g Getaway / By Bob & TanyaWaite

Revival is a 107-room, 14-story boutique hotel, one of Hyatt’s JdV (Joie de Vivre) hotels that offer a vibrant guest experience, thoughtful design, a restaurant and signature bars. Revival expressively is committed to the to the ongoing restoration of Baltimore, especially local art and culture. I walk into the hotel to check in while Tanya remains in the car.

Inside I am greeted by Oz, Marc and Ryann attending the registration desk. Friendly and cordial they explain that a valet would take our car, but we can take our time unloading the car. As Tanya enters the lobby, a young guest with a cute puppy opens the door for her. Talking to the pup, she says, “Hi cutie.” The pup looks at her with mournful eyes, wanting to be petted. Tanya, allergic to dogs, says, “I wish I could pet you.” The staff and the young man smile.

At the registration desk there is a big mirror with Revival written in gold across a gold peacock symbol and in small letters under Revival it says “Mt. Vernon Place.” Next to the mirror are bookcase cabinets with wood framed glass doors on either side. Next to the registration desk is the concierge area with a glass topped table and a cabinet with books, a small wooden toy, record albums and an old mechanical typewriter.

With our room keys in hand, we walk down the hallway leading to the elevator, and on the way we see a beautiful crystal chandelier over a staircase going down to the first floor. At the bottom of the staircase is a large sculpture of a sneaker, black and red with the words “Sole Wash” written on the heal. We need to see what else is down there. The lobby is filled with comfortable sitting areas that have comfortable and colorful chairs, sofas, ottomans, tables, creative lighting and great views.

Our room is on the 14th floor. The only thing on top of us is the Topside Restaurant, which is on the roof. The hallway to our room has shiny navy-blue walls with yellow trim. I open the door to the room and Tanya says sternly, “Stay here! Don’t go in and do not put your stuff in the room!” I say, “Yes dear.” Peeking in, she says, “This room is sharp!” Then she makes a strange sound, a kind of growling “ah” and begins to photograph the room. Getting tired of standing in the doorway, I come in and quickly put the suitcases in the closet while making sure I stay out of the camera’s view.

As I look around, I see a beautiful secretary desk with a hutch. I am enamored because it has so many compartments to put papers and booklets. In the gray stonestained hutch are square cubicles with artfully placed vases, boxes, trays and other decorative accents. At the hutch’s bottom are vertical slats, which contain magazines and horizontal shelves with a little drawer.

Meanwhile Tanya is looking at the stylish electric kettle on a tray with navy blue China and a wonderful assortment of teas and coffees that can be made right in the room.

I test the ultra-comfortable king-sized bed while Tanya admires the headboard and the wall behind it which has rustic vertical wooden slats from the floor to over the headboard and floral print wallpaper above it. Since it’s a corner room, we can look out two large windows to see breathtaking views of the Washington Monument, Mount Vernon and the Baltimore skyline.

We settle in for a while, waiting for our dinner at Topside. I gaze out of the window and look at the monument, while Tanya puts up photos on Facebook. Then we turn on the TV and sign into our Netflix account to watch a movie. I get up to make myself a cup of coffee and then sit with Tanya and watch the show.

We get on the elevator to go up one floor to Topside. On Revival’s website Topside is described as “… Baltimore’s favorite rooftop overlooking the historic neighborhood, Mount Vernon. Upon arrival, you’ll enjoy craft cocktails changing seasonally, brought to you by some of Baltimore's most talented mixologists. Topside is rooted in Baltimore’s culture from a seafood-centric menu that features local purveyors and artisans…”

We are greeted by Jane, our friendly hostess who instills confidence through her love of Topside and her willingness to tell us about some of her own favorite dishes.

We are seated by windows that overlook the city. We look around and are entranced by the decor, the view and the ambience. The windowed walls give us that rooftop dining feel and the large bar in the center is surrounded by sleek padded barstools. Each table has a candle and in the air is the sound of soft jazz. There is also energy. People are coming in to dine, to sit at the bar and talk to friends. It has the connectedness of a neighborhood bar with the romance of a dinner date.

