Harbor Court Hotel, 550 Light Street, (410) 234-0550 Luxury hotel with many amenities including indoor swimming pool, fitness facility, tennis court, and rooftop croquet court. Expensive.
Holiday Inn, 301 West Lombard St., (410)685-3500, (800)HOLIDAY Comfortable hotel with olympic-size swimming pool, fitness facility, restaurant & other amenities. Moderately expensive.
Hyatt Regency, 300 Light Street, (410)528-1234 or (800)228-9000 Comfortable hotel connected to Harborplace by overhead walkway. Swimming pool, tennis court, fitness facility. Expensive.
Marriott Inner Harbor, Pratt at 110 S. Eutaw Street, (410)962-0202 (800) 228-9290. Close to Inner Harbor & stadium. Now advertising weekend rates of $110/double with 7-day advance purchase good through 6/30/93.
Ramada Inner Harbor, 8 N. Howard St., (410) 539-1188
Sheraton Inner Harbor, 300 South Charles, (410)962-8300 (800)325-3535 Comfortable rooms, restaurant & night club, swimming pool, fitness facilities. Connected via skywalks to Inner Harbor. Close to stadium. Expensive. Has been advertising 'Sure Saver' weekend rate of $109/double.
Stouffer Harborplace Hotel, 202 East Pratt Street Comfortable modern hotel connected to Harborplace by overhead walkway. Elaborate indoor shopping mall with fountains, restaurants and four floors of shops. Expensive.
b) Downtown
Comfort Inn at Mt. Vernon, 24 W. Franklin St. (410) 727-2000
Days Inn, 100 Hopkins Place, (410)576-1000, (800)325-2525 Comfortable accommodations at moderate prices. Swimming pool. About four block walk to harbor.
Doubletree Inn at the Colonnade, 4 W. University Pkwy., (410) 235-5400 Luxury hotel located next to Johns Hopkins University.
Radisson Lord Baltimore Hotel, 20 W. Baltimore Street, (410)539-8400 (800) 333-3333
Elegant hotel located about four blocks from Inner Harbor. Contains two restaurants/lounge and indoor fitness club. Expensive. You can get a double room for $84 if you ask for the 'Historic Harbor' package.
Omni Inner Harbor Hotel, 101 W. Fayette St, (410)752-1100 (800)THE-OMNI Connected via skywalks to Inner Harbor. Swimming pool, fitness facility, restaurant and lounge on premises. Expensive.
Latham (Peabody Court) Hotel, 612 Cathedral Street, (410) 727-7101 Luxurious, traditional hotel, expensive, many amenities. Elegant, spacious rooms. Guests have privileges at Downtown Athletic Club. Located at Mt. Vernon Square.
Quality Inn Inner Harbor, 1701 Russell Street (B-W Pkwy), (410)727-3400 Older hotel on south side of stadium. Industrial-type neighborhood. Fairly close to stadium and harbor though with rooms about half the cost of large on-harbor hotels. Reasonable choice if you're on a budget. Access out of city cannot be beat.
c) Bed & Breakfasts and Inns
To find out about small Bed & Breakfast inns, contact: Amanda's Bed & Breakfast Service, (410) 225-0001 Traveller in Maryland B&B Reservation Service, (410) 269-6232
Admiral Fell Inn, 888 S. Broadway (Fells Point), (410)522-7377 (800) 292-INNS. European-style B&B type hotel. Free parking nearby.
Celie's Waterfront B&B, 1714 Thames St. (Fells Point), (410)522-2323 7 rooms, A/C, whirlpool, balconies, roofdeck.
A House by the Side of the Road, 132 Birckhead St. (Federal Hill) (410) 539-0652.
Inn at Hendersons Wharf, 1000 Fell Street (Fells Point) Comfortable 38-room inn in historic Fells Point area. Near restaurants, water taxi to Inner Harbor. Ask about weekend rates. Info: (410) 522-7777 or (800) 522-2088
Shirley Madison Inn, 205 W. Madison St. (410)728-6550, (800) 868-5064
Society Hill
The Society Hill operates elegant inns with a European flavor. Rooms are decorated with antiques, breakfast served in your room. Three locations:
Society Hill Hotel, 58 West Biddle Street (410)837-3630 Society Hill Hopkins House, 3404 St. Paul St., (410) 235-8600 Society Hill Government House, 1125 No. Calvert St., (410) 752-7722
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Local Specialties... Baltimore is best-known for seafood---especially blue crabs and rockfish. There are MANY good seafood restaurants in the Baltimore area and a fun adventurous dining experience can be to visit a good crab house and order up a dozen steamed crabs. Most locals will be happy to teach you how to break open the shells and eat these tasty delicacies. Crab cakes are a good bet if you don't want to have to work for your dinner. Maryland wines are available at many restaurants, most often from the Boordy Vineyards or from Byrd; these are European-style wines and are quite good. Locally-made beers include Wild Goose and Oxford Class. Brewpubs are Sisson's, Baltimore Brewing, and Wharf Rat. Recommended places: Obrycki's Crab House, Haussner's, Sabatino's, Tio Pepe, Bertha's.
