Articles, USA East, Midwest, South
Baltimore, Maryland, a Treasure Trove of Americana
By Lee Foster
Baltimore does not immediately jump out on the national travel map as a primary destination, especially when compared to nearby Washington, D.C. However, when you take a close look at Baltimore, a treasure trove of Americana emerges to explore.
This is where Francis Scott Key penned the Star Spangled Banner, after watching an unsuccessful British attack on Fort McHenry in 1814. Baltimore was and is a major American seafaring city.
Babe Ruth swung his first bat here. Edgar Allan Poe wrote his dark poems here until his untimely drunken death. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad made Baltimore a national rail transportation hub in the 19th century.
Crabcakes? This is the spot to enjoy them. Chesapeake Bay blue crabs grace many menus. Enjoy them during a walk on the Inner Harbor at a dockside restaurant, such as City Lights, where the half-pound crab cake is difficult to pass up.
While savoring your crabcakes, you can look out at the Inner Harbor, an American success story of urban renewal. We Americans love the comeback kid story, and Baltimore was on the ropes circa 1980. Today the restored Inner Harbor is a safe, strollable, engaging place, with the world-class National Aquarium of Baltimore and several intriguing historic ships. This is one of the brilliant urban renewal projects in America today, full of joy and life, attracting visitors and locals.
The view of the inner harbor is especially lovely at sunset or at night from Pisces restaurant, atop the Hyatt Hotel, which offers, arguably, the best view available. Pisces opens at 4 p.m. for drinks and dinner. The Chesapeake bay rockfish, a striped bass, is a tasty menu option.
Baltimore is not all sweetness and light, but the city has its moments. Neighborhoods such as Charles Village show the spark that intellectuals (Johns Hopkins graduate students) can bring to an inner city. Two blocks away the brick houses are all boarded up. Though the local Ace Hardware sells a lot of rat control products, the Baltimore Opera at the Lyric Opera House can stage a brilliant Aida (which I have seen). The Peabody Conservatory turns out some of the finest musicians in America. Special art collections, such as the Walters Art Gallery, show taste and collecting tendencies at the highest level. Baltimore has wealth, respectability, and culture. But, like all the older, eastern cities, Baltimore has a lot of urban residents who have been left behind, lurking in decaying brick housing, undereducated, living a backwater existence.
To lodge in one of the enlightened neighborhoods, the Peabody Court Hotel would be a good choice. This intimate and dignified hotel is in the Mount Vernon neighborhood, one block away from the noted statue honoring George Washington. Your room may look down on the patch of greenery around the statue, a pleasant amenity. The famous Walters Art Gallery is only two blocks away. The Peabody ?s George restaurant serves a rotating good-value entre each evening.
Here are the 10 best things in Baltimore for a traveler to see and do, based on my personal experience:
-The Inner Harbor. Baltimore has transformed its Inner Harbor into an urban promenade. You can stroll this horseshoe-shaped area and take in views of the city skyline and the water. A Water Taxi can ferry you around the Inner Harbor, giving an on-the-water perspective. Street performers and musicians entertain. As mentioned, restaurants such as City Lights feature Maryland ?s noted seafood delights, especially crab, rockfish, mu ssels, and oysters. Baltimore ‘s red-brick historic architecture has been saved and restored in recycled buildings such as The Power Plant. On a sunny weekend afternoon you’ll find thousands of locals and visitors walking around the Inner Harbor. A climb up Federal Hill on the south side of the Inner Harbor shows the city skyline to advantage. One of the major entities in the Inner Harbor is the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the most popular attraction in the city.
-The National Aquarium in Baltimore. Rivaling the great Monterey Aquarium in California or the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, the National Aquarium in Baltimore is first class. A visitor proceeds on three imaginative journeys–from the Maryland mountains to the sea, from the North Atlantic to the Pacific, and from tropical rain forests to fecund coral reefs. Inclusion of the rain forest in the aquarium suggests that all life forms depend on water in some manner. Whether you’re at the shark tank or the coral reef, Baltimore has the dazzling fish to bring alive the environments. An appealing dolphin show will entertain kids, as the wily and intelligent dolphins are put through their learned-behavior routines.
-The Historic Ships of the Inner Harbor. Baltimore celebrates its grand maritime contribution to America with a range of ships, which can be observed and toured. Several of the ships are collectively part of the Baltimore Maritime Museum. The USS Constellation is a 200-year-old battle frigate, one of the last surviving ships of the Civil War. Baltimore developed in the 19th century a set of fast and maneuverable trading ships, called ” Baltimore clippers.” The Pride of Baltimore is a replica of those ships. If it is in port, rather than out serving as a city ambassador in the “tall ships” circuit, take a tour. Another special regional ship is the “skipjack,” a small sailing ship used by the independent watermen of Chesapeake Bay in their seafood harvests. Along the waterfront, the Minnie V is a replica of a skipjack. Be sure also to see the submarine Torsk, lightship Chesapeake, and coastguard cutter Taney.
-Fells Point and Little Italy. Fells Point is a lively boutique dining, shopping, and bar scene on the Water Taxi route a mile east of the Inner Harbor. Day and night, Fells Point is a happening place. About a half mile away, on the 800-900 blocks of Eastern, plus side streets, is Little Italy. Here you’ll find about 25 Italian restaurants maintaining a tradition of fine dining and good value. Try the mussels appetizer and then the veal scallopine at Dalesio. Another good choice is the eggplant parmesan or tortellini alfredo at Chiapparelli’s.
