Leisure Time around the Inner Harbor

The best thing about this area is that there are so many places that you can walk to or take a water taxi to. We went to the shops and restaurants at the Inner Harbor, Federal Hill, Fels Point and the Monument area. There are many museums in Baltimore too but we didn't go to any on this trip.

Some of the highlights of this trip were watching the street performers in front of the shops, taking the water taxi to Fels Point, and checking out the restored townhouses and gardens in Federal Hill.

Quick Tips:

For a great view of the harbor, walk over to Federal Hill. There is a park on top of the hill and the view is magnificent. Although we went at night, around 8 PM, we felt safe in this park because the police were patroling it. Start your week at the large Barnes and Noble bookstore at the Inner Harbor. Pick out a book or magazine for the train ride home.

Best Way To Get Around:

For a leisure weekend in Baltimore, I recommend taking Amtrak and walking and taking water taxis.

I drove to Baltimore on my last trip and didn't take it out of the hotel garage all week ( per night) so this time I took the train and caught a taxi to the Brookshire Suites, my hotel. A bus from my agency picked us up every morning and brought us back to the hotel so I had no need for a car.

I had stayed at the Brookshire Suites two years ago and returned for three reasons: 1) It's only a one block walk to the Inner Harbor, 2) you get a suite for the price of a room, and 3) a delicious, full breakfast served in "The Cloud Room" is included in the price.

We had two room suites. The bedroom had a queen sized bed, an armoire with a TV, two night tables, and a mirrored closet. The sitting area had a sofa, end tables, desk, another TV, a mini-bar, and a second mirrored closet with iron and ironing board. The drapes and curtains were thick, the rooms were quiet, and the maids were unobtrusive but good. The bathroom was marble and had a makeup mirror. Amenities included shampoo, conditioner, shower cap, and mouthwash but they were not the luxury products that I received on my last stay there.

We walked from the Inner Harbor past the monument to this Afghan restaurant. Beware if you are not athletic. It is uphill.

I had never eaten Afghan food before but I really liked this restaurant. I recommend the lamb with mushroom dish and also the shredded beef in pastry. Both came with honey rice, a seasoned spinach, and pita bread. The entrees were between $10 to $14, low in this town. The service was excellent.

This restaurant was deservedly voted "Best Margarita" in 2002. It took us about twenty minutes to walk from the Inner Harbor through the back streets of Federal Hill to get to it.

It is clean and unpretentious. There is a bar and tables. We sat at a table for five and ordered Chilean Bass, shrimp, and enchiladas. The mole sauce on my enchiladas were delicious.

Everyone else enjoyed their meals too. We also ordered margaritas to go with our meals. My traditional margarita (with salt) was great. My co-workers also liked their special margaritas.

I've eaten here twice because it is in the Inner Harbor and near the hotel. It is clean, the servers are friendly, and the food is okay. I had the pork barbeque sandwich with fries and cole slaw one time and the chicken barbeque sandwich platter the last time.

This is the first restaurant that you come to in Little Italy when you walk past ESPN, Barnes and Noble, and the Hard Rock Cafe. On your left, you'll see a lovely park with a statue of Columbus Most right before you get there. The building is circular.

Inside, you walk between two busts of Caesar into a large circular room. The walls are mostly glass and there is a large tree in the middle of the room.

I had chicken parmigianna here two years ago and loved it. This time I ordered chicken marsala and I enjoyed that too. Our server was a very nice young man.

This is a fairly new restaurant that was recommended to one of my coworkers. We took the water taxi to Fels Point and walked about one and a half blocks to the restaurant. There is a outdoor patio with tables set amidst flowers and a medium-sized, beautifully styled dining room.

I ordered the Crab Cakes here and enjoyed them immensely. There was very little filler and a lot of lump crab.