"Gritty Baltimore"

INNER HARBOR--National Aquarium with its wide collection of flora and fauna. Maryland Science Center. Mostly brand-name shopping. Very touristy feel. WATER TAXI-- for unlimited rides during the day goes from Inner Harbor to Fort McHenry and Fells Point FORT McHENRY--US history buffs will like Star-Spangled Banner was inspired by this fort which was bombarded in 1812 by British FELLS POINT--Paddy Whalen, Harriet Tubman lived in this restored area. Many bars and crab houses. Touristy and sorority/fraternity crowds. JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY--pleasant campus, often quiet. BALTIMORE ART MUSEUM-occasional good exhibits MOUNT VERNON--just north of downtown near Baltimore's Washington monument. My favorite neighborhood in Baltimore. Alternative Baltimore found here. Gay community here. Some good restaurants in this neighborhood. I highly recommend the Helmand. LEXINGTON MARKET- Vendors selling produce; many stands; this is REAL Baltimore, very popular with the African-American community.

Quick Tips:

Don't expect New York City, Philly, Boston or Washington. The city is not nearly as lively. Fun is NOT around every corner. However, there's interesting things to see/good places to eat but you'll definitely want to do your research beforehand.

The city has a more working-class or suburban feel than its northeastern sisters. If you're looking for high-paced city action as a destination, Baltimore may not be what you're looking for.

That being said, I think it's definitely worth checking out, particularly for those already in the northeast. So few cities in the USA still have a downtown core; Baltimore is an exception.

Best Way To Get Around:

Car is the mode of transport of choice for most people visiting the city. Parking can be dicey in some areas although there are pay-per-use lots. HOWEVER, I live here without a car; it's challenging at times, but do-able. One can certainly visit without a car if one chooses. Taxis do come down the main streets (Charles and St. Paul) from the train station. The light rail and bus go from Penn Station down to the Inner Harbor (get off at Camden Yards). The fare is .35. Have exact change for the bus; there's machine for the light rail if you don't. There is a subway also but it only goes from Johns Hopkins Hospital to downtown, Lexington Market and out to Owings Mills suburbs. The light rail goes from Penn Station to BWI Airport as do the MARC commuter train and Amtrak trains. MARC commuter trains go from Washington DC to Baltimore on weekdays (.75 one way) and Amtrak goes from DC, Philly, NYC, Boston to Baltimore (,,, one-way fares approx.).

I discovered Afghan food about 5 years ago and have been an addict ever since. This restaurant is one of the best of its genre that I've been to in the world and in my opinion is one of the best restaurants period in Baltimore.

On Friday and Saturday night, this restaurant is always packed, so I particularly recommend getting recommendations then. The crowd tends to be more stylish than is the norm for many Baltimore restaurants, but people certainly are not turned away even in blue jeans or shorts. The walls are pleasantly decorated with traditional art and clothing.

The Aush soup is particularly delicious here, with just the right amount of sour cream, spices and noodles. I also highly recommend any spinach dish (the spinach is especially flavourful having clearly been simmered in spices just the right amount of time) at this restaurant; I always get the Sabzy Challow (spinach with lamb). For those who have never had Afghan food before, you should know that the spices used are quite different from (and not as spicy hot as ) some dishes from its Indian or Pakistani neighbors. I was very happy with the portions with my Sabzy Challow, although I found my friend could have been offered more with his Kebab dish. There is also a vegetarian menu for those so inclined.

This Mount Vernon café is one of THE places that hip, alternative (large queer element here) Baltimore goes for a cuppa. The coffee here is good (refills are free) and the food is fine, but neither are really exceptional.

The main reason to come here is to people-watch, soak in the almost un-Baltimore ambience and chat with friends while sipping coffee. I might add that I've found this is an especially good place to meet friends or dates prior to a night on the town in the Mount Vernon area. For those living in or visiting Baltimore who miss the more stylish, vibrant ambience of larger urban centers, City Café is a great place to go to feel alive again in relatively quiet Baltimore.

