Baltimore unsafe spots
 

We're thinking of a quick trip to Philadelplhia and then on to Baltimore. I've read some posts about Baltimore and am concerned about how safe the area is. We're coming in April (2 adults/2 kids elem/middle school). <BR>Is the inner harbor the place to stay that's safest? The hotels mentioned seem to be on the high end for a family of 4 (although I haven't checked any prices lately). What ARE the areas to be avoided???? <BR>Thanks for your help. Fodors has always been a great place to turn for travel advice. <BR>

Don't know much about the city proper as I have visited Baltimore twice and both times stayed at the Inner Harbor which is very safe. This is also the fun tourist area as you can walk to attractions, shopping, aquarium, museums etc. Everything family oriented is right there, Planet hollywood, ESPNzone, Cheesecake Factory and others. You can also take a water taxi over to Fell's Point? I believe where there is more of a quaint atmosphere as well as bars and nightlife (but you may not be going to these places as you have kids though the area is very safe) One not to miss attraction though not very well known is the home of Babe Ruth which they turned into a museum and of coursr visit Camden Yards where the Orioles play it is fantastic. Hotels in this area may be more expensive (though everything in baltimore is expensive) but the location is worth it. My personal favorite is the Harbour Renaissance Hotel not luxury but nice, do not know if they have pool though.

Hi Bella, <BR> <BR>My personal take on safety in Baltimore is that I become much more alert/concerned when there aren't many pedestrians around/stores to duck into. Many parts of the city are quite desolate, particularly at night, but even during the day on weekends. The Inner Harbor and Fells Point are the only significant exceptions. Incidents do happen across the city (including occasionally in the Inner Harbor and Fells Point) but tend to be more domestic violence, drug-related crimes between people who know one another. But reading the police beat, I can't deny that there are the rarer occasional random attacks... <BR> <BR>I have been to Mount Vernon, Charles Village (near JHU), the Inner Harbor, Fells Point, Little Italy, Fort McHenry, the Lexington Market (daytime best for the previous two), have ridden the subway, light rail and taken MARC trains into DC. On the whole, when visiting these places I have never greatly feared for my safety. I always keep an eye out for potential trouble though and tend to go on streets with more people traffic whenever possible (i.e., Charles St. in Mount Vernon, Howard St. going to the Lexington Market). I work in East Baltimore near Johns Hopkins Hospital gets very desolate at night, but I feel as fine as anywhere here in the day, particularly on weekdays. <BR> <BR>I've heard the western part of North Ave. is dicey, and as well a lot of Baltimore west of downtown and east Baltimore away from the hospital, but don't know from personal experience. <BR> <BR>Even in Charles Village and Mount Vernon, the neighborhood I live in and my favorite neighborhood in Baltimore respectively, there are tragic events. Two months ago, the owner of a café (City Café) I go to regularly (and YES still go to) was murdered in an alleyway in Mount Vernon for money. Near Peabody Institue in Mount Vernon, one man brandished a knife on several students. In Charles Village, the convenience store I regularly go to (and STILL go to) was robbed this past month, and I have walked by as a shooting took place right near my grocery store (domestic violence dispute). Does this mean I think these neighborhoods should be avoided altogether? A definitive NO; they're residential neighborhoods rich with history and character, with interesting stores. museums and cafés that I go to very often. Does this mean you should keep an eye out for trouble and be aware? Absolutely. But maybe one should anywhere? <BR> <BR>Have a great time! DAN

Everywhere is dangerous at night in Brawlmore. The 'natives' get restless. As for Philthy.........go get a cheesesteak from Pats and get the hell out of there.

Consider this a real life practical opinion from the mother of a 12 year old who likes travelling and the big city but who is also careful and wary of dangerous situations. We've been to NYC, and we live near DC, but I was never so uncomfortable as I was in Baltimore, when we strayed beyond the Inner Harbor at night. We've been there twice, once at a hotel about a half mile from the Inner Harbor with a walkway directly to the Inner Harbor, where the hotel people told us not to go after dark. One time we stayed at the Marriott right next to Camden Yards, about two blocks from the Harbor. I LOVED the hotel, but when we walked back after the game, there were homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk -- many of them, like a dozen -- right at the hotel entrance. They weren't dangerous, but it was ... scary. Last time we went, we stayed RIGHT on the Harbor and I had no concerns. Baltimore is weird this way, I know you will hear from the Bawlamer lovers, but yikes. We walked all over NYC, from the battery to Central Park, Times Square day and night, and never had a care, in spite of what you hear about that city. Brrr.

