One of America’s oldest cities, Baltimore is often in the shadow of its more flamboyant neighbors: Washington DC, Philadelphia and New York City. But Baltimore hasn’t been nicknamed Charm City without reason - “Bawlmore” as the locals call it is known for its many attractions, its rich ethnic and maritime heritage and its quirky, off-beat residents.

One of the most famous residents and the self-proclaimed Pope of Trash, John Waters put the city on the film map in the early 1970s with movies like Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble. Though these early films had more of a cult (and filth!) following he is probably now best know for Hairspray – the 1988 film, then the Broadway musical and the London musical, and then the 2007 film, part 2, staring John Travolta as Mrs Edna Turnblat.

Christmas at Hampden

A great place to get a taste of Waters’ Baltimore is in Hampden, where much of Hairspray and several other Waters films were shot. Hampden, a city neighborhood of small row homes is known for its unique and colorful residents and is home to Cafe Hon. This kitschy local restaurant is named after the local dialect “Bawlmorese” where you simply add “hon” to the end of every sentence – “How are you doing, hon?”, “Its nice to see you, hon”, etc.

The hub of Hampden is “The Avenue” - 36th street - which lined with galleries and antique shops. Another Hampden must-see is 34th street during the holidays. This one block of homes puts out literally hundreds of thousands of holiday lights and decorations from the tacky to traditional.

But Baltimore is not all off-beat, it has a strong sense of history as well. Baltimore has many historic and restored neighborhoods including Fell’s Point and Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon is a Victorian era neighborhood just north of the Harbor and home to the first Washington Monument. Named after English Quaker William Fell, Fell’s Point was one of the original ports of Baltimore and much of the architecture dates back to the early 1700s. A great (and fun!) way to troll through Fell’s Point’s narrow streets is a Baltimore Segway tour of Fell’s Point. Baltimore was also the birthplace of American railroading with the origin of the B&O Railroad. The B&O Museum now boasts the largest collection of historic rolling stock in the world.

Not far from the historic sites and the new heart of the city is The Inner Harbor. Stop number one for most visitors, this urban renewal project has brought all kinds of life back to the waterfront. It is home to several restored historic ships and to the National Aquarium (if you’re staying in nearby DC, consider a day tour to the aquarium). The Baltimore harbor was also the site where Francis Scott Key wrote what would become the US National Anthem as he watched the British ships bombard Fort McHenry in the War of 1812. The best way to take in all the Harbor sites, historic neighborhoods and museums is a guided Baltimore Sightseeing Trolley Tour.

Baltimore Inner Harbor

A trip to Baltimore would not be complete without a little nightlife – try the Baltimore Symphony, rated one of the best in the US, followed by one of the many pubs or wine bars in Mount Vernon.

A personal favorite is The Brewers Art. Housed in a restored historic mansion, they brew their own Belgium style beers (named curiously Ozzy, Resurrection, Sluggo and Wit Trash) and is a great place to see the quirky Baltimorians – from tattooed hipsters in the smoky front bar to the suburban movers and shakers in the dining room.

Finally a trip to Baltimore is not complete without tasting the local staple – crabs. You can get them almost anywhere and in almost any form – steamed crabs, crab cakes, crab benedict and burritos. A great place to try crabs in Fell’s Point (and a Baltimore institution) is Obrycki’s. There is even a branch in the airport should you need one last fix.

If you really can pull yourself away from Charm City, it is just a 30-minute train ride to Washington DC, or an hour to Philadelphia, or maybe its just time to book an airport transfer and take home your Charm City Memories.

Come back soon to Bawlmore, hon!

-Ken Frohling lives in Baltimore’s Bolton Hill neighborhood

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 18th, 2008 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Destinations, Suggested Itineraries, Travel Inspiration, USA, Canada, Mexico. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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