The Diary
of
Anne Ku

23 March 2001 Friday

INNER HARBOR, INNER THOUGHTS

Almost two hours before I needed to get to the airport, I relished in having the time to explore the Inner Harbor. Someone had mentioned it to me once as a place to visit. Now was the opportunity, on this Friday afternoon.

As if by magic, the clouds parted to let the sun shine its rays on me. I ordered a Maryland crab cake (back-fin) which cost $6 a piece. It was delicious consumed with freshly squeezed lemonade and Japanese unagi (eel) sushi. I sat on the bench outside watching a performer draw crowds to his Louis Armstrong acts. The day was cloudy, windy, but warm enough to stay outside.

The USS Constellation was parked in the harbour, a reminder of the Cutty Sark in Greenwich, England. I had so often cycled to Greenwich to be with the tourists going back in time. I suppose if I lived in Baltimore, I would be doing the same. The Inner Harbor would be the place for me to pass my inner thoughts.

I called Lemondrops on her cell phone. She wasn't there, so I left a message. She would have enjoyed spending the afternoon with me people-watching. The business men in their suits looked so couped up. The kids played so freely. When did I let go of the freedom of being a kid to welcome the confinement of the adult world?

When I think about the electricity price spikes that have wiped out aluminium manufacturers and other companies that did not know that industry deregulation meant floating not lower prices, I wonder whether the California effect will bankrupt end-users like myself. Indeed, Americans are already feeling the effects of the stock market plunge. Will these events change the "spend like there's no tomorrow" behaviour?

It's so easy to let my mind drift on a day like this. Out in the open, next to the sea, I cast my worries to the wind. There won't be another afternoon like this. I'm leaving on a jet plane to a foggy London town after all.

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