a little family outing | baltimore aquarium & harbor.

My husband is a somewhat difficult person to shop for. Sure, there's plenty of things he likes, but hunting gear is apparently pretty specific and guns are apparently pretty expensive. Thankfully, he's into activities and day trips, spending time together and going new places, so that makes it a little bit easier. For Valentine's Day this year, I planned a trip to the Inner Harbor and the Baltimore Aquarium, one of my most favorite places in Maryland. Growing up in Maryland meant lots of field trips to D.C., Annapolis, and Baltimore, and I sometimes forget that Justin is from lousy Pittsburgh and hasn't seen most of those places.

I love the aquarium because it allows even the burliest man to have a few hours of childlike wonder, coming face to face with a mouthful of shark teeth or the old-man grin of a sting ray. I'm grateful we got to take our daughter who, in between munching her fruit puffs, pounded her hands on the glass and squealed, pointed up at the rainforest above her, and stared at the wispy jellyfish floating about in their bright blue tank, wide-eyed and curious.

Pros: Picking up a wedge of vanilla bean cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory on the way out; the chocolate malt at Potbelly's. Insane. (But my sister-in-law tells me not to eat the tiny shortbread cookies because they are dirty. Sad.)

Cons: Listening to the GPS as it takes you through a seedy part of town covered in spray paint and shattered glass; deciding to shop at Urban Outfitters only to realize it's bizarre, the staff looks like they slept in a dumpster and all the clothes are ugly.