The Inner Harbor and the Light St Scooters

This past weekend I went to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore with my wife, one of our sons, his wife and our two granddaughters. My son booked a loft Airbnb apartment across the street and one block up from the harbor. The building was located on Water St. The nearest water could be seen running along the grout lines in the cobblestone towards the storm drains. The building was slipped alongside a jazz bar and two restaurants, with outside seating. Rather quaint when you first see it, however, there was a slight drawback, the loft was on the 4th floor of a 4-story walk-up, reminding me of my grandparent’s apartment on Grand Ave in the Bronx. So, I was accustomed to walking up four flights, at least in my youth, the rest of our party not so. Walking up four flights with luggage and two children was interesting to say the least. The highlight of the trek up and down the stairs was my 3-year-old granddaughter Lyla. She insisted on walking up and down all four flights on her own and she had to be the line leader. The pace was hers.

We visited the National Aquarium on Friday afternoon, which was exceptional as aquariums go. On Saturday we went to the Maryland Zoo, also a hit. And of course, the Children’s Museum that same afternoon. We walked almost everywhere we went, except to the zoo. Once inside the zoo we walked and walked and walked. My phone almost blew up measuring the steps we achieved. For the most part it was a great weekend, until I put on my “A No Turn On Red” hat.

My other discussions about the rules we break, especially on the road, are based on a point of view that resides in New Jersey. In Maryland, especially Baltimore, I realized that the condition that afflicted drivers in New Jersey had spread south, using I-95 as the viral pipeline. Not only did drivers in Baltimore ignore the “No Turn on Red” signs, but they also made left turns off of one-way streets onto another one-way street, with the traffic light clearly stating, “Turn on Green Arrow Only” and it was RED. Now drivers in New Jersey I am not being easy on us, we still are screwed up, but now we have competition.

Even though Maryland motorists are crazy, and they are, I came across another vehicular creature in the City of Baltimore. They are also motorized, electric powered, and swift. These creatures maneuver sidewalks like snakes in the desert sand, shifting from one side to the other avoiding any obstacle in its path and hissing commands for mere pedestrians to get out of the way. I have seen them up here in the north. They are still a bit rare, and they mainly travel alone, in Baltimore they travel in packs. They are electric scooters. Two wheeled scooters where the rider stands and controls the scooter from the handlebars. These scooters can reach speeds of 20 mph and they are legal, requiring no license or registration. Anyone can operate one. They also have a cousin, the one-wheeled skateboard. Electric powered also, just as swift, and equally as quiet. They too travel in packs with no regard for us bi-peds.

Next time we will explore the rules, written and unwritten that apply to these scooters, and possibly spare humanity from their overpopulation.