One afternoon in Baltimore--what to do?

Old Aug 3rd, 2004, 11:13 AM
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One afternoon in Baltimore--what to do?

Okay, I'm ashamed to admit it but we've lived in DC for 6 years now and we've never been to Baltimore (other than BWI). This weekend we've finally decided to drive up for the day and see what we've been missing. I've read through some old posts and it sounds like most people recommend going to Inner Harbor, Fells Point, Fort McHenry and the aquarium but I'm guessing there probably won't be time to see all these places(?) in one afternoon. Any suggestions on what to do now vs. what to save for the next visit?

I've also seen lots of discussion about the water taxi. This is probably a stupid question, but do you have to take the water taxi to get to all the places I've listed above? We were also wondering how expensive this is per person. Or would it make more sense to take a day cruise? Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Thanks
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Old Aug 3rd, 2004, 11:20 AM
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Oops, forgot to mention--we are a couple in our early 30's. No kids.
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Old Aug 3rd, 2004, 11:24 AM
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Walk around the Inner Harbor, take water taxi out to Ft. McHenry (but if it is hot, that is probably not the place you want to be) Have dinner in Little Italy, or if you are baseball fans and Orioles are in town, go to Camden Yards. You could also take Duck Tour - certainly touristy, but gave a reasonable overview of the city.

Don't be ashamed to admit that you have never seen Baltimore - I grew up and lived near NYC for 22 years and have never been to the Statue of Liberty.
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Old Aug 3rd, 2004, 11:49 AM
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Find the tourist/visitor info "trailer" (just west of the Inner Harbor area) and inquire about tours of Baltimore ... I think ours was $14 and covered quite a bit of Bawlmor both of the Inner Harbor and further neighborhoods.
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Old Aug 3rd, 2004, 12:18 PM
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Check these sites:
www.baltimore.org
www.aqua.org

The aquarium is really nice. I haven't been in a long time but I think tickets are hard to come by some times of the day. You might want to check into that. Other than the aquarium, I don't care for Baltimore. Stay in the Inner harbor area, not much else outside of that.
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Old Aug 3rd, 2004, 01:32 PM
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was just in baltimore for first time my wife and I are around thirty with no kids as well. We recommend camden yards we arn't baseball fans but an incredible stadium, walk around the inner harbor and the aquarium. The best part is taking a water taxi to the fells point area where you will find a bunch of bars and restaurnats in a coble s tone neighborhood. When you take the water taxi they also give you a book of coupons good for free eats and drink. The water taxi is a all day pass and you can go to other areas of baltimore as well but don't miss fells point.
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Old Aug 3rd, 2004, 03:06 PM
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I use to live in Baltimore (10 blocks from Inner Harbor) and I'd suggest this area only. The aquarium alone would be worth the visit; you could easily spend 3 hrs there. There are many restaurants and shops around this area too. Depending upon when you visit, the Orioles may be in town at a home game. You may get lucky and have a U.S. or foreign vessel come into the harbor and I'd say most give tours which are interesting (I've toured a U.S. Coast Guard and Brazilian ship). It been a long time since I've been to Baltimore, but I remember touring a WWII submarine there and enjoyed that too.
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Old Aug 10th, 2004, 09:47 AM
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I'm not sure if you want recommendations for a place to eat, but I've lived in Baltimore for six years and I have definitely narrowed it down:

Thai Food: Best is at Thai Landing on North Charles Street.

Mexican: Blue Agave on South Charles Street in Federal Hill. They make the best mexican food I have ever had anywhere...period. Incredible margaritas, too.

Indian Food: Banjara on South Charles Street...not far from Blue Agave, actually.

Cappucino/Italian pastries/desserts: Vaccaros in Little Italy. Yummy! Be prepared to wait in line though.

Upscale/Fancy: I like Hamilton's in Fell's Point. It's located under the Admiral Fell Inn. Expensive, but top-notch.

Hope this is useful.
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Old Aug 10th, 2004, 09:53 AM
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You can easily do Inner Harbor and the aquarium in one afternoon. If you find time, take the water taxi over to Fells Point and give a place like Bertha's Mussels a try. The area is fairly compact as you'll be travelling by water taxi and you'll have a great time.

If you find you want to stay in Inner Harbor then quite often Rusty Scupper has some great appetizers and drinks available at their outdoor table area.

You'll love it!!
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Old Feb 22nd, 2005, 07:40 AM
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how much time is needed for the aquarium? Is little Italy around the inner harbor area
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Old Feb 22nd, 2005, 08:08 AM
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Lexington Market.
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Old Feb 22nd, 2005, 09:27 AM
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The aquairum will take at least two hours depending on how long you dawdle at the exhibits. It can sell out on weekends, though, so you might want to buy tickets in advance if that's an option.

Walking around the Inner Harbor and Fells isn't too extensive -- really no more than an hour each. The Water Taxi will take about a half hour to Fells and half an hour back. You can always drive if you want to save time, but parrking can be a pain in both places. Little Italy is about a 15 minute walk from the Inner Harbor. If you want dinner there, I love Aldo's, but keep in mind that most restaurants in Little Italy are on the pricey side. Vaccaro's for dessert is also a great suggestion.

I strongly second Blue Agave -- my husband and I moved from Baltimore a few years ago and we haven't been able to find its equal when it comes to Mexican food and margharitas.
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Old Mar 5th, 2005, 10:19 AM
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I think you can easily see those sights in one day, as they are close together. Personally, I've been to the aquarium and it's nice, but I'd spend more time seeing Baltimore neighborhoods and getting a feel for the city itself. The Inner Harbor is nice, Fells Point is atmospheric, the fort is interesting.
We like the upscale and historic Brass Elephant for dinner, and a really cool place near it is the Red Maple, for a younger twenty- and thirty-something crowd. Very cool place.
Maybe check out the Homewood campus of Johns Hopkins University, and the neighborhood north of it is nice (towards the Loyola campus).
The area near the Peabody School of Music is very historic and pretty, too.
Lots of pockets of history in Baltimore. It always seems like a patchwork quilt of a city to us, as some neighborhoods are bad, so make sure you know where you're heading.
 
Old Mar 5th, 2005, 01:40 PM
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Just checking- but is the water taxi running again now? It was shut down for many months after the accident when the water taxi flipped over in the big wind gust and those poor people were killed late last summer. I was not aware that they are running again.
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Old Mar 7th, 2005, 07:19 AM
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When we were in Baltimore in November, we did see water taxis running as usual.
 
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