Baltimore

Baltimore was the last city that I lived in before moving to the suburbs, and the only city I lived in with a baby and without a job. And while I only spent a year there, Eric’s from Baltimore so we go back all the time. Disclaimer: this is MY experience of Baltimore and I know some family and friends may have a different experience with the city. Especially since they’ve been there forever and I was only there for a year. I had trouble with this post initially because there were so many things other people would probably tell you to do (plus that whole new baby thing, so I experienced this city differently than the previous three), but I really just want to talk about what I did when I was there that I enjoyed. Ask those other people if you want their interests and opinions.

So anyway, here it is.

Baltimore is like Philly in that it’s walkable and driveable. It’s a smaller city, and being able to walk everywhere was great, especially since we always had a stroller with us. So, if you read my Philly post, you might find that this one is similar in that I’m going to take you on a walk through the city because that is usually how I spent my days while living there.

Baltimore is somewhat of a horseshoe around the harbor. We lived in Federal Hill, right on the water in Harborview Tower.

So, walking out our front door we were already on the harbor. Usually I would just go out and walk along the water, and here’s all the neighborhoods I would hit along the way.

First Stop – Federal Hill:

The neighborhood is named for the actual hill. It’s a big park with some historical stuff and a playground. Since this was so close to us and we had a new baby, we spent a lot of time on this hill just walking around, playing on the slides and swings, and taking in the views of the whole city from the top of the hill.

And at the bottom of the hill is the American Visionary Art Museum. If you’ve read my other posts, you’ll know I don’t do museums or art. This one’s kind of cool though, even just to spend an hour or two to see some really different interesting art.

Also at the bottom of the hill just a little bit further down the harbor is the Rusty Scupper. This is where people like to go to eat seafood on the water. Honestly, it’s not that good and feels like a chain-ey fried fish joint with table cloths to make it seem better than it is. It’s a tourist trap, but the location is beautiful if you can get a window seat.

To really get a feel for the actual neighborhood, though, you have to walk a little bit away from the harbor. This is where the food, shops, and millennials can be found. When I was living there, I loved walking up there to pick up some lunch at one of the many bistros or cafes, and take a stroll. This is also where you can find all of the 20 somethings day drinking during a baseball or football game, because Ravens fans be crazy. It is also where these same 20 somethings go to bar hop on a Saturday night. I think. I didn’t do much of that because 1. I had a newborn and 2. I don’t bar hop as this is an activity that generally happens after 9 pm.

Second Stop – Inner Harbor:

So we’re back on the harbor, and we continue walking, and we get to the area that is actually called the Inner Harbor. This is tourist central, and it’s probably the most fun area for kids. It’s the Baltimore you’re probably picturing if you’ve never been to Baltimore but have seen photos.

Your first stop, especially if you have kids, is the Maryland Science Center. I actually spent a ton of time in here because it’s where my stroller workout class took place in winter months (on Fed Hill in warmer months), and it’s a really fun place. Bonus: you get in free with a teacher ID. Landen was a little too young to enjoy it at the time, so I’d like to take him back, but we did go with Devin a few times to dig for dinosaur bones, watch balls roll down ramps and ring bells, and make a giant human sized bubble (flashback to Long Island Children’s Museum circa 1994).

This part of the harbor is the area that you also find all of the events that go on in Baltimore throughout the year, such as the Christmas Village and Light City (which is pretty overrated).

As you continue around the water, you’ll find all of the food. I strongly suggest you keep walking. Let me repeat that. DO NOT eat in the inner harbor. It is filled with touristy crap. Bubba Gumps, Hooters, Potbelly, Dick’s Last Resort. If you’re hungry, leave this area. You are so close to some seriously good food, so don’t let the crowds in the inner harbor fool you. Walk a little back west and stop at one of those Fed Hill Cafes I was talking about. Walk a little North and you’re in Mount Vernon. I mostly went to this area just to eat. There’s great Indian food, Afghan food, Korean food, pizza (Iggies, the actual only good pizza in the greater Baltimore area), and more awesome cafes. Go a little east and you’re in Little Italy, which has Italian food, obviously, and Harbor East for some upscale deliciousness (more on this later).

Across from all of the gross food, though, is the dragon paddle boats. This is a fun way to relax and spend some time paddling around the harbor, taking in the sights. Once you get off the boats, keep walking around the harbor in the direction of the National Aquarium (you’ll pass a statue on the way – Baltimore’s 9-11 memorial). The aquarium is great, and I’d highly recommend it with kids. Landen loved the fishies. And the escalators. (“Ride escalators to more fishies!”)

