fkwok

A family friend's son is getting married in Towson next year. We (me, wife and 8 yo) are considering a long weekend trip, but can not decide whether to stay at Marriott Inner Harbor or the wedding party's slected hotel for their guests in Towson.

I prefer to stay at the Marriott since it is close to all the sights and fun.

Can anyone tell me how long it would take to drive to Towson? It looks like is maybe 5 miles on my AAA map.

Should I drive my car and park it at the Marriott ($20 per day though) or Amtrak it and then take a cab to the wedding and reception?

How far is Balitmore to Ocean City? We would to either do a day trip to the beach or spend more time there before the wedding.

Thanks!

LT

fkwok:

Inner Harbor - Towson via I-83 & Beltway should only take about 20-25 mins., of course depending on the time of day. Rush hour will undoubtedly be longer.

As far as where you should stay, it all depends. If you want to spend most of your time @ downtown, then the Marriott makes more sense.

Re: Amtrak vs. car, I would recommend you drive -- it'll just be far more convenient. BUT, be careful -- while Baltimore could use more cops doing actual substantive policework, there is an overabundance of them on the roads (makes sense, huh?!?).

From Baltimore to OC, again, it all depends! If you go on a weekday (non- rush-hour times), I would imagine it'll only be about 2-2 1/2 hrs. But, if you leave anytime after noon on Friday and/or come back on Sunday afternoon, you may be in for a significant delay, as the Eastern Shore is very popular w/DC & Baltimore residents.

Enjoy your stay!

kgh8m

If you'd like to catch the sights in Baltimore (they're just aren't that many things to see in Towson), then stay at the Marriott. The Marriott Inner Harbor is very convenient to the Inner Harbor area and to Camden Yards (if you're coming during baseball season). Definitely don't stay in a hotel that's more than a block or two away from the Inner Harbor - once you get away from the Inner Harbor area on a non-game night, you won't really want to be walking around after dark. It's fine on game nights, though.

Don't take a cab to Towson - it would be pretty expensive. It's about a 15-20 minute drive without traffic, and 83 North will take you through town to 695 (Baltimore Beltway), so it's not a difficult trip, either.

Baltimore to Ocean City is a hike - fine for an overnight trip, but more driving than you'd want to do in a day. It's 140 miles to Ocean City (once you hit the Eastern Shore, you're only 1/3 of the way there) and the Bay Bridge often has horrible back-ups - b/c they're just aren't that many ways to get out to the Eastern Shore. Annapolis would be a wiser day trip (and in my humble opinion, a better trip, as well).

BaltoTraveler

Ocean City would be at least 3 hours from Towson (probably more, especially if traffic is an issue, such as rush hour). OC would be fun, even in the off-season, but it's not a day trip. A better day trip would be to go up to the Northern Delaware area to take in one or more of the DuPont Museums or the Longwood Gardens (also DuPont, but in the Brandywine Valley area of Pennsylvania, just across the state line from Delaware).

I agree with the other posters that you should drive rather than train & taxi, and that you should stay in the Inner Harbor if you want to see Baltimore.

Living in Towson, I sadly confess that we don't have much of anything that an out-of-towner would find particularly interesting. The only exception would be the Hampton Mansion... an early-1800s plantation managed by the U.S. Park Service.

bardo1

Stay at the Inner Harbor. The drive to Towson would be 30 min or less even in the worst of traffic.
Ocean city is NOT a day trip. There is more than enough to see and do in Baltimore for a few days (or a week).