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Welcome to 'Bawlmer,' Hon
 | | At dusk, the lights of downtown Baltimore blaze against a crimson sky. |
Across the water from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the familiar red neon Domino Sugars sign still blazes in the night, a beacon of the old port city’s industrial past. But it’s outshined now by the megawatt neon of the new Baltimore. The Hard Rock Café’s 68-foot-high neon guitar tops a former steam-generating plant, electrified anew as the Power Plant. The facade’s plastered with billboard-sized neon beckoning visitors inside the Hard Rock, a Barnes & Noble
Getting to Baltimore
Baltimore is easily accessible by car from Interstate 95 and I-83. The city is just a 15-minute drive or cab ride from Baltimore-Washington International Airport (800-435-9294, 410-859-7111). The Baltimore Central Light Rail Line (800-543-9809, 410-539-5000) also connects BWI and Penn Station , which is served by Amtrak (800-872-7245) and Maryland Area Rail Commuter Service trains (800-325-7245) that run between Washington and Baltimore. |
superstore, a glitzy health club and the nation’s first ESPN Zone. (Just look for the flaming shishkabob and the scoreboard ticker.)
Baltimore’s Inner Harbor was never like this, not this bright, this bold, this garish. But the vortex of the city’s tourism district – and surrounding neighborhoods in every direction – are changing so fast, not even the postcards can keep up. Locals call it the “second renaissance,” a billion-dollar-plus development blitz unparalleled since Harborplace and the National Aquarium forever altered the city’s waterfront, image and collective psyche about two decades ago. Just east of the Power Plant, the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel, with water views from every room, soars 30 stories at Inner Harbor East, a $300 million residential, commercial and office district. Other developers plan major hotels, including a Ritz-Carlton, in a downtown where the convention center recently tripled its size. Port Discovery, the first children’s museum with exhibits designed by Walt Disney’s creative maestros, opened to rave reviews inside a converted old fish market in late 1998. Across a brick plaza from the museum, Power Plant Live beckons bar-hoppers and diners with its restaurants, clubs and concert venues.
To the west of the Inner Harbor, the $200 million nest of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens dwarfs its trendsetter neighbor, the retro Oriole Park at Camden Yards. And a $350 million public-private project will bring theaters, galleries, retailers and new homes to a section of West Baltimore that had suffered from decades of neglect and decay. The renaissance spreads south as well, as developers convert old warehouses to high-tech offices, and home buyers rehabilitate old houses and buy new ones in the historically blue collar, industrial Locust Point, near the star-shaped Fort McHenry.
Baltimore’s booming indeed, but don’t be misled by all the glitz and the omnipresent cranes. This old port city still prides itself on history, tradition and quirkiness. In Baltimore – “Bawlmer,” in local parlance – waitresses right out of a Barry Levinson movie really do call you “Hon.” Take no offense; it is a term of endearment here. In Highlandtown, old-timers really do paint murals on the screens of the doors atop of white marble steps so they can see out – and dress (or not dress) as they see fit on sweltering nights – but nobody can see in. The town dubbed “Charm City” is lovingly celebrated in the works of Levinson, film-maker John Waters and novelist Anne Tyler, who have made careers out of capturing the kitsch of Baltimore.
Baltimore, established by the Colonial government in 1729 and named for founding father Lord Baltimore, began at the water’s edge, and its history has been inextricably linked to the water ever since. Blessed with a natural, deep-water harbor at the end of the Patapsco River, which empties into the
 | | Fort McHenry is the birthplace of the Star-Spangled Banner. |
Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore boomed as a major commercial port and shipbuilding center during the American Revolution. As the home port for many U.S. Navy vessels and privateers, often aboard the speedy Baltimore Clippers that preyed on British shipping, Baltimore became a target of the enemy across the Atlantic during the War of 1812. After setting fire to Washington, the British fleet bombarded Fort McHenry in Baltimore, but, as Francis Scott Key, who watched from a ship recounted in the Star-Spangled Banner, “by the dawn’s early light, our flag was still there.” (His lyrics are on display today not far from the fort, at the Maryland Historical Society. ) Another reminder of the War of 1812, the 1854 replacement for the Baltimore-built USS Constellation, is permanently docked in the Inner Harbor. The old warship, now a tourist attraction, recalls the city’s long reign as a shipbuilding center where 16 shipyards once lined the cobblestone streets and docks of Fells Point, east of the Inner Harbor.
