Start a New Tradition

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Thanksgiving is a holiday with a lot of traditions attached to it. Lots of families like to stay in, cook up a big meal, invite the whole family over and watch parades and football games. However, some traditions are made to be broken. This year for Thanksgiving, mix it up. These restaurants are offering up a meal selection for you to take the pressure off of cooking up a big meal.

Cunningham’s Cafe and Bakery isn’t actually open for Thanksgiving but you can order up a delicious meal and cut out the hard work. Order up a real Thanksgiving dinner for the whole family minus the day of cooking. Get a whole roasted turkey or a hand-carved honey glazed ham. Grab mashed potatoes or mashed butternut squash or roasted herb red potatoes on the side. Just because you didn’t put in the hard work doesn’t mean that you can’t have dessert too! Mini tartlets, grandma’s apple pie and pumpkin rolls will have you full and happy. You’ll spend the rest of the holiday on your couch napping off the food high. For their full holiday menu check here. Cunningham’s is only a 20 minute drive away from McHenry Row Apartments.

Thanksgiving doesn’t always have to mean turkey and cranberry sauce. Mission BBQ is offering up pick-up packs for the holidays. Depending on how big your party is, they have packs for upwards of 50 people. So you won’t have to worry about accommodating a large number of people; Mission has you covered. Pulled pork, brisket, pulled chicken: these aren’t your typical Thanksgiving fares but they’re even better. Take your pick of sides and make sure to grab something from the bakery. You can pretend like you cooked it all yourself and really wow your guests. Check out their full menu here. Mission BBQ is only 8 minutes away from our home at McHenry Row Apartments.

If you’d prefer not to pack your entire extended family into your home for Thanksgiving, you can take them out to dinner. The Row House Grille is opening their doors for the holiday and inviting you in as their family. If you’d prefer a Thanksgiving breakfast to a Thanksgiving dinner, they offer breakfast bright and early at 8 AM. Bring the whole family for a breakfast buffet. After 4 PM you can make your way into the dinner fare. Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce: all the classics for your dinner. You won’t regret taking the whole family out for this new holiday tradition with Row House Grille. The Row House Grille is a quick 4 minute drive down the road from McHenry Row.


Does your family have a unique Thanksgiving tradition that doesn’t involve home cooked meals at home? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter.

Take A Hike: Best Trails in Baltimore

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Just because the weather is cooling off doesn’t mean you can’t get outside. The cold air is even more invigorating than the warm summer air. Today, November 17th, is annual Take a Hike Day. While the holiday could be about telling some rude person to get lost, we’re going to assume it’s probably about getting into the great outdoors for some fresh air and exercise.

Herring Run Park is only a 15 minute drive away from our home at McHenry Row. The 375 acres of woodlands have no shortage of beautiful scenery. The trails wind and wrap their way throughout the park. Get lost in the trees and foliage of the park. A trail extends from Halls Spring Area all the way to Sinclair Lane, allowing for walking, hiking and biking along the stream bed. The changing of the leaves makes for extra beautiful views as you huff and puff your way down the trails.

Patapsco Valley State Park stretches along 32 miles of the Patapsco River. The state park encompasses, altogether, 16,043 acres of land. You’ll never run out of trails to explore in Patapsco Valley State Park. Enjoy the acres and acres of forest. If you bring along a picnic basket, you’ll have plenty of places to stop and throw your blanket down. There are tons of great spots under trees and at picnic tables to plop down and enjoy an afternoon snack. Patapsco Valley State Park is only 10 minutes away from McHenry Row, so you don’t have to go far to get into the outdoors.

What better place to take a hike than a place where you can also enjoy the company of some exotic animals? The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is more than 135 acres of trail to explore. It’s certainly not your typical definition of a trail but you’ll tire yourself out moving through the zoo, trying to take in all the wildlife. Make sure you hike past the brand new exhibit to take in the 46 waddling African penguins. You might have to pay admission to hike along this ‘trail’, but it’s well worth it when you think of all the amazing animals you’ll get to see along the way. The zoo is only a 20 minute drive away from McHenry Row Apartments.

