About Annapolis' West Annapolis

What an incredible chance to not only enjoy an absolutely fabulous festival but to be able to visit this wonderful area of Annapolis called West Annapolis. The 21st Annual Oktoberfest in West Annapolis will run from 10am until 5pm on Sunday. A European style walkway will transform Annapolis Street from Taylor Avenue to Melvin Avenue where pedestrians can actually take to the street.

Oktoberfest will have more than 100 vendors offering everything from crafts to food, beverages and gifts. And to add even more razzle dazzle to this wonderful festival will be the Deutscher Musik Verein Oktoberfest Band bringing great German music to add to the festivities.

No Oktoberfest would be complete without a variety of great German beers and food and there will be plenty of both available.

For the youngsters attending the West Annapolis Elementary School will be holding their Fall festival at the same time where games, contests, food and fun will be served.

West Annapolis is a wonderful area of shops, artists, designers and eateries located not far from the Navy Stadium.

Oktoberfest art courtesy of West Annapolis Business Affilation, Inc

Rarely-seen view of the Naval Academy Bridge

This is one of many "rarely-seen" views of the Annapolis area that I've photographed from the U.S. Naval Academy grounds. I say that because access to the USNA "yard" is restricted and not everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the marvelous photo opportunities on and from there. As a military spouse,, I do have that privilege and never tire of the beautiful views, grounds, and buildings.

I noticed this view of the U.S. Naval Academy Bridge as I walked to my car from the pharmacy yesterday and it occurred to me that anyone relocating to the area might enjoy a series of Annapolis photos taken from a different angle than they usually find online.

In the following photo of the U.S. Naval Academy Bridge, we see the Blue Angels overhead in their annual performance during Commissioning Week at the Academy. (CREDIT: U.S. Naval Academy, with permission.) This was taken from the field you see between the cars and the Severn River in the first photo.

The U.S. Naval Academy Bridge is located on Route 450 headed Northeast between Annapolis and Rt. 50 en route to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. It's adjacent to the USNA, not on the grounds, and its a public thoroughfare with a beautiful view of the Severn and the USNA. The bridge you see here replaced a working drawbridge which had been the main access to the Academy from the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Baltimore at one time.

The new bridge was built in 1994 - perfect timing for re-naming it the U.S. Naval Academy Bridge in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Navy's premier higher education institution. I suspect it still satisfies the nick-name some Midshipmen (students) have given it over the years, however... the "Oh shit" bridge, indicating the state of their nerves crossing the bridge en route to the USNA for the first day of Plebe Summer.

Today, this bridge is the shortcut enabling locals to get from Arnold and Severna Park to Annapolis without having to use Rt. 50, which can be a bottleneck on weekends during beach season. In fact, it's also a shortcut for locals to avoid the Severn River Bridge traveling from Crofton, Riva, and Annapolis to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. That comes in handy whenever there's construction or an accident on that stretch of the road.

While there's loads of information online about the U.S. Naval Academy Bridge, I suspect it's that last paragraph which newcomers to the area will find most helpful as they learn their way around Annapolis.

If you're relocating to the Annapolis area, I hope you'll think of me when you're ready to start looking at homes and communities. We moved to the area when my husband got PCS orders to the USNA as an instructor after four years of sea-duty out of San Diego. What a great opportunity that was for us, and I'm sure you'll enjoy the Annapolis area, too.