My guess is that the previous posters will have scared you away by now. I live here, am married with 2 kids, and I think that our city is a great place to visit with teens. It is worth it to spend the $$ to stay near the harbor, that's where the fun is. The city is best to visit when it's warm outside (late April-mid October). The only other area I would suggest staying in is Fells Point, unless you have a car and plan to drive downtown only for certain actvities. There are many hotels to choose from which are close to the harbor or Fells Point. Try Admiral Fell Inn, Inn at Henderson's Wharf, inn at Pier 5 if you prefer to stay away from the big ones. And just to clarify, the above mentioned City Cafe owner was killed by his own employee who staked him out on his daily bank run. A sick event, but could have happened anywhere. Please visit as thousands do every year. You'll be fine if you stick to the tourist areas, as I'm sure you will do in Philadelphia, NYC or DC.

Edye, I hope you don't think from my posting that I was trying to discourage Bella from coming to Baltimore. Au contraire, I think the unique ambience of places like the Lexington Market and Little Italy, the high-quality museums like the Walters Art Gallery, Aquarium and Baltimore Museum of Art, to name a few, make Baltimore a worthwhile destination. (Personally, I find the Inner Harbor a bit of an overrated overpriced tourist trap...but for kids, the Aquarium and Maryland Science are certainly fun. Fells Point, while a bit of a tourist trap too, is certainly interesting historically and has some good stores.) <BR> <BR>Now it's true that the tragedy at City Café was an inside job...masterminded by an employee, whose friends robbed and shot the owner at gunpoint when he was taking the money to the bank. The inside nature may comfort tourists, but as a Baltimorean, did this incident worry you less since it was done amongst people who knew one another? It speaks of the prevalence of guns and the ruthless levels some youths are willing to go to in this city, and for what, $3000? And to kill a man who was willing to invest in a restaurant downtown (and a quite successful one at that), loved Baltimore and knew patrons by name (and trusted his employee!)? It breaks my heart and in some ways worries me more. Maybe as you say, it could have happened anywhere, but let's not ignore the statistics either: Baltimore's crime rate is way too high. Coming from Montreal, a greater metropolitan area 1 1/2 times larger than Baltimore's, but with 1/6 the number of murders each year...I see all too clearly that Baltimore has a problem. Nevertheless, I definitely think tourists should come and enjoy; it's not like every stretch of the city has criminals lurking around every corner...tourists getting targeted is a rare thing. But I maintain that it's important to be aware of one's surroundings.

I went to the Philly Pizza Company, and ordered some hot tea. The waitress said, well, no, we only have it iced. So we jumped on the table and shouted "Anarchy" and someone played a Beach Boys song on the juke box. It was California Dreamin', and so we started screamin' "On such a winter's day!!!!"

I have been to Baltimore many times on business alone & also with the family. I have stayed in the Inner Harbor area, at a hotel across from Camden Yards, at Fells Point at the Admiral Fell, and at the Abacrombie Badger B&B near the symphony hall. I have always had pleasant visits. Like anywhere else, be alert & observant, ASK the hotel staff about any places to avoid. There do seem to be more homeless than some other places I have been, but the ones I have encountered have been polite. You will enjoy the attractions and have a good time! Don't miss the railroad museum.

Dan Williams is right. Much of Baltimore is desolate. At night, you are not safe more than one block from the greatest hospital in the world, Johns Hopkins. As my son has a heart condition, I am very familiar with this dangerous neighborhood from my many visits. The Hospital has its own police/security force that ranges a block off hospital grounds to keep the Hospital's customers safe. More than Washington DC, Baltimore's corners are taken up by little groups of hoodlums just lingering there during the work day. Ethnic Highlandtown is losing its Greek, Polish, German and Italian charm--a once great neighborhood now becoming ghettoized. Southwest Baltimore has already been ghettoized after being a fine ethnic neighborhood for three or four generations. By all means visit Baltimore in the day time; there are several sites worth seeing. But the future of this city is grim. Its going down.

We jumped into her car away we started rollin I said how much you pay for this. said nothin man it's stolen <BR> <BR> <BR>You know what Stuart, I like you. You're not like the other people, here, in the trailer park...

