I am looking for a hotel in a safe Baltimore, MD suburb to stay in. I am going to a conference at a Inner Harbor hotel. I also need to know:

1. The estimated time it takes to travel to the Inner Harbor from your recommended suburb.
2. How easy it is to take public transportation to the Inner Harbor.
3. How frequent public transportation runs.
4. Do I have to pay to park to take public transportation.
5. If there are free shuttles from suburb hotels to the city.

The most important issue for me is safety and price. I appreciate any advise you give me regarding Baltimore suburbs. Thank you.

Why stay in the suburbs? If price is the only reason, then you need to factor in inconvenience and price into the $$$$. If it is safety, I think the Inner Harbor hotel areas are as safe as any other big city tourist area.

Inner Harbor is nice. We used to live in Glen Burnie. I know there is a decent hotel by the airport we stayed at before. A Days Inn or something.

Don't know why you are not staying in Inner Harbor - Priceline has an Inner Harbor zone for Baltimore - you should be able to get a nice hotel inexpensively.

It's very rare for a tourist to encounter trouble in the Inner Harbor area. Baltimore's major crime problem is drug dealers shooting each other, in neighborhoods well away from that area.

The only hotel I can think of that isn't downtown and is convenient public transportation is the Doubletree "Inn at the Colonnade", right across from Johns Hopkins University.

With all those questions you have, I recommend you forget the suburbs. Stay at the Inner Harbor. There are some really good safe hotels there. Better yet, stay at the conference hotel. There are many great restaurants in the safe downtown area. And there are lots of safe activities to fill your free time. Baltimore is a wonderful city with a fantastic downtown and Inner Harbor. You will love it!

As with all the other posters I would have to wonder why you seem so strongly leaning to stay in a Baltimore suburb. If your conference is in the Inner Harbor and there are plenty of hotels at the Inner Harbor and the immediate area, a little research at expedia.com or hotels.com or any of the booking websites will find you a suitable room at a reasonable price.

For your information the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore is very safe. It is the bread and butter of Baltimore's tourist trade has little to no crime to speak of. You will be totally safe in the Inner Harbor area to move about and have fun as you would be in any other tourist areas of any other major city.

In response to questions about suburban hotels and public transportation let me discuss the transportation first. Baltimore does not have an extensive rail mass transit system as many other cities do but there are two lines that do run. One is the subway which runs from Owings Mill (a suburb with a couple hotels) to east of the Inner Harbor and a light rail system that runs from Glen Burnie to the south to Hunt Valley in the north. Go to www.mtamaryland.com/ for info.

Hotels in Owings Mills near close to the subway stop would be the AmeriSuites Owings Mills and Hilton Garden Inn Owings Mills. There are various hotel options in Hunt Valley that are relatively close to the light rail. That being said i will try my best to answer your questions.

1. The estimated time it takes to travel to the Inner Harbor from your recommended suburb.

From Owings Mills on the subway look for about a 20 minute ride and then depending where your conference is a short to moderate walk. From Hunt Valley it is a 35 to 50 minute ride depending on traffic in the city, again a short to moderate walk.

2. How easy it is to take public transportation to the Inner Harbor.

Pretty easy buy a ticket and ride

3. How frequent public transportation runs.

Again refer to www.mtamaryland.com for exact schedules but both the light rail and subway run often, you should not have too much of a wait with either.

4. Do I have to pay to park to take public transportation.

No, many stops have "park and rides" and parking lots that are free, well lit and frequented by Transportation Police Officers. Again refer to the MTA's website for specific information.

5. If there are free shuttles from suburb hotels to the city.

Check with the hotel you are interested in, some do, some don't, and some charge for that service.

Hope this was helpful to you.

Where do you live, anyway..New York? Stay in the Inner Harbor..nobody is going to do a "drive-by" on you. You are worrying about the wrong things.

Thank you for all your suggestions and recommendations. I am going to stay at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront hotel where the conference is. By the way, I do live in New York. I am not afraid no matter where I travel but I try to be cautious at all times. I didn't want to pay the high price of the conference hotel plus the steep daily parking rate but I will just cut have on other expenses. Thank you for your help.

I live on the Inner Harbour and am getting sick of hearing about how dangerous our great city is percieved around the country. You will not be in the areas with high crime problems...(most large ..or small cities have dangerous areas). The Inner Harbour is great with lots of great restaurants and attractions to fit around your conference. I have lived here for over 6 years with no problems..but in ANY city be aware of your surroundings. Hope you enjoy your stay!