The city also lays claim to numerous famous firsts. Lexington Market, which opened in Baltimore in 1782 (and still sells some of the best crab cakes on the planet, along with other fresh seafood, meats and produce) is the oldest continuously operated market in the country. The first American-built locomotive, the Tom Thumb, began regular service in 1830, traveling from the first passenger railroad station in Baltimore, to what is now Ellicott City. “What hath God wrought!” read the message in the first Morse Code telegraph, sent from Washington to Baltimore in 1843. Here, too, in a city divided between North and South geographically and politically, the first Civil War casualties occurred in the city along Pratt Street when an angry group of Baltimoreans stoned the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment during a riot. A printing industry revolution began with Baltimorean Ottmar Megenthaler’s 1884 invention of the first typesetting machine, the Linotype. And the first commercially operated electric streetcars began rolling through Baltimore streets in 1885, replacing horse-drawn trolleys.
After the War Between the States, the city thrived for nearly a century as a center for manufacturing of iron, steel, chemical fertilizer and textiles and maintained its place as one of the nation’s busiest commercial ports. It also became the oyster capital of the world, producing more of the succulent mollusks than any other place. The city quickly rebuilt after a devastating fire destroyed downtown in 1904, displaying remarkable resilience that has been a hallmark of its history.
Like other Northeastern seaboard cities, Baltimore struggled with the decline of its manufacturing base and the middle-class flight to the suburbs in the 1960s, and its downtown fell into decay. But under the leadership of a local icon, William Donald Schaefer (former Baltimore mayor and Maryland governor, now state comptroller), the 1980 opening of Harborplace and the National Aquarium solidified downtown’s rebirth. And a city once viewed largely as a place to pass over, under or through on the way to somewhere else became the toast of urban planners everywhere, appeared on the cover of Time magazine and became a major tourist attraction.
Inner Harbor
 | | Boaters hit the water for some of the best views of the city. |
Once a waterfront of rotting wharves and abandoned warehouses, the Inner Harbor has been transformed into an international destination that now attracts more annual visitors than Disney World. Here, you’ll find an ever-growing array of attractions, shops, restaurants and nightlife set along the banks of the harbor basin. Today, sailboats, powerboats, tour boats and the occasional visiting tall ships have replaced the cargo ships that once plied the waters. The twin glass pavilions of Harborplace, with scores of
restaurants, shops and outdoor seating areas, still attract hordes of visitors. So, too, does the brick, waterfront promenade linking the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the Maryland Science Center, the Top of the World observation deck at the World Trade Center and the Power Plant retail and entertainment complex inside a century-old steam-generating plant. From the Inner Harbor, you can also rent small paddle or electric boats, board a dinner or sightseeing cruise or catch a water taxi.
Little Italy
Long before the Inner Harbor became synonymous with urban renewal, Little Italy had established a reputation well beyond Baltimore for its superb Italian food. The 12-block enclave just east of the harbor boasts more than two dozen restaurants sure to please your palate, whether you have a yen for Northern, Tuscan, Southern or Sicilian Italian fare. A carnival feel pervades the neighborhood, where old-timers play boccie ball, locals dance in the streets during celebrations of saints’ feast days and festivals, and hundreds of people turn out Friday nights for free movies projected onto the side of a building.
Fells Point
Baltimore began here at this old seaport. Today, the neighborhood, a major shipbuilding center in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, blends history and honky-tonk along its cobblestone streets. More than 350 of the original homes dating to the 1700s include some of the city’s finest, meticulously restored Federal-style gems. Many of the old homes have been converted into bars, restaurants, funky cafes and shops. Antique-lovers find delights aplenty in the more than 40 antique shops in the 75-acre neighborhood. On weekend nights, Fells Point seems to be one big party, as revelers stroll between bars, many featuring live entertainment, from acoustic duos and Celtic Irish music to blues and rock and roll. Parking can be tight on weekends. A better bet’s taking a water taxi from the Inner Harbor.
Canton
In a city adept at reinvigorating neighborhoods in decline, Canton is one of the latest success stories. Here, old canneries, warehouses and factories have been transformed into a delightful mix of homes, restaurants, shops and bars, and the revival has, in turn, led to new development. You can take a water taxi or drive here. Stroll the promenade and grab a bite at one of the waterfront restaurants, bars and nightclubs for close-up glimpses of Baltimore, then and now: grain elevators, cargo ships, Fort McHenry .... and luxury yachts, sailboats, the gleaming downtown skyline.