Our waitress Shayla visits our table to take drink orders. We both like her. She is not just hard working but takes the time to make sure that our experience at Topside is enjoyable. She asks us if we are ready to order drinks. Tanya orders a Mai Tai and I order the Barnard Griffin Merlot. As we wait, we peruse the menu.

We choose Ricotta as an appetizer, at Shayla’s suggestion. We order our mains. Tanya orders Seafood Rice, wanting to taste Topside’s raved about seafood. I have three in mind: Duck Breast, Chilean Sea Bass and Short Rib. I choose the Short Rib. Shayla says, “Good choice.”

Our drinks come and shortly after we are served our appetizer. The Ricotta with aged balsamic, honey and walnut bread is a sight to see. The ricotta has honey on top and around the edges, and there are edible flowers and sprigs of parsley that give it both eye appeal and a strong desire to taste it ASAP.

We eat our appetizer slowly while sipping our drinks and a little water. Soon our food comes. We are both awed again, this time by the presentation. It almost seems wrong to eat something so nicely arranged.

Tanya exclaims after tasting hers, “Now this is good.” The Seafood Rice has shrimp, scallops, mussels and pimenton aioli. She takes her time eating it, savoring each bite. I do the same. My Short Rib with pomme puree, glazed carrots and

pearl onion is also too good to gobble up.

As we are eating the sun is setting and the Washington Monument is being lit and lights all over Baltimore can be seen in the distance. That and the soft lighting make it a romantic dinner date.

For dessert Tanya orders the Passion Fruit Pannacotta with raspberry coulis and coconut crumble. I order the Nutella Napoleon, a delightful combination of puffed pastry, Nutella and crème anglaise. I also pick a Postre Wine Pairing, Durban Beaumes-de-Venise. Tanya, not a wine drinker, declines 1.5 oz desert drink.

Just as we are being served dessert, Achraf Iraqui, assistant general manager, visits our table. He asks about our dinner and whether we like the dessert. Then he sees Tanya without a wine pairing and insists that she also have the Durban. She hesitatingly assents. He smiles and Shayla brings the 1.5 oz dessert wine. Tanya tastes and she says, “Not bad.” In fact, she really likes it, so we sipped our Durban and ate our desserts. Tanya loved the tart taste of the Pannacotta, sweetened by the raspberry sauce and I loved my tasty Napoleon.

Back in our room we watch some TV and laying in our very comfortable bed, we fall fast asleep.

Wednesday morning, I wake up first and slip out of the room to the Dashery Café, which is downstairs from the lobby. The Revival website describes the Dashery as “… a one-stop shop for breakfast and lunch on-the-go as well as an intimate space where guests gather and take a quick break before carrying on with their day …” The Dashery is artsy without being overdone. On the back wall is a colorful relief painting with everything from geometric shapes to buttons on it. The seating is arranged on one side with a large, padded bench with small round tables lined up in front of it, each having a chair on the other side. There are also a few colorful upholstered chairs. I pick up a coffee and go back to room. Tanya is still sleeping, so I read for a while.

After she wakes up, I run down and

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get her a cup of coffee and she drinks it. We get dressed and ready for our Breakfast at Dooby’s. It’s close by, so we walk.

Dooby’s is a Korean inspired restaurant, that looks very Mount Vernon on the outside. However, once entering, we see the interplay of classic and modern décor, making it sleek, chic and urban, but with a friendly demeanor. We order in the front, take a number and a seat.

Tanya orders the Homestyle Breakfast, which is bacon, sausage, eggs and home fry potatoes and wheat toast. I order the Steak & Egg Sandwich. Tanya is given an ample portion of food and I am forced to help her eat one of the two large sausage patties. Dooby’s is the perfect way to start a full day.