Third Stop – Little Italy and Harbor East:

After the aquarium, the neighborhood switches over to Little Italy and Harbor East. Little Italy is a great place to go for some Italian food for dinner, and definitely hit up Vaccaro’s for dessert. Make sure you get a GIANT eclair. I actually think the only thing to do in Little Italy is eat – anyone from Baltimore can feel free to correct me if I’m wrong on that.

And then head over to Harbor East. This is the most upscale neighborhood in Baltimore. Upscale food, upscale stores, upscale apartment buildings. It’s arguably the nicest place to live, but also the most expensive (yet still much cheaper than the other three cities I wrote about). Some of my favorite restaurants are in this area (Azumi, Ouzo Bay, Charleston for a special occasion) and it’s a really nice area to walk around on a nice day.

We also rented a boat from the docks in this area on Memorial Day. I hate boats but this was just a couple hours going 5 mph on the harbor and eating some snacks before dinner. It was lovely.

Fourth Stop – Fells Point:

Next up on your journey around the harbor is Fells Point. I think this actually might be my favorite neighborhood in Baltimore. This is where you find all of the small shops and boutiques and the old cobblestone streets. And of course, more great food. Barcocina was one of our favorite lunch spots when we lived there. It’s on the water and the lunch special is great. We liked to leave the apartment after Landen’s morning nap (or during, for a stroller nap) and walk all the way around the water to Fell’s Point for lunch outside on a nice day, and then have some ice cream and take the water taxi home. This is also water taxi hub, so you can get to basically any other part of the city easily from Fell’s Point. It’s hard to prove that this was my favorite area, because I have no pictures. I guess I was busy enjoying it.

Fifth Stop – Canton:

The last stop on your stroll is Canton. I honestly didn’t spend much time here so I can’t say too much about it, but it is home to Bo Brooks. This is the place to go for crabs. I’m not a crab person and I really don’t like Old Bay. But this is where the crab people like to go. It’s on the water, so try to get a table outside if you can. And if you can’t get a table outside, call Wayne. He’ll get you one.

All together, that walk around the harbor is about 3 miles (from Harborview Tower, where we lived, to Bo Brooks). This is not counting any little extra stops in between. But the good news is that if you’re not interested in this long of a walk, Baltimore’s fabulous water taxi can take you to each of these neighborhoods (and if you Google Map this walk it will actually give you time and mileage with the water taxi even if you choose “walk”, so don’t be fooled). The bad news is that it doesn’t run super frequently, so make sure to check the schedule – they do usually run approximately on time. And there’s also the Harbor Connector. This is the commuter version of the water taxi. It goes back and forth between two stops (there’s a few different routes) just to easily get you across the water to the other side of the city. I used to take this almost daily with my stroller from my home in Federal Hill to my gym in Harbor East. Much easier than dealing with car seats, and driving through the city and into Inner Harbor traffic.

You can also take the water taxi from Canton to Locust Point, and then head over to Fort McHenry (or directly from Fells Point to Fort McHenry). The area is beautiful, and you can get a little history lesson. Bonus: You’ve officially come full circle and you’re almost back to where you started in Fed Hill. You can head back home from here, or if you’ve still got some energy check out the Sagamore Whiskey Distillery.

There are a few things worth mentioning that are not on this walk around the harbor. I talked a little bit about the food in each neighborhood, and if I’m telling you about Baltimore’s food scene it would be unfair to leave out Hamden. There are some awesome restaurants here. It’s about halfway between downtown and the suburbs, so it’s a great place to meet friends who may live on the opposite end of this. And once you’re in this area, you’re super close to the Baltimore Zoo! Super fun for kids.

And then there’s the sports stuff. I’m really not a sports fan, but Eric is, so I’ve been to some games. Apparently Camden Yards is a thing to see. I’ve been to a couple games there, and I did a tour when it was empty. I also have a certificate from Landen’s first baseball game there, and a ball that Eric caught when I was pregnant, so Landen’s actual first game.

I also went to a couple of Ravens games. And a Justin Timberlake and someone else (50 cent?? Don’t remember) concert at M&T that was more fun than the games.

I hate to end this post talking about sports because I really don’t care about sports. So I’ll end it with this picture of Tom making me visit Hopkins instead (see D.C. post about being forced to visit Georgetown for more on this).