For our first Hometown Photo Project feature, NPL Featured Photographer Maureen Porto takes us on a tour of her hometown of Annapolis, MD. Brimming with history, tradition, and small-town charm, Maryland's capital city never fails to delight. Join us for a photographer's eye view of a day in the life of an Annapolitan...Get ready to fall in love with this place!
"Getting two kids fed, packed, and out the door for school by 7:15 AM is a crazy circus feat, even for a morning person like me. After dropping the kids off at school downtown, I try to spend just a few minutes by the water before I tackle the rest of my day."
"I swing up Main Street to Chick + Ruth’s Delly to pick up a gift card for a friend who loves their crab cakes (a Maryland specialty). Located in the shadow of the State Capitol, Chick + Ruth’s has been owned and operated by the Levitt family since 1965, and most mornings you’ll find Annapolitans gathering for breakfast and conversation about local politics and Navy football.
Every morning like clockwork, the conversation dims and patrons stand to recite the Pledge of Allegiance together, a tradition the Levitts began back in 1989."
"I like to get together with other small business owners and creatives to brainstorm and share ideas, and this morning I’m meeting my girlfriends for coffee at 49 West. Valerie is a jewelry designer and Christina is a fashion blogger, and this morning we are checking out Valerie’s new line of druzy and agate stone jewelry. How gorgeous is that necklace?"
"One of the best parts about Annapolis is its locally-owned, small businesses. After coffee we head to the jewelry stores and clothing boutiques on Maryland Avenue in search of a little inspiration among the eclectic blend of vintage, re-purposed, and modern finds."
"After the girls leave I have just enough time to change and head out for a quick walk, so I head straight through the iron gates of the neighboring Naval Academy. I pass Bancroft Hall just in time to catch Noon Meal Formation on the Yard. It’s hard not to feel like a Patriot as the Band plays 'Anchors Aweigh' and 4,000 Plebes march in perfect formation behind American flags proudly waving in the autumn breeze."
"I walk right through Annapolis' historic district to pick up the kids up from school. I never get tired of looking at the gorgeous row homes that stand along Duke of Gloucester Street."
"We have a little extra time after leaving school so we stop for a scoop of Storm Brothers ice cream by the City Dock. They're a downtown favorite and another locally-owned shop we love to support."
"My son sails with a local club, so the three of us head over the bridge and into the maritime neighborhood of Eastport just in time for him to rig his sailboat and head out with his teammates for a few hours of regatta race practice on the Chesapeake Bay."
"It’s the end of a long day and my husband and I join some friends for a quick birthday cocktail on the deck of the Annapolis Yacht Club. Every evening's sunset is signaled by the boom of a cannon fired from the deck. As the sound of Taps fills the air, AYC members all stand for the retiring of the American flag."
See more of Maureen's lifestyle, family, and interior decor photography at www.maureenporto.com!