Baltimore, Maryland- Recommendations/DO's&DON'Ts
 

I need to know quick. Leaving in a few days. Does anyone have any recommendations(good/bad)on hotels,restaurants,places to see? Anything will help. Thanks in advance.

Keith: <BR> <BR>As far as restaurants, I have always enjoyed going to the Little Italy section. I don't have any specific names to give you, but you'll have many good choices. There's also Haussner's (sp?), a very famous restaurant that has even been featured in National Geographic. I don't know if you'll have a car, but if you do, you might want to check out Annapolis. It's really beautiful! But with football season quickly approaching, you might want to avoid it on the weekends, due to the Navy home football games. Annapolis is very cramped, and going there during a special event may be more headache than it's worth. <BR> <BR>Even though it's kind of touristy, I think the Inner Harbor and especially the aquarium are both nice, as well. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps!

I've lived in Baltimore now for about 10 months. There are some good restaurants in Mount Vernon (just north of the Inner Harbor)...I'd recommend the Helmand, an Afghan restaurant (less than $10/ plate) in Mount Vernon. <BR> <BR>I went to the Lexington Market for the 1st time this past weekend and absolutely loved the ambience there. Without doubt, a Baltimore experience and a significant gathering place for Baltimore's African-American community (I would say 90-95% black, 5-10% other). I highly recommend going. Pedestrian-only walkways lead up to the Market. <BR> <BR>See my previous post entitled "How to Have Fun in Baltimore (With and Without A Car)" for more suggestions. <BR> <BR>Have a great time... Dan.

As a MD'er, I'd definitely recommend the aquarium for any first-time Baltimore visitor. It's the #1 tourist attraction, but for a reason. The top hotel in the Inner Harbor is the "Harbor Court" -- the only 5 star hotel in the city. But any hotel in the Inner Harbor area will probably be fine. Hausner's has closed, but definitely check out Tio Pepe's, great spanish food, downtown, a chance to get away from the Inner Harbor. If you haven't been to D.C., you can tack a quick train down for the day. Finally, Baltimore also has a great (and manageable) art museum, and a relatively new, fun alternative art museum. Have fun!

Here's a DO for you. Have ice cream for dessert at Vaccaro's in Little Italy. The gelato is so good I'd actually prefer to have it as dinner too!

I like The Brewer's Art and Thai Town, both restaurants on Saint Charles St. Get an all-day pass for the water taxi & ride around the stops on the Inner Harbor. Fell's Point is where the TV show Homicide used to be filmed, & it has lots of neat small shops, also bars. The railroad museum is not too far from Inner Harbor area - short drive or long walk - and worth a trip. Of course the Aquarium is terrific.