider, Barbarella, The Magic Christian, The Telephone and Casino Royale. In it, he made fun of how in America, everything is of enormous size. But America is not always New York or Chicago, with its sprawling skyscrapers, the mad honking at busy street junctions at rush hour, huge crowds standing cheek by jowl during the New Year countdown at Times Square, giant LED screen flashing ever changing advertisement amidst "infotainment".

During my recent trip to America, I visited a quaint little town called Annapolis, a small town of less than 40,000 at the head of the Chesapeake Bay. It is the capital of Maryland. Originally founded by fleeing Puritans from Catholic Virginia in 1694 at the north of River Severn and later moved south, about 26 miles south of Baltimore and 29 miles of Washington, D.C, it forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. This historic town was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1708 and had been the provisional US capital briefly in 1783–1784. It  is now home to US Naval Academy, formed 1945 and of St. John's College, founded 1789, the year of the French Revolution. The town is named after Princess Anne of Denmark and Norway, later the Queen of Great Britain. It is a town rich in history which grew prosperous through the slave trade and once had a thriving seafood processing industry but is now largely a resort town for yachts and other recreational boats and an administrative centre for the state of Maryland.

The main street of the little seaside town. At the end of the street is one of the oldest churches in America, built by the original Puritans.

At the open space before the quay, one finds restaurants and shops.

A closer view of the same street.

This is a street facing the waterfront, full of little restaurants, roadside bars and cafés, jewellery and souvenir shops.

To take advantage of the sun and the sea air, many restaurants have chairs and tables out on the pavement.

Some locals or tourists having a leisurely afternoon drink on the side walk in the hazy afternoon sun.

Another view of the same street.

This is one of the back streets next to the public car park at the town centre.

I had some really delicious crab soup, crab meat salad and pasta here.

The inside of the restaurant

Another part of the same restaurant.

Some people at the next table. The decor is a bit like that of those saloons one sees in old Westerns.

Another part of the restaurant close to the entrance. It's got an English feel to it.

This is a street running up the corner of that harbor front street. In the distance is what I believe is the State House, one of the oldest surviving legislative assemblies in America.

The shop windows were also thoughtfully done.

These are the houses a little further up the same street, called Fleet Street, betraying its link with the US Navy.



All the houses are carefully painted and well kept.

They are all uniquely styled.

Each one is differently colored.

This one has yellow walls and green shutters and door and shares a black and white storeroom/backyard door with its neighbor.

A closer view of the same house. Even the steps are painted with some thought, not to say its plant.

Its old fashioned copper street number plate and door "knocker"

This one has light brown walls, dark brown shutters and door frame with a yellow door.

This one has yellow walls, brown shutters and door and rust color windows and door frames.

It has a styled Christmas tree and flowers at the base of the steps to its entrance.

This one has green walls, white window and door frames and brown and white door and a tiny floral metal framed wall decoration and matching entrance lamp.

A close up of its decorative features. Three pears are placed upon its hay/tweed fibre base.

This one has grey brown walls, white window and door frame and a rust colored door.

This one has light grey walls, yellow windows and door with dark grey frames

Often there is a place for flowers under the windows.

Or else right at the entrance to the houses.

Using old wooden tubs

Or at the top of the few steps leading to the front door.

This one has beige color walls and black door, letter box and street number plate.

This one has a little terrace with a cast iron fence and cast iron French style garden table and chairs.

This one is built in the Colonial style of the old American South.

This one is similarly styled but has a terrace on its first floor.

A passageway to the garage between two houses.

Many shops, like the residential houses, have beautiful flowers in front.

A close up of the same pot.

And plants.

It historical connection with the sea is apparent from the name of its streets.



Some restaurants on the same street.



A little further down the main street.

The town square leading to the harbor.

This is the harbor with all kinds of yachts moored to the quay.

This is a longer view of the same harbor.

Mooring poles along the waterfront

More mooring poles.

The water front.

A brightly colored life-buoy

There is a huge square right behind the water front.

A closer view of the square.

There were shadows inside the tent.

At the back were three or four musicians with their huge sombreros, completely engrossed perhaps in planning some kind of Mexican night or musical fiesta or other.

More shadows.

The mooring place. Natural lights and shadow in the foreground and perhaps the light of "heaven" in the distance?

A small yacht between mooring poles.

A boat decked out like a reindeer.

Pleasure crafts moored along the quay

A much bigger boat

The front of a boat.

A most unusual decoration at the back of one of the boats. It doesn't take a great deal of imagination to know what its owner loves most.

An electronic boat attendant waiting patiently for orders to moor the boats at its side?

In the distance, one can see the spire of its old church

There was a parade.

part of the parade.

This bar has been around since 1750!

Another view of the same bar

One of the rare finds of this trip to Annapolis!

A cigar store

An empty house lot?

The space is not wasted!

A candy store

A mouth watering snow mountain

Part of the fare on offer

Cakes too!

I also took the opportunity to visit another nearby town Bethesda half an hour's drive from northwest Washington DC. It's a town with independent houses each with its own unique style . It took its name from Bethesda Meeting House, a protestant church founded in 1820. According to Forbes, it's one of the most affluent and highly educated communities in America and  per a survey in 2009, the second most livable city in USA.

However, on the day of the visit, the trees have all shed their leave because it's already deep in winter and as it was raining, I could not take any photos of the beautiful houses I found there.

It was getting quite dark.

The clouds looked a bit menacing.

More clouds.

The rain was coming.

The sky is completely covered by clouds now.

Bethesda is a unique mixture of the old and the new

I reached this little country style French eatery and went inside to have a snack.

A bank opposite to it.

The serving counter and  the racks opposite to it are full of cakes, cookies, pastry, sauces, jams, drinks etc.

The inside of the self-service restaurant was divided into individual rooms.

Each one of its rooms is differently decorated

It walls were fitted with farm implements.

with different farm tools.

This is a French speaking African family gathered there for a Sunday get-together.

The entrance to another one of its rooms

which looks like a little library.

This one looks like a kitchen.

So does this one.

There is even a fire place!

This one looks like a cosy restaurant room.

This one looks perfect for a tête a tête!

But its famous art centre was closed for the day.

But even its pizza house has got style

This is supposed to be the side of a garage.

A lone lamp in the rain. It was lit. Time to move on to something else.