I actually don't think the future of Baltimore is grim at all. I think it's teetering on the edge...things could really deteriorate or really improve. There are days that I think the former, such as when I heard about the City Cafe murder or on a weekend when even "livelier" parts of the city feel empty. <BR> <BR>Then there are other days that I'll go buy produce at the vibrant Lexington Market or grab a sandwich at earthy Jay's Deli near Penn Station or go for Italian in charming Little Italy or enjoy high quality Afghan food at the Helmand in Mount Vernon...these times give me hope for Baltimore. They don't call it Charm City for nothing. Baltimore has a lot to offer: proximity to Washington DC, the presence of the #1 ranked hospital, cheaper housing prices, not-so-bad traffic, do-able public transportation (p.t. worse than the best US cities but better than most) and interesting history-filled neighborhoods. With enough vision, passion and hard work, I'm convinced that Baltimore could become a truly enviable place to live, following the pattern of the renaissance in Philadelphia. With its central location close to DC, Philly and NYC, well served by Amtrak, Baltimore will have an easier time than some places attracting talent to the city.

i have been to baltimore many times. Stay right at the Inner Harbor. Yes, the hotels are expensive but worth it. The benefits are the safety of being in this area, and the flexibility to walk back to your hotel during the day to catch a breather. many areas of Baltimore other than this are downright scary.

Thanks for the info. <BR> <BR>Question: Has anyone stayed in the outskirts of Baltimore, ie., Owing Mills, and driven in to the city rather than stay in the inner harbor area?

I live in the DC area and have only visited Baltimore a few times when taking visitors or going out at night with friends or on business, so won't comment on best places to stay or costs. However, there is a nice scenic small historic town just on the outskirts of Baltimore west, Ellicott City, where you could stay if you wanted to be outside the city but very close, so I thought I'd mention it as I like it. They have good restaurants and nightlife (ie, live music in cafes, etc) which is why I go there, but it's a pretty little town and definitely safe. There are not hardly any accommodations there, of course, as it's mainly a small town (lots of hotels in nearby cities like Columbia), but there is one nice B&B that has two-suite rooms at reasonable rates, The Wayside Inn (www.waysideinn.com, I think), and one large hotel/resort complex with a 200rm hotel, Turf Valley (good if you wanted outdoor activities like golf or tennis) at www.turfvalley.com or some obvious URL. I think their family rooms for four are about $125-150, not sure how that compares to Baltimore Inner Harbor. That is just outside Ellicott City. You can read about this town in www.visitellicottcity.com If the goal is see Baltimore, though, I agree staying at Inner Harbor is the most convenient. I liked Daniel's comments on Baltimore and crime, I think they are very thoughtful and good points. I live in DC and find it troublesome when people dismiss criminal activity and say it's no problem because it's mainly people who know each other, not in my part of town, etc. I also findit troublesome and indicative of the sociological and violent climate of an area when an employee will kill his boss in conjuction with recruiting his friends from the neighborhood, and I don't think such things can happen anywhere (not with any high probability). I was offered a job at Johns Hopkins U once and even though I really liked the job and the university, one reason I declined was the terrible neighborhood around it (it was at the hospital/public health complex campus, not their main campus). I think if local residents do not take criminal activity seriously or do not think it's a community problem, just because it's certain areas or people who may know each other in some way, things will not change or be addressed and the local politicians or police force get the idea it is not a priority.

Today I walked on this gorgeous day from Johns Hopkins Hospital down to Fells Point (about a 15-minute walk), got tasty crabcake sandwiches at Paul Stevens, Ltd. on Thames St. (bit overpriced if you ask me but very charmingly decorated). Fells Point really can be quite charming sometimes; here you can really imagine colonial Baltimore as the production center of clippers and filled with sailors, a rugged maritime city. <BR> <BR>My coworkers were afraid to walk down with me (about a 20-minute walk) out of fear. Seeing as I'd walked it though, a few coworkers walked back up with me. There's really only about 3 or 4 blocks which are quasi-deserted on this walk. On our walk, we admired many of the old buildings and monuments. <BR> <BR>I think the key for Baltimore's future (and sometimes I think I see it happening) would be to connect neighborhoods. People not be afraid to walk from the Inner Harbor to Little Italy and on to Fells Point. Not be afraid to walk from Fells Point to Johns Hopkins Hospital. Not be afraid to walk from the Inner Harbor to Mount Vernon and up to Penn Station. Encourage businesses with tax incentives to set up shop in the intermediate areas (hopefully respecting the history of the area). Baltimore is replete with history and has a tremendous charm (people who love accents should know that Bawlmore has one that makes me smile whenever I hear it). I think more than many places, Baltimore has so much to capitalize on. I've lived here one-and-a-half years and probably won't stay. Nevertheless, I wish the city success and am optimistic that it will.