I've never found this place in any tourist guidebook (and nor will you I suspect), so I think the best description of it would be 'off the beaten track'. This is Lexington Market's little sister market in East Baltimore, very close to Johns Hopkins Medical School.

I always seem to smile when I come into this place. The crowd is such a mish-mash; you see gritty blue-collar white Baltimore here, working class East Baltimorean African-Americans (I'm always surprised by how many black men and women here have one or a few gold teeth; I wonder if it's supposed to mean anything) all mixed in with Johns Hopkins doctors, students and faculty. A multi-ethnic mix, but predominantly African-American. Having lived in the south of the US previously, I always notice the contrast in Baltimore, the relatively greater racial harmony and mixing.

Anyhow the market food is nothing to write home about, but there's a lot of local produce, a few Chinese food stalls, a pastry/fruit shake stand (now the fruit shakes ARE good!) called Sticky Buns, one candy store, one semi-Italian stand and a few deli-type places. It's not so much the food as the vibe (and price) of the place that I appreciate. I find it such a refreshing break from the identical, uncreative, brand-name cookie-cutter strip malls we have all over America and in many other places in the world.

The Market is a few blocks east of Johns Hopkins metro station in Baltimore. The market (and Metro) is closed on Sundays and is definitely more lively on weekdays than on Saturday. Lunch time is the time to go.

The National Aquarium in Baltimore is without doubt one of Baltimore's main draws. There is a vast array of marine life for one to observe, ranging from breathtakingly beautiful brightly-colored tropical fish to sinister-appearing sharks in tanks to unusually-shaped butterfly fish to the mysterious, otherworldly anemones to the friendly, talented dolphin. The breadth of the diversity makes one not mind so much the $12 entrance fee (there are occasional days with deals). My Mother and I imagined what it would cost to put a selection together and felt that $12 was not unreasonable to ask. There are occasionally $5 Fridays when visitors may go more cheaply.

It is the Amazonian River Forest however that is the pièce de résistance with a section where one enters a spacious tropical area replete with birds of brightly-colored plumages. While my Mother and I were in this section the 'weeeee-kuh' call of one bird made the experience very almost surreal.

Some might decry the lack of freedom of some of these animals, but there is certainly far more of an effort here to be ecologically-conscious than at many theme parks. The dolphin show is presented with a heavy dose of humour (with the dolphins as the star actors of course) but also with the desire to teach adults and children alike respect of these brilliant animals and their habitat. Additionally, the Aquarium has a large section dedicated to educating visitors about the need for protection of the world's coral reefs.

The Hippo is Baltimore's premiere night spot for Gay men; the club also attracts a fair number of Lesbians and a smaller percentage of open-minded straight people. The Hippo differs from a lot of Gay bars in other major northeastern metropolitan centers in that the crowd is considerably less pretentious and more mixed.

Friday night is relatively low key with most people just sitting around the bar chatting. Most people who want crowds head to club Allegro on Friday. Saturday night is 'the' night to go if you wish to have a packed dance floor with plenty of eye candy. Things start 'hopping' at around 11pm. The music (how surprising at a Gay club) ranges from pop/dance to House. In the bar section, commercial dance music videos may be watched on several TV screens.

It's definitely worth a look-see for queer folk and friends visiting the area (if only to see how Gay Baltimoreans live).

Although I've lived in Baltimore for 14 months now, I'm ashamed to say that I had heard that the Walters Art Gallery was under construction and kept postponing a visit, that is until yesterday.

The building itself is quite beautiful with its roman columns and high ceilings. PERMANENT COLLECTION. I must admit that I was initially disappointed by the somewhat cursory glance at art from the Mesopotamian, Ancient Egyptian, Greek and Medieval periods. Although there are some well-preserved, beautiful sculptures and vases from these periods, these sections certainly are not the museum's main selling point, as other museums in the world have much larger collections.

