Help Keep Unattended Mom out of Trouble at CVW

I am accompanying the DS to the CVW next week and, besides the USNA parent presentations, and the Mid Store of course, I would appreciate any recommendations as to useful/informative things I can get done while I am on-site, that might be awkward as the year goes on, or that involve parents standing in long lines during I-day or PPW. (We are Left-coasters.)

The DH is doing I-day, but I will be back for PPW, when we will do the tourist-y things with the grandparents. (We did spend a quick afternoon at the USNA last summer.) At PPW, I am guessing I won't want to spend time running errands, while I can gaze adoringly at the DS, even if he is just sleeping!

I am thinking about things like getting forms to establish a credit Union account? Any stores/services that supply/cater to Mids to check out? Any places fun to eat solo? (Gotta get me some soft-shelled crabs!) Other suggestions gratefully appreciated...

We established a credit union account through the mail and it was simple to do, so I wouldn't waste the time on that. The forms come in the permit to report package, I think. You could tour the USNA museum, which is very interesting. You can also tour the MD state capitol, which is a short walk away. Check the USNA athletic web site and see what sporting events are scheduled. They are always fun to attend.

If you really feel the need to set-up an account somewhere, visit The Big Cheese on Randall St (two blocks from gate 1). Tit's a very nice deli that delivers to the YARD and allows MIDs to charge food up to an amount you put on account. You can pay by credit card or cash. If you pay by credit card, when your MID depletes the amount on account, you can call the store and replenish.

Was just there for a fun weekend with DH last weekend. DD is going to be at CVW next weekend too. DH and I ate at the Federal House--very casual and comfortable with great food. You can sit at the bar and eat if you want. Definitely take a tour of the yard. I found the museum to be interesting--but I am a history teacher---but could have done without all of the model boats on the 2nd floor. Lots of places to shop in town. Lots of mids walking around. Overall a nice place to spend the weekend. Oh-- if you like to walk--go around the waterfront of the yard. It's entertaining to see all of the 1C's new cars!

Mikes or Cantlers for crabs

Banking

If you have access to a Navy Fed branch in your hometown (but don't have an account yet), is it better to go ahead and set up an account or wait for the information in the permit to report package?

Some of those "Model Boats" are made of bone (not human) and were built by French prisoners on Prison Hulks during the Napoleonic Wars. Check the detail on those "Models". Some British guards provided dental tools after they found out how much money they could get as intermediaries for the carvings. Read the whole story.

It is amazing how old and detailed some of those ships are. Then again the wooden ships and iron men blue water tour is not for everyone. Kidding!!! Some of the cars in firstie parking are unbelievable. Some of those parked along the seawall paid the price during the last storms.

AF6872 said:

Some of those "Model Boats" are made of bone (not human) and were built by French prisoners on Prison Hulks during the Napoleonic Wars. Check the detail on those "Models". Some British guards provided dental tools after they found out how much money they could get as intermediaries for the carvings. Read the whole story.

It is amazing how old and detailed some of those ships are. Then again the wooden ships and iron men blue water tour is not for everyone. Kidding!!! Some of the cars in firstie parking are unbelievable. Some of those parked along the seawall paid the price during the last storms.

Click to expand...

Funny, as I read the earlier post, I was thinking how the model ships were probably my husband's favorite part (and I was pretty impressed, too). Glad to see he's not alone!

Could spend hours there. And I have. Navy Cred on the Yard is very easy for initial sign up in the PTR package and then you can access the account at home for deposits and withdrawals after your "pay" is direct deposited. You are lucky. Our closest Navy Cred is one and a half hours away.

If you haven't already done so, take the walking tour of USNA from the Visitor's Center:
http://www.usna.edu/NAFPRODV/VC/

Check out the historic homes of important colonials. Take a walking tour of Annapolis:
http://www.capitalcitycolonials.com/

Hang out at City Dock Cafe in the Market Square like the locals. Not the Starbucks.

Walk/run the entire interior perimeter of USNA and think of your DS eventually running it.

Browse Maryland Ave out Gate 3, as well as State Circle. Dive into Potato Valley for lunch, on State Circle. Tiny place with baked potatoes with a variety of salads, meat and seafood on top.

Take a field trip to London Town, an historic Colonial riverport settlement just down Route 2 over the South River. Museum, colonial mansion, one mile walk through gardens along the river.
http://www.historiclondontown.org/


Though we could start huge threads evaluating and comparing the merits of various places to eat in Annapolis, an ongoing journey, you might want to try:

McGarvey's, on Market Square adjacent to Middleton's. McGarvey's has a raw bar. Middleton's is a George Washington ate/slept/gambled here traditional colonial tavern. Almost all the places downtown have a decent crab cake, crab soup, etc., or they couldn't stay in business. Ditto on Federal House as noted in another post, good variety of entree salads, bar burgers, regular dinner plates, etc.

We send a lot of visitors to Cantler's Riverside Inn, long-established, interesting to find your way there, if you want the full dump-the-bucket-of-crabs-on-the-paper-covered-table experience. Ditto for Mike's on the South River, another old-school place right on the water, just 2 miles south of the hotel complex on Riva Rd.
http://www.mikescrabhouse.com/
http://www.cantlers.com/

My personal favorite for an adult beverage while contemplating the view of USNA across Annapolis Harbor, either The Chart House in Eastport or Pusser's in the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in DTA.

DTA = Downtown Annapolis

Only a drop in the bucket of fun things to do and eat in and around Naptown.

Annapolis Westfield Mall is a short drive from the Yard and it is huge. Nordstrom, Macy's, JC Penney, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, and a ton of smaller shops, as well as restaurants (Chipotle is a Mid favorite) and a multiplex theater. Once the Plebes earn their town liberty, it is one of the first places they gravitate to, mostly because of the movie theater, so maybe you could buy a couple of gift cards to those restaurants/theater and then send them in cards to your plebe starting at the end of August. Almost as good as a care package! Another place that is popular with the Mids is Chick and Ruth's on Main Street in DTA. Great deli food, decent prices. They also sell gift certificates that you could purchase while you are there and then send later on.

Great suggestions and insights...now I am getting pretty excited! Bringing my running shoes and hope I don't embarrass Plebe-to-be if he sees the old lady running the perimeter on Friday morning...

Also looking forward to the crabs and model ships...and the crabs

CVW fun and informative for parents

DS attended CVW in the fall and we were expecting to have to entertain ourselves for large chunks of time. Briefings and and tours took up a large part of the day and were enjoyed by DW and I. The yard had so much fascination for us that we really did not make it into Annapolis for a proper introduction. Dropped kiddo off Thursday evening and saw him once in passing on the yard and once during a combined tour (parents and candidates) before we picked him up Saturday AM. He had a blast doing his thing and we did too. Left Annapolis with DS very committed to the idea that USNA was where he wanted to be, and with DW much more comfortable that these were the right folks to take care of her baby. Pretty sure the CVW really sold the deal for DS. He was paired with a good plebe, good roomies, and got to ask lots of questions. Made friends quickly, of course the homemade cookies may have helped a bit there.

Dreamgirl

Beautiful tour of the USNA.