annesherrod

My Daughter got accepted to a summer program at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.
Is anyone familiar with MICA? Is it a safe area? There is very good security they tell me but I am wondering....
Also, I will fly up with her and wondered if any nice boutique hotels nearby?

Thanks.

309pbg

Hi Anne,
I live in Baltimore and have been to MICA and have considered taking classes there. It is a wonderful school, congratulations to your daughter.

The neighborhood is called Bolton Hill, very pretty with old and historic brownstones and town houses. It is a fairly safe neighborhood, getting better all the time as the city continues to redevelop the area. It is, though, surrounded by some marginal areas. Your daughter will need to be careful at night. That being said, I have never heard of anything bad happening in and around MICA.

Most hotels are down around the Inner Harbor. There is a very cute inn called Abacrombie Fine Food and Accomodations not too far from MICA. Probably within walking distance. It is located across from our magnificent concert hall, The Myerhoff Symphony Hall. I have never stayed there but it looks nice on their website: www.abacrombie.net. Their restaurant always gets rave reviews.

Good luck!

tmagyari

Hi--

Where are you living now? The standard for "safe" you are used to--NYC vs. a small town in the midwest--will matter as to how you view MICA.

I live and work in Baltimore about 2 miles from MICA, and drive by the school on my way home--its on a major artery. Like most urban campuses, the immediate area around the school will be safer and more secure than the surrounding neighborhood. I wouldn't wander around alone, day or night. However, students rarely do. MICA isn't in one of the areas of town where violent crime is common, though unfortunately muggings, robberies and break-ins have been on the increase in every neighborhood in Baltimore in the past few months--no where in the city has been spared by this, and daylight robberies in "good" parts of town are unfortunately happening. That said, common sense goes a long way to staying safe, and so far, no one I know has had a run-in with crime other than vandalism.

I'm not familiar with any (nice) hotels very near the MICA area (its somewhat isolated in location), so you will most likely want to stay downtown at the harbor--try hotels at Harbor East, there also is a lovely boutique hotel on the water in Fells Point. For an even safer part of town, try the Doubletree at the Colonnade near the JHU campus or the Radisson at Cross Keys. You will likely need a car, unless you stay near the convention center and take the light rail to MICA.

Best wishes. MICA is a wonderful school.

bellastarr

I went to MICA for my BFA and was there recently and saw all of the improvements and expansion of the campus facilities which are now very impressive indeed. I lived on Bolton Hill for several years while in school there, and we had a few break-ins back then. The area over on North Avenue and Charles Street (across the colored bridge) should be avoided at night (you'll see why when you get there) but the excellent art supply store is on North Avenue (a Boulevard with several public MICA relate sculpture sited in the middle divide) at the end of the colored bridge and I've walked there in the daytime- it seems fine to me. I would discuss your concerns with the admin staff at the school and get their guidelines for students.

Sorry Don't know of Boutique hotels- but I would call the school and see if they have a list. Anything with easy access to the Light Rail is very workable because the liight rail stops just at the School at Mount Royal Avenue.

Iregeo

Hi. My parents live in Bolton Hill and I visit a few times per year. The immediate area is lovely. I walk alone in the area during the day, without hesitation. I would not feel comfortable walking there at night, especially alone. There are "sketchy" areas in pretty close proximity.

annesherrod

Thank you all for your input.

I live in a major metropolitan area, but when I send me litlle girl off to an umfamiliar city I worry! I have heard wonderful things about the school as well that it is in area that is flourishing.

She leaves in about 4 weeks. We may fly into DC as there are some really cheap fares from home to there right now on AA - less than $200 roundtrip. I will rent a car and she and I can spend a day or two playing before I fly home.\

Thanks again for the info!

smetz

Another place to stay that you could consider is the Peabody Court Hotel, which is on Mount Vernon Square, a very pretty area. It's close to the school, and you could walk it, though it would be a very long walk. It's bigger than Abacrombie, and has a Clarion affiliation, but is "boutiquey". There are also a good number of nice restaurants within walking distance.

I think the descriptions you've gotten already, of the neighborhood, are pretty accurate. It's fairly safe around the school, and I would walk around the area during the day without giving it a second thought. But she should really try not to walk around alone at night - while Bolton Hill itself is very nice, as you'll see when you get there, it's not far from some higher crime neighborhoods.

Judy24

While I'm not familiar w/the MICA area, I have stayed at the hotels mentioned above by tmagyari.

Both the Doubletree Inn at the Colonnade & the Radisson Cross Keys are in very safe residential type neighborhoods. The Radisson has the advantage of being part of a shopping area, if convenience is important to you. There was a casual eatery called Donna's there that we enjoyed. There is also no additional parking fee as you self park in the lot in front of the hotel. However, unless they've done some upgrading/renovating in the past two years, it was not as fresh and upscale appearing as the Doubletree.

In any case, I believe that if you mention you are traveling in connection with MICA/JHU/etc. they may have some decent discounts available.

annesherrod

Ohhh, I did not think to ask about discounts connected with the school - thanks!!

PeaceOut

When we visited JHU, we stayed at the Colonnade when it was available. It's quite nice. You will pay for parking, though. We also stayed at the Radisson Cross Keys, which was fine for the price, with free parking.

A boutique hotel we liked is the Tremont Park, or its sister property, the Tremont Plaza. The Park offered complimentary breakfast, so we chose it most times. You will pay for parking at both places.

BaltoTraveler

I lived for a while in the Bolton Hill neighborhood in which MICA is located. As noted above, it's safe, but not perfect. Walking alone on a deserted street at night isn't recommended.

There are some B&Bs in the area that might be worth a look.