Pretty soon, the weather is going to be much too frigid to head to the outdoors and take a hike. We have to soak up the hiking time while we can! Do you have a favorite place to hike at?

American Diabetes Month

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There are over 600,000 people living in Maryland with diabetes and almost 1.6 million with pre-diabetes who are at risk of developing diabetes. The American Diabetes Association has dedicated countless hours to raising awareness and funds for the care of those living with diabetes and funding research for a cure. They have designated the month of November as National Diabetes Month. There are so many ways for you to donate and make a difference. Here’s how we in Baltimore can help the cause.

Donations are crucial to the American Diabetes Association. All of the money received through donations goes right back into those suffering from diabetes. The ADA provides invaluable resources for those living with diabetes. The estimated total national cost of caring for those with diabetes is near $245 billion in the United States. By donating even just a little, you can help someone receive care that they might not get otherwise. Donate here.

The inaugural Greater Maryland Fabulous YOU luncheon takes place this month on the 12th at the Horseshoe Casino. Join hundreds of women from all walks of life in a celebration inspiring and empowering them all to be their most fabulous selves inside and out. The celebrations starts with a luncheon to fuel you up followed by interactive stations to explore. All of the stations will include health and beauty related activities to teach you to empower yourself and feel beautiful inside and out. Make sure to stay for the keynote speaker, Dr. Michelle A. Gourdine, who will inspire you to take charge of your own health. Check here to buy your tickets.

November 17th is National Healthy Lunch Day, encouraging you to make the right choices when it comes to the things you’re putting into your belly. The American Diabetes Association is inviting you and your business or organization to join them that day for the healthy eating challenge. Making healthy choices for your meals can help prevent type 2 diabetes and other obesity related illnesses. Register for the pledge and your organization will receive an e-toolkit to help you make better decisions when it comes to mealtimes. Head here to learn more and to register your organization.

Living with diabetes is a challenging task but it’s manageable with the right funding and tools. Together, we can find a cure. Until then, it’s up to us to help those living with it cope with it and make the right choices. Do you know someone living with diabetes?

Handling Stress In Your Daily Life

You’ve most likely known some form of stress your entire life. Whether it be tough tests in elementary school, relationships in high school, balancing school and a job in college or paying bills as an adult, stress comes in every shape and size and unfortunately, there’s enough to go around for everyone. Today, November 4th, is Stress Awareness Day, which aims to identify any stress in your life and find healthy outlets for it. There are so many outlets for you to get the stress out and relax.

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One of the best stress relievers that there is is yoga. Yoga focuses on breathing techniques and stretching to slow your heart rate and ease you into a calmer and more peaceful state of mind. Charm City Yoga has seven locations throughout Baltimore, with the closest being just 6 minutes away in Federal Hill. You can take group classes, individual sessions for a more personalized focus and workshops for specializations. Newbies to the exercise can join for just $30 a month. Bring a friend each month with your monthly guest passes, grab a towel and mat when you forget yours at home and get %10 off yoga wear in the shop. These and a ton of other benefits are just a small part of why you should pick up yoga. Start relieving your stress with a healthy mind and body.

Sometimes all it takes to clear your mind and relax is some good old fashioned fresh air. Luckily for us at McHenry Row, we’re in close proximity to some pretty fabulous parks to roam through, starting with Latrobe Park. Latrobe has some great outlets for releasing stress. The tennis and basketball courts will be there when you need to let your frustrations out and whack a few tennis balls around with all your might. If that’s not what you need then, you can walk to the dog park and just sit and watch the puppies frolic. There’s nothing better for relieving stress than a nice, fluffy dog. Get some extra fresh air and take a walk to the park. It’s only 11 minutes away on foot and the extra time outdoors will help relieve the stress even more.