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Have You Ever Been to Baltimore?

Posted by joeduck • 8/26/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: baltimore, history, travel

Baltimore, especially thanks to "The Wire" on HBO, has a bad reputation that is not deserved. I enjoyed a few days there this summer and was impressed with the neighborhoods and especially the "Inner Harbor" where history and tourism collide in a great way.

Do you like Baltimore? Any Travel Tips?

User Comments

8/26/08

jafabrit

I used to like hanging out in Fells Point during the day, but gets rowdy at night.

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8/26/08

joeduck

Jafabrit I really liked Fells Point but didn't hang around for the bar crowd:
flickr.com/photos/joeduck/2705113752/

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8/26/08

Theresa111

Baltimore is less than an hour away and mostly I pass through.

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8/26/08

jafabrit

joe, really enjoyed looking at your photos I lived in Annapolis for about 5 years and frequently went into Baltimore. Usually it was to meet friends for lunch (loved little italy) and then explore the galleries or museums, sometimes visit pals at the Maryland Institute of Art.
My fave place for lunch, which has since closed, was Haussner's. They had over 2,000 pieces of art from floor to ceiling and waitresses older that the Victorian artwork It was a real experience.

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8/26/08

cooper

I live 45 minutes from both D.C. and Baltimore. I like B-more. Not just the harbor though. I spent a lot of time there in high school at the Maryland Institute for the Arts and when I was working for the NGO though I mostly worked in D.C. sometimes had to head into the resettlement center on eastern ave.

What do you like to do? The Baltimore Museum of Art has The Cone Collection among other things, it's a nice size family place to.

You do have to be careful as one wrong turn and you are waiting in line with people to buy drugs and you won't be able to drive around them...seriously especially when driving around JH University.

I used to like Lexington Market, it's under goingrenovations I think. n

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8/26/08

kdawg68

I've lived in the baltimore area for years now (though now I'm about 40 miles away).

It's a good place, but it's also got a historically high murder rate and STD rate. It's not without it's problems. The inner-harbor area has been the focus of massive reconstruction and improvement over recent years, and it is the jewel of the city (along with the Camden Yards/Ravens Stadium venues).

As far as tips, make sure to check out:

-Ft. McHenry - where the original "star spangled banner" was observed by the lawyer Francis Scott Key during the bombardment of the fort by British warships.

-North Point - the turning point of the war of 1812, it is essentially forgotten by most. To paint the picture, the Brits had routed our principal field army at Bladensburg, just north of D.C., burned the capital, sent the President and First Lady into hiding, and then turned on Baltimore. While their ships blasted away at Ft. McHenry, the infantry advanced over land. They ran into the Maryland militia at North Point. One of the first shots brained their commander, and a series of ferocious and unexpected counter-attacks by the Americans won the day.

-Pratt St. (scene of the "Baltimore Riot") - it was here in 1861 that the first "casualties" of the Civil War occurred when the 16th Massachusetts, marching between rail stations en route to Manassas, fired upon a mob of drunken, angry secessionists. 4 soldiers and 12 civilians were killed in the ensuing melee. By war's end some 600,000 "countrymen" had joined them in death.

-Pimlico - how could I not suggest this? The legendary and once premier race track in the nation, where the great Seabiscuit match race with War Admiral took place, and the yearly home of the Preakness Stakes.

-The U.S.S. constellation (docked in the inner harbor) - an 1850's model "sloop" that is credited with being the flag ship of the U.S. African Squadron, where she successfully stopped at least 3 slave ships from carrying their cargo overseas. Later in life she helped train tens of thousands of Navy men prior to World War 1.

-Edgar Allen Poe house/grave site - just a few blocks from one another, the legendary Baltimore writer's gravesite in particular is home to some macabre tourists. Some dress in black. Sometimes around Halloween people congregate there.

hope that helps

Of course, you're just a hop, skip, and a jump from either Antietam (Sharpsburg, MD) or Gettysburg (PA) - so do yourself the favor and see those if you are looking for sites of historic interest. I'll just offer again that I am available for Gettysburg tours.

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8/27/08

joeduck

Thx again for some great Baltimore travel tips! Cooper I also heard from locals and saw riding the bus that the Johns Hopkins U. area seems to have some big challenges. kdawg I bet you are a great Gettysburg guide. We were there a few years ago and really enjoyed the area.

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