We walk back to the hotel to freshen up before going the National Aquarium. In the lobby we meet Kelly, a part of the sales manager group and Brian, who works at the registration desk. They recommend that we go to the speakeasy on the first floor, so we reserve a seat at the B-Side Cocktail Lounge.

Our one mile walk to the National Aquarium takes us into the Inner Harbor Neighborhood. We pass newer buildings, shops, restaurants and people shopping, walking into buildings, walking dogs and going in and out of the buildings. As we approach the waterfront, we decide to walk on the path, past an 18th century sailing ship and areas with paddleboats for rent.

We arrive at the ticket booth and show our press passes and they issue us a ticket. Inside we are photographed. We are told to stand together and then to stand, looking up with a surprised look on our faces. We then get to see our photos. Behind us is a background for each shot. In the first one we are standing in front of dark blue water with large jellyfish floating behind us. In the other there is a rainforest behind us, and we are looking up at a monkey in a tree. The cost for them in a folder is $41. Sunshine comes from Tanya’s face, and I can’t resist, so I buy them.

Inside the Aquarium we hear excited school children being escorted by their teachers and chaperones. They sound happy. The teachers look happy, and the chaperones are all smiling.

Baltimore’s National Aquarium is like nothing I have ever seen. We see behind glass sharks, fish from the Chesapeake Bay, rare fish from the tropics, jellyfish and other wildlife such as monkeys, birds, snakes, lizards and frogs. Each room and hallway are full of fish behind glass, with helpful staff to explain things about what we are seeing. There are multimedia presentations, charts identifying the fish and other creatures and the aquarium is huge. The children seem to soak up the knowledge, but we are just taking in as much as we can.

We go through exhibit after exhibit, saving what Tanya calls the “bomb diggity” for last—the Dolphins. We enter what looks like a large swimming pool with amphitheater seating around it. In the front there are signs saying splash area, so, of course, we sit there. In front of us are a group of school children who are separated from their teacher. She finds them and calls them over to the rest of the class. We then look at the pool.

Dolphins are playing with balls, throwing them and catching them and peaking their heads out of the water. We could sit there all day but stay for about a half hour. It is so much fun, watching them swim, seeing through glass as they swim underwater and watching them jump up to catch balls. Tanya, in awe, says, “Look

at God.” I say, “Amen.” We leave the Aquarium and walk back. It is late afternoon, and we are tired, so we go back to our room to rest up for B-Side Cocktail Lounge. To get into B-Side we have to go downstairs, past the large shoe statues and several creative sculptures to a spot where there is an old-fashioned juke box, which is near very intriguing, yet comfortable Karaoke Rooms. We were told earlier to press on the coin return button of the jukebox and the door would open to B-Side. We push the button and do not see anything, but someone on staff says, “Turn around,” and a door behind us is open, so we walk in. Inside the room, my eyes take a second to adChesapeake Bay, rare fish from just to the very dim lighting; candles pull most of the weight. There is athe tropics, jellyfish and other wildlife very stocked bar, comsuch as monkeys, birds, snakes, fortable seating and tables all around. It looks lizards and frogs. like a speakeasy. I feel like I know a secret. The hostess tells us that it is the worst kept secret in Baltimore. The ambience says otherwise. People are sitting, sipping cocktails and eating interesting snacks like giant chicharrones, which we immediately order. In the background is jazz, filling the room with fantasies of another era. The cocktails, themselves speak of another age too, but with a modern twist. We soak it in, eat our huge chicharrone, talk to people sitting nearby and after an hour, we go back to the room to pack, relax and prepare to go home. We don’t want to leave Charm City. After three visits we feel at home there. Baltimore is special to us. Tanya sighs, wishing we could stay another few days, but I encourage her saying, “We will return.”v Bob Waite is the editor of Bucks County Magazine and Tanya is his wife, travel companion and the co-writer of this department.