BmoreArt

Once the music got turned up, it was time to exchange the books that Miller and Nocera had arranged in neat columns across the bar. Cruisers approached in waves, picking up books, turning them over, and reading the jackets. Friends handed each other options, and strangers made recommendations to one another. One person had brought four books to the swap and planned to take home as many. “It’s for bookworms,” I heard them say. “How am I supposed to choose one!?” Another described one of the titles as “The Devil Wears Prada meets The Assistant.” 

“One of my favorite things about the swap is watching guests sell books to one another,” Miller said. “They’re so good at it. I do love to step in though, when something I really love hasn’t been snapped up yet.”

“I recommend in the same way I do at the store, calling out the books I’ve read and loved or looking for a lesser-known title that might need some hand-selling to stand out in the pile,” Nocera added.

Many of the benches on the boat were conveniently arranged in nooks that offered ample opportunity for socializing—conversation and laughter abound. But this is one event that’s delightful to attend by oneself too. One person waving an enormous purple folding fan was there by themself and seemed to be having a fabulous time enjoying the cruise regardless.

“It’s really fun to watch people get on the boat, in a group or alone, and immediately strike up a conversation with someone new,” Fleischaker told me. “I know that both friendships and book clubs have been born on these cruises.” The sun was setting as we passed Fort McHenry. There were still quite a few clouds in the sky, so the sunset colors varied from dusty blue and gray to orange and pink. The smell of sea air lingered on the breeze as Canada geese flew low over the dark green waters.

“My favorite aspect of the sunset cruises is that everyone really comes for the books,” Nocera said. “The champagne and the sunset are great, but you can tell people are ready to run up to the books as soon as the boat pushes from the dock. It’s cool to experience all of that excitement for a table full of books.”

And it was true; while the atmosphere on the Water Taxi was decidedly leisurely (it was a sunset cruise, after all), the underlying excitement was unmistakable. A constant flow of folks congregated around the book display even when the initial rush had passed. I spotted multiple Enoch Pratt Free Library cards hanging off keychains, too—further proof that these were, indeed, book people.

Once we turned around and began heading toward Domino Sugar, I noticed sights along the shore I’d never had access to before: a mini-Statue of Liberty replica rising out of the water on stilts, decaying piers, industrial structures long past their prime, and pockets of vegetation that formed tiny jungles near the banks. I hadn’t realized that so much of Baltimore was still untamed.

As the Water Taxi approached Federal Hill’s brick rowhouses and Downtown’s high-rise buildings illuminated by purple twilight, it occurred to me that I might be missing out on something by not living closer to the water. “[The cruise is] a really unique way to experience books and Baltimore at the same time,” Nocera said, echoing my thoughts. 

“It’s also an easy way to do something that isn’t very convenient to plan (unless, of course, you have a boat), which is to get out on the water,” Miller agreed.

We cruised toward the Inner Harbor, which looked more charming than ever, with the lights of the Aquarium and the Baltimore Visitor Center (glowing in Pride flag colors) reflecting off the dark water. As if on cue, the conversations around me turned to Baltimore, too.

“I spent twenty years in the publishing industry in New York, and moved to Baltimore specifically to do exactly what I’m doing,” Fleischaker told me. “I feel so fortunate that I was able to make that change; to move from the center of the industry to this amazing city that loves books as much as anywhere I’ve been and that has so warmly embraced Greedy Reads. From the day I opened the shop door, I understood one thing about Baltimore that makes it incredibly special to a book nerd like me: The literary culture here is not a gated or walled-off community; it is not something only accessible to a lucky few. It is literally woven into the fabric of the city, and that is so rare and so special.”

The white globe lights of the Broadway Pier and some ducks floating peacefully nearby welcomed us back to Fells Point. The cruisers dispersed quickly, strolling away along the promenade in every direction. I stopped for a gelato and ran into a couple of folks from the cruise there. We chatted about how much fun we’d had on the water.

“My favorite thing about the cruises is that people never, ever lose interest,” said Miller. “Every time we put them online, they sell out; the excitement never wanes. We have lots of first-timers every time we go out on the water, but I love seeing repeat guests. Especially when they bring their friends and family along.”