The area that DID knock my socks off is the goldsmith and porcelain wings of the gallery. Here there are some truly delightful pieces including their Fabergé eggs (ornate, lovingly crafted, priceless works of art), the Tiffany's collection and the Sèvres/Vincennes soft-paste porcelain pieces. Some of the cabinets and snuff boxes in this section also simply delighted me not only with their meticulous attention to detail and beauty but also with their cleverness and humor in their design.

Presently there is an "Orientalism in America" exhibit (I believe it ends after winter season 2000-2001) on the 2nd floor of the gallery. This section is devoted to artwork from the late 1800s and early 1900s of American depictions of life in the Near East and North Africa. While many pieces (mostly paintings) are quite beautiful, the museum also discusses the inaccurate way in which this part of the world is often portrayed (often so as not to offend American sensibilities of the day). During this time period, art depicting the Near East apparently was not only in vogue, but also romanticized and exoticized.

There is also a theater where clips from 3 silent movies (Thief in Bagdad with Douglas Fairbanks, The Shiek with Rudolph Valentino and Salomé) may be seen. These movies are not only amusing at times but take the viewer back to this fantasy mind set of the Near East à la Arabian Nights of that epoch. Overall this section was worth the extra $2.

Located at the center of the Mount Vernon neighborhood, The Walters Art Gallery is about a 10-15 minute walk north of the Inner Harbor and about an equal distance south of Baltimore's Penn Station. Admission to the permanent collection is $5 for adults and the permanent collection plus "Orientalism in America" is $7. There are special rates for seniors, students and children; those who obtain membership can go for free.

The first time I went to the Fells Point neighborhood in Baltimore (Oct. 1999), I wasn't impressed. Maybe I was hoping for more, maybe I thought it was too earthy, maybe I expected it to be more "gentrified", maybe it seemed a little more edgy that what I was used to. I recall thinking "this is it?".

A year-and-a-half later, Fells Point has really grown on me. With all too many urban centers in the US becoming big sprawling places that roll up the carpet after the workday's over. There are notable exceptions: the big 4 northeast corridor cities (NYC, Boston, Philly, DC), San Fran, and Chicago come to mind). With the population declines in Baltimore and desolate nature of many neighborhoods on weekends, I was afraid Baltimore was rapidly degenerating that way.

Fells Point gives me hope...this neighborhood seems to be defying the trend of exodus to the suburbs. On the northern edges between Fells Point and Johns Hopkins Hospital is apparently a sizeable Latino community (restaurants, stores, churches with displays only in Spanish) I didn't even know existed in Baltimore. A vibrant area, worn-at-the-edges, but interesting to see.

Fells Point itself, with its seafood and diverse restaurants (sushi, Chinese, Latin, Italian), historical rowhouses (Paddy Whalen, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman and Billie Holliday all lived here at one time), antique/record stores, seems like THE neighborhood to live in in Baltimore for those of us who like dynamic urban ambience (stores for all needs within easy walking distance). Some of my initial perceptions were correct: true, it IS very earthy with a large working-class element, and it IS moderately touristy (but not overly so); but Fells Point is a diverse, real urban neighborhood that exudes a uniquely Bawlmore charm and now I've learned to appreciate it for THAT.

Incidentally, I had the best calzone (veggie!) I think I've ever eaten at Lucia's in Broadway Market (on Broadway between Thames and Fleet), and got a good coffee in the Market too. Paul Stevens Ltd. on Thames St. one block east of Broadway had decent crab cake sandwiches ($9.95) and simple, charming old-world decor but was a little overpriced in my opinion.

Fells Point is about a $8 taxi ride from Baltimore Penn Station or may be reached by water taxis from the Inner Harbor ($5/day pass). Buses run from downtown/inner harbor (go to MTA Maryland for schedules) but I find the frequency leaves something to be desired on the weekend.

If I could do my time (I'm here on a 2-year contract) in Baltimore all over again, I think I would choose to live in Fells Point.