Drive up on the sidewalk and make a sharp right at the trash pile

I took Chris up to the Baltimore Travel Plaza today so he could catch the bus back to NYC. I haven't been there very often and he usually drives there so it shouldn't be a huge surprise that I missed my exit. I was telling Chris the plot of a book I'd read and how the book was so much more enjoyable because I was imagining that the hero looked like Marvin from Sin City and next thing I knew I was well past the exit.

I got off on some road and was going to turn around but there was a sign saying the road was closed in two miles and we wanted to see why the road was closed so we drove down it, seeing nothing really and finally turned around again.

Unfortunately the last ext before the Harbor tunnel is 12 going south but our exit going North is 11 after the Harbor tunnel so we had to get off at the wrong exit and try and find our way to the Travel Plaza. I finally got directions from a fellow who confused me and eventually I asked two more guys where to go and they gave me very clear directions.

But when we got a couple of blocks from our destination a police car was blocking the road and the officer sent us down this tiny little alley. I asked him how to get to the bus stop and he said to turn at the next alley, go up two blocks, until we were even with where the other police car was blocking off the road, then turn right, then left.

So we did. But we ended up right in the middle of whatever it was that was going on. Another police car was blocking the alley and I couldn't get past or turn around. There were lots of people around, including one woman who tried to run her baby carriage into my car and I was very leery of backing out of the alley. Another police officer told me to turn around because he had a "very serious situation" and it wasn't safe to be there.

When I explained that the first officer told us to go this way he said that they didn't know they'd cordoned off more buildings and he moved his car so I could go up to the end of the street, where there was yet another police car blocking my way. Then he told me to drive up on the sidewalk and take a sharp right at the trash pile and then turn left at the street and I would find the bus station.

I've never in my life driven up on the sidewalk under the watchful eyes of a couple of cops. It was certainly an interesting evening.

I still have no idea what was going on, there was nothing on the news when I turned it on. I was thinking a hostage situation or a bomb but maybe I guess it could be anything.