Inner Harbor Area
American Cafe, Harborplace Light Street Pavilion Casual trendy place, moderate prices.
Baltimore Brewing Company, Pratt Street at 104 Albemarle Mostly American food, fresh lager beers. Not open for lunch.
Bohager's, Fleet & Eden Streets (410)563-7220 Grilled streaks, barbeque, seafood, etc. Free parking, outdoor deck.
City Lights, Harborplace Light Street Pavilion Trendy regional fare, seafood, moderate prices.
Paolo's, 301 Light Street, (310)539-7060 Pizza and light Italian fare in trendy atmosphere.
Phillips, Harborplace Light Street Pavilion Seafood restaurant, famous with Ocean City afficianados.
Rusty Scupper, 207 Key Hwy, (410) 727-3678 At the Inner Harbor Marina, near Maryland Science Center.
Ruth's Chris Streak House, Brokerage 600 Water Street, (410) 783-0033 Advertises itself as 'Home of Serious steak'.
Tandoor, Pratt Street Pavilion
Indian food, outdoor seating in summer.
Taverna Athena, Pratt Street Pavilion Greek food, outdoor seating in summer.
Uncle Lee's, 44 South Street, (410) 727-6666 Chinese, reasonable prices. Block or two walk from Harbor area. Szechuan, Hunan, Mandarin. Carry-out available.
Wharf Rat, 206 W. Pratt (across from Camden Yards), (410)244-8900 The Wharf Rat has always been known for its excellent beer selection and is now Maryland's newest brewpub with freshly-brewed ales. International menu.
c) Fells Point
Admiral Fell Inn
Al Pacino's
Bertha's, 734 S. Broadway, (410) 327-5795 Famous for its steamed mussels which are always a best bet. Try the sampler. Good beer selection. Live music in bar on weekends.
John Steven, 1800 Thames Street, (410)327-5561 Funky atmosphere. Good steamed shrimp & mussels. Off the beaten path.
d) Federal Hill
Nichiban, 1035 S. Charles (410) 837-0816 Japanese food, sushi.
No-Way Jose, 1041 Marshall St., (410)752-2837 Tex-Mex food, homemade salsa.
Sisson's Restaurant and South Baltimore Brewing Co., 36 E. Cross Street Sisson's specializes in Cajun cooking and brews their own ales in house. Blackened chicken breasts and gumbos are always good. Best beers are the seasonal ales and the I.P.A.
e) Little Italy
There are a LOT of Italian restaurants in this area, which is an easy couple-block walk from the Inner Harbor east on Pratt Street. A few representative restaurants are listed here, although there are many more fine restaurants in this neighborhood, many with very reasonable prices.
Amiccis, 231 South High Street, Little Italy (410) 528-1096 Casual atmosphere, menu changes daily. Reasonable prices.
Chiapparrelli's, 237 South High St., Little Italy (410)837-0309 Popular Italian restaurant with moderate prices.
Da Mimmo, 217 S. High Street, Little Italy (410) 727-6876 Ask about limo service from downtown hotels.
Sabatino's, 901 Fawn St., Little Italy (410) 727-9414
Vellegia's, 829 E. Pratt Street, Little Italy (410) 685-2620
f) Around Town...
Akbar, 823 North Charles St., (410)539-0944 Indian restaurant, very nice lunch buffet at reasonable prices.
The Fishery, 1717 Eastern Avenue, Phone: (410) 327-9340 Specializing in seafood.
Haussner's, 3236 Eastern Avenue, Phone: (410) 327-8365 German-American menu, incredible collection of artwork, VERY popular place Over 100 menu entrees, vast dessert selection. Moderate prices.
Kawasaki!, 413 N. Charles Street