OH yah.. so I went to the preakness a while back.

1) reflections on baltimore
a) upon entering the city I smelled the sweetest smell in the air and proceeded to ask my friends what they thought it was... after looking over my shoulder and seeing the domino sugar factory I had my answer.
b) a bar called "i dont know where do you want to go"
c) the downtown touristy area can be summed up as follows... ESPN restaurant, The Aquarium, Museum of Science, Triton Boats, people who get paid to say hello to you on the harbour walk (apparently to make you feel like baltimore is friendly) HOOTERS, a submarine touting baltimores ties to the creation of the first unterseeboat,
d) it looks like a philadelphia kind of but less artsy and more working class.

reflections on the preakness

1) drunk people
2) trash everywhere
3) people chanting USA USA USA when jets fly overhead
4) drunk people kicking the crap out of other drunk people
5) FRATS FRATS FRATS
6) oh yah the horses are running but i couldnt tell cuz im so drunk
7) people pissing in things that they normally wouldnt... like empty beer boxes or on my foot, or perhaps right out in the open in front of 500 people.
8) 12 little kids stomping on a guy and then running away before you can say ... blitzkrieg
9) exchanger: why did you do so well for 3/4 of the race and then lose. You bum. You did make the race a little more interesting though. I was actually screaming and pumping my fists... something i really did not expect to do.
10) black eyed susans (vodka and lemonade)
11) and how could I forget.. crab related delicasies. yah i know what you are thinking. no way crabs in baltimore?