- Fort McHenry National Monument. This fort, protecting the Inner Harbor and the city, had to be taken by the British in the War of 1812. American attorney Francis Scott Key happened to be on a neutral truce ship because he was bartering for the release of a captured American doctor, Dr. William Beanes. The Americans commissioned a huge 30×42 foot flag to fly over the fort, taunting the British. Key watched the night bombardment and penned his thoughts “by dawn’s early light” after it was evident that the Americans had withstood the attack. Later the poem became our national anthem. The “rockets? red glare” referred to some 600 rockets that the British fired at the Fort. The “bombs bursting in air” alluded to the 1600 cannon shots, each filled with a charge and fuse, that the British fired at the fort from a distance of two miles. After the night of barrage was over, “our flag was still there.” Today you can stroll this star-shaped fort and imagine the ferocity of the battle. Fort McHenry is at the end of East Fort Avenue.
- American Visionary Art Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art. Two more contrasting institutions could hardly be imagined. The American Visionary is not a mu seum where you will see the codified, accepted masterpieces of an American Renoir or a Rembrandt. Rather, it is a repository for the “found” art of often inventive, self-taught artists, who may or may not be mentally ill. The museum is full of one-of-a-kind visions. There is a Lusitania cruise ship model constructed out of 130,000 toothpicks. Changing shows celebrate the distinctive visions of artists who often fall below the horizon of conventional art. A 55-foot-high “Whirligig” sculpture outside the building sets the tone and expectations for the unconventional. The American Visionary Art Museum is at 800 Key Highway. By comparison, the Baltimore Museum of Art is a traditional institution that hosts major shows and has strong permanent collections, from African tribal masks to early American furniture. The Baltimore Museum of Art is at North Charles and 31st Streets.
- Mt. Vernon Square and the Walters Art Museum. The affection that Maryland had for George Washington is reflected on Charles Street in a square, called Mt. Vernon, where a 16-foot-high statue of Washington stands on a tall pedestal. The monument was designed by the same person who later fashioned the larger Washington Monument in Washington D.C. The area is interesting to explore for a look at the grand houses and the “restaurant row” up and down Charles Street. The famous Peabody Conservatory of Music is located on the edge of the square, corner of North Charles Street and Mount Vernon Place, and offers concerts and student recitals. The Walters Art Museum, also adjacent to the square, is a major Baltimore treat, showing the collecting skills of art patron Henry Walters. The quality of the works is impressive, such as a 4th century B.C. Greek vase in mint condition. The museum is at 600 North Charles. Among restaurants, if you are in a hurry and would like a quick bite of tasty food at a good price, try Howard?s Deli. As suggested, a good lodging choice for Baltimore would be the Peabody Court Hotel, which locates you in this intriguing neighborhood. The Peabody Court is a full-service hotel, but on an intimate and personal scale.
- Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum. You don’t have to be a rail “buff” to enjoy the outstanding Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum at the Mount Clare Station, West Pratt and Poppleton. Anyone who delights in the story of America and the many transportation elements that created it will savor this museum. From here the first passenger trains in America were launched in 1830. The museum has an impressive amount of rolling stock, about 120 cars and engines in an open yard, ranging from ancient cabooses to more modern Amtrak cars. Inside you’ll hear the social story of rail employment, and see the paraphernalia of railroading, such as a collection of conductor watches. Displays show how the railroad telegraph was once the state-of-the-art communication device in a lonesome era. Upstairs is an elaborate model railroad exhibit with a re-created small town. The building housing the B&O was once a huge facility for train construction and maintenance, contributing to the style of Baltimore as a no-nonsense, hard-working town. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum is at 901 W. Pratt Street.
-Edgar Allan Poe and Babe Ruth houses. These two icons of American culture had homes here. Brush up on Poe’s dark poems, such as “The Raven” and “The Bells,” and then drive by his small red brick house, 203 Amity Street, which is in a chancy neighborhood. The house may or may not be open for a visit. Then proceed to a small graveyard at the corner of West Fayette and North Green, where Poe’s grave is adjacent to the front gate. Babe Ruth’s House and Museum, at 216 Emory Street, shows the humble surroundings of the pug-faced slugger and the many baseball records he set. As you amble through the house, the sound of memorable broadcasting moments, celebrating his many home runs, can be heard in the background. One wall highlights each of 714 home runs by the “Sultan of Swat,” as he was known. His record of 60 home runs in 1927 stood until the recent McGuire/Sosa/Bonds era.
- Druid Hill Park ‘s Conservatory. Maryland has plenty of outdoor attractions if you have time for a day trip from Baltimore around Chesapeake Bay or into the mountains to the north and west. However, within Baltimore, one of the pleasant parks to walk is called Druid Hill. Druid Hill Park was created immediately after the Civil War as an antidote to the tragedies and despair of the time. The most charming focus of Druid Park is a 19th century glass conservatory, where exotic plants are grown. The Conservatory, also known as The Palm House, is a gracious Victorian-style greenhouse. Within the Conservatory the social as well as botanical history of Baltimore is portrayed.
Travelers exploring a new destination will often wonder, “What is the essence of this place?” For Baltimore, picking a few choice Americana touches to explore can make the city a satisfying place to visit.
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BALTIMORE : IF YOU GO
The tourism office for the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association is at 100 Light St., Baltimore, MD 21202; 410/659-7300, 800/343-3468; www.baltimore.org. When at the Inner Harbor, there is a new Visitor Center.
The overall state tourism contact is Maryland Office of Tourism, 217 E. Redwood St., Baltimore, MD 21202; 800/634-7386; www.mdwelcome.org.
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