Federal Hill/South Baltimore
The hill that lends its name to the Federal Hill neighborhood rises just west and south of the Inner Harbor and once was a well-known lookout during the Civil War. It’s quite a climb from the streets below to the park above, with walkways and benches, a playground for children and a large grassy area popular with dog owners, but the payoff is big for those who make the trek. The hill offers one of the best views of the city and its harbor and makes a great starting point for a visit to the neighborhood of 19th and 20th century row houses, truly one of the city’s gems. Since the early 1970s when homeowners could buy houses for $1 if they intended to renovate them, residents have been rediscovering the charms of Federal Hill, the Federal-style architecture, picturesque brick, tree-lined streets, proximity to downtown. The sweeping renovation movement has gentrified much of the neighborhood, making it one of the most popular – and priciest – in the city. Cross Street Market first opened in 1846 in a shed where chipped ice kept the meat and seafood cold. Today, stall after stall bursts with fresh
 | | The Washington Monument sits at the center of the historic Mount Vernon neighborhood. |
flowers, seafood, fruit and vegetables and carry-out lunches. A short walk away is one of the city’s most unique museums, The American Visionary Arts Museum, which showcases “outsider art” created by untrained artists. South Charles Street, one of the city’s main streets that runs through Federal Hill, is filled with small galleries, cafes and restaurants. Just five minutes away, by car, is Locust Point, where Fort McHenry stands.
Mount Vernon and North Charles Street
Long before it became hip to live near the water, Mount Vernon, located eight blocks north of the Inner Harbor, was the most fashionable address in the city. Though many of its grand brownstone residences have been carved into apartments, the stunning 18th century architecture is still on display, historic churches abound and the area remains a cultural hub. Within blocks of one another are the Walters Art Gallery, with a collection representing ancient Egypt through the Renaissance and into the 19th Century, the Enoch Pratt Free Library and the Peabody Institute, a classical music conservatory known equally well for its majestic library with ornate ironwork balconies. Baltimore’s version of the Washington Monument, the first civic monument erected in the United States honoring George Washington, towers over the neighborhood and four sculpture gardens in the form of a Greek cross. Along North Charles Street, hungry visitors will find the famed Restaurant Row, with restaurants of nearly every nationality. One favorite, the Brass Elephant, housed in a 19th century townhouse, has the original ornate wooden balustrades, Tiffany window and Waterford chandelier and a classy upstairs bar.
Baltimore is blessed with world-class art museums and a thriving performing arts scene. The Walters Art Museum is internationally renowned for its collection, which presents an overview of world art from pre-dynastic Egypt to 20th-century Europe. The many treasures include Greek sculpture and Roman sarcophagi; medieval ivories and Old Master paintings; Art Deco jewelry and 19th-century masterpieces. In fall 2001, the Walters celebrated the grand reopening of its largest building after a three-year renovation. The critically acclaimed Cone Collection at the Baltimore Museum of Art, the city’s premier art museum, features works by Cezanne, Gauguin, van Gogh and Renoir, as well as one of the finest Matisse collections in the world. The BMA also houses an entire gallery of Andy Warhol's work (the second largest publicly displayed collection in the world), within a wing devoted to post-1945 art. Numerous other museums worth a visit include the American Visionary Art Museum, which displays works by artists outside of the mainstream; the Maryland Historical Society, the Baltimore Civil War Museum/President Street Station and the Baltimore Museum of Industry.
When you’re ready to take in a show or a concert, check the listings for the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre, a regular stop for Broadway shows; Center Stage, Maryland’s official state theater, Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, home of the world-class Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera House, the home venue of the Baltimore Opera Company; and the Fells Point Corner Theater.
Baltimore’s nightlife scene keeps getting better. Whether you’re in the mood for rock and roll, blues, mellow acoustic jams, Celtic music, dancing to a dee-jay or live comedy, you’ll find plenty of choices here. Live music is featured at everything from small dives to sprawling nightclubs like Bohager’s. Major acts play the Baltimore Arena and Pier Six Concert Pavilion regularly.
 | | The retro Oriole Park at Camden Yards became an instant hit. |
Baltimore’s Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the home of the Orioles, set the standard for new stadium design with its retro intimacy, and watching one game here is enough to make you swear off those horrid cement monstrosities of old. And even if the team’s performance of late isn’t what it used to be, there’s an upside: Getting tickets is a whole lot easier because demand has fallen off. You can buy tickets at the box office, through Ticketmaster or at the “scalp-free” zone before each game. The Orioles park is dwarfed by its new neighbor, Ravens Stadium, the nest for the 2000 Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. Get there early for some great tailgate parties. The Preakness, the second jewel of horse-racing’s Triple Crown, is run the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course (Hayward and Winner Avenues, 410-542-9400). The Preakness infield becomes a raucous party. Thoroughbreds race at Pimlico from April to June and July to the beginning of October. The Baltimore Thunder (410-321-1908) plays Major Indoor Lacrosse League opponents January to March at the Baltimore Arena (201 W. Baltimore St., 410-347-2020). The Baltimore Blast (410-732-5278) competes against Major Soccer League opponents October to April at the Baltimore Arena.
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