ohmarie

What about the other changes? Did anyone see differences in performances from last night vs tonight?

Aww, you guys are sweet! I'll have to see what happens. I honestly don't know if I could handle Cabs anymore, though having a ride makes it tempting. It was a pretty big challenge when I was 23 and lived less than a mile from the post, so know that I'm going to be 30 (aka like twice that in color guard years) and 200+ miles away it would be rough.

We do have a hotly contested mayoral election coming up. :)

I got one! It's definitely from Finals at the stadium. I was in Cabs for just one year when I lived in Hawthorne but it made a big impression on me and I miss it. I live in Annapolis now and was actually thinking about Shenandoah Sound even though they're so far away, so I would love to get in on some MD corps action. As far as I can tell from the website and other online presence it's mostly been a drumline to this point but I'll be keeping an eye out for the open house.

I understand the issues and see how this migth not be possible, but a pub crawl style I&E is GENIUS!

I really like the idea of doing I&Es downtown--you could even split it up so that some is happening at the docks and some is happening elsewhere--just spitballing, obviously, but off the top of my head I can think of two theaters, two colleges (St. John's and the Naval Academy) with lots of facilities and fields, and a number of random outdoor locations that are all within walking distance of city dock that might work for one performance or another.

Has anyone ever won both DCI and DCA in the same year? I know of someone who got 2nd place in both in the same year and have always been curious.

Yeah, I was totally blown away by Kidsgrove at the docks and then at prelims. They were awesome!

It was pretty bad last night, but those yard lines are on LOCKDOWN. ;) Honestly, if it weren't for a couple of slips and an extra rifle drop or two, you'd never know there was a completely insane downpour.

I showed up about halfway through but Kisgrove Scouts and MBI were AMAZING to watch so up close, and there was a lovely breeze coming off of the water. Lots of people there, both DCA folks and locals who wandered up during the performances.

Oh, parking. Ok, this is not my strong suit since I live within walking distance of downtown, but there are several options. The first is street parking. There is street parking throughout the city. On main street and at city dock it is metered. I believe that the meters take quarters but I am not sure. Other streets have on-street parking that is free. Availability of all of this is iffy, especially on a holiday weekend with all of us in town. There are also several reasonably priced parking garages downtown. The one closest to city dock is on your first left if you're going up main street (main st is one way). Prices vary based on day of the week and garage but tend to be reasonable (I think they max out at $2/hr).

Ha, I went for a walk from my house to Main St last night and kept seeing places I forgot to mention! Seriously, just walk around downtown when you're here. It's the greatest. Here are directons for Cantler's: http://www.cantlers.com/directions/ Will provide crab-opening lessons if you buy me 6 crabs. :) If you need a date night or want to catch up with your buddies over a couple of bottles of wine instead of beers, come on over to Vin 909. They have a good, easy to navigate, super reasonably priced wine list and AMAZING fancy pizza that is also pretty inexpensive. They also have lovely outdoor seating. If you're staying out west of town, there's a great place at the Annapolis Mall called Punk's Backyard Grill. It was recently named one of the best cheap eats in the country by some random publication. I also wanted to mention something about brunch--the restaraunts here are CRAZY for brunch! This means that there are tons and tons of options and lots of great deals, but it is also busy. Like, if you want to go to Chick and Ruth's for brunch, schedule in some wait time for yourself.

I moved to Annapolis shortly after my season with the Cabs and I haven't been able to make it to a finals since. I could not be more excited for DCAs to be in Annapolis this year! Lots of good suggestions so far, but I have just a few more. -If you have a hankering for something excellent but cheap, or if you need takeout, go to Carlson's Thai and Donuts on West St. It's a crazy combination, but their food is awesome and a lot cheaper than most of what you can get downtown. -I also need to put in a plug for my own neighborhood, Eastport. We are right accross the drawbridge from downtown and we have a bunch of great places--Lewnes Steakhouse for anybody who wants to get fancy, great happy hour deals at the Rockfish, and two really great bar/restaraunts in Davis's Pub and the Boatyard Bar and Grill. Davis's is mostly bar, but will sell you some really great appetizers and a burger, and it has a really great outdoor area near a marina. Boatyard has a really wonderful ambiance and great, mostly inexpensive food. -Downtown my favorites are Joss (pricey but great sushi) and Galway Bay (reasonable, really solid irish food with a nice bar area). -If you don't mind a short drive and you want to get REAL Maryland-y, head up to Cantler's for some steamed crabs. It's tucked away in a neighborhood about 10 or 15 minutes north of downtown, and they have a gorgeous deck for you to just break into a pile of crabs. If anyone has specific questions I'd be happy to field them.

Last year there was at least one Cab who moved in for the summer--from Japan! In my opinion, if you're going to travel farther than you have to for corps, there needs to be a really good reason. So I'd pick the closest corps unless there's something really compelling.

I should have known someone would ask! I think that the top 4 guards will be Bush, Bucs, Hurcs, and Cabs, but I wouldn't be surprised by any order of those 4 on finals night. With one guard judge and 4 groups that are very good, it's kind of the luck of the draw. But! If I had to put money on it, I think I'd go: 1-Hurricanes 2-Bush and cabs 3-Bucs I also love predictions--it's all in good fun, and even though I'm predicting a final order of Bucs, Cabs, Hurcs, Empire, Bush, it doesn't mean that I wouldn't be thrilled beyond belief if my Caballeros (or anyone else for that matter) pull ahead of Bucs, or if Renegades finish in the top 5, or if SoCal Dream makes it into the Open Class finals. I guess I love a surprise even more than I love a prediction.