“Fire in Ice” in Not Quite Freezing Frederick

After much debate over whether we should attempt the 40-minute drive to Frederick, my son and I headed off for the most recent version of First Saturday – Fire in Ice.

Weather and holiday obligations had kept us away since this past October, but I’m so glad we didn’t let the rain and fog scare us off this time. I’ll admit I got a little nervous as we drove through a bit of a downpour on our way up, but once we got there the night was cold, but clear.

I was in the mood for Mexican and La Paz just happened to be hosting an interactive ice playground on their patio. It was the perfect diversion for my son while we waited for a table.

Here you can see the kiddo putting the shuffleboard table to good use.

There was also a (difficult to photograph) clown bean-bag toss and a bear chair – all made of ice!

Since I knew we would be in town for a while, walking around and visiting shops, I decided to treat myself to a cocktail. La Paz’s Ruby Red Flip-Flop was fantastic! The drink doesn’t seem to be on their online menu, but I know it had vodka, grapefruit juice and grenadine. Add a lime and a sugared rim and you have one happy Jenny.

The food was reasonably priced and absolutely delicious. I got the night’s special – a chicken and veggie burrito smothered in sauce and cheese. I’m not sure how diet friendly it was, but it tasted great.

After dinner we went out to hit the shops and take in the many ice sculptures. The sculptures were sponsored by the local downtown businesses and usually tied into their sponsors in neat and interesting ways. Here’s a penny in front of the coin shop…

A vase (with real flowers) in front of the flower shop…

And a penguin! I’m not sure how the penguin ties in, but we thought it was cute.

We had a great time. As always, if you’re in the Baltimore-area, I can’t recommend enough that you take a short road trip to Frederick! It’s well worth it!

Scaring Up Some Fun in Frederick

Oh, look! It’s another post about something that happened almost two weeks ago! Cool!

My family went to “Into the Night”, Frederick’s October edition of First Saturday. It had a fun Halloween theme and at the last minute, my parents decided to join my son and I for the fun.

Our first stop was Flights of Fancy, where my son decorated his treat bag for the evening.

They had an awesome Dr. Seuss window display.

In fact, the display was so awesome that it took me a while to figure out that the characters were made out of pumpkins!

If you’ve never been to Downtown Frederick and you’re in the Maryland-area, you really should go. It’s full of awesome shops and the First Saturday events are always a fun time. Plus, there are lots of pretty spots like this one, near Carroll Creek.

For October, the town was celebrating an early Halloween. Merchants were giving out candy for kids to trick-or-treat. There were different “Spooky Stations” throughout the town where kids could reach into a box and try to discover which body part Freddy Frederick had lost along the way.

Some of them were pretty gross… Perfect for Halloween!

While my son and I were bopping around trick-or-treating and discovering missing body parts, my parents were hitting the antique stores. Their big find was a plate from 1976 (the year I was born) to add to their collection.

At First Saturday, there are always street musicians. No matter what type of music you like, you’ll find something to match your tastes at First Saturday from a capella groups to funk DJs. Here’s a pop cover band in front of Urban Cottage, one of my favorite gift shops.

After much debate – there are just so many good places to eat in Frederick! – we decided to grab a bite at Bushwaller’s Irish Pub.

We entertained ourselves while waiting for dinner by playing with some of the cool figures we had picked up at Flights of Fancy earlier in the evening.

After dinner, we went on a Ghost Walk. It was long. But also awesome. And our guide was a pretty creepy dude, which is pretty much exactly what you want on a Ghost Walk. My son was reasonably convinced that he was an actual ghost.

There are many spooky spots in Frederick. Even if they don’t photograph well at night with my cell-phone camera! Below is the Barbara Fritchie House where the old lady’s spirit is said to still roam.

One of our favorite stories was the Tyler Spite House, which was built by Dr. John Tyler to stop the city from extending Record St. through his property. Not sure if it’s a ghost, but that top window looks pretty supernatural to me!

And as always, no post is complete without an unflattering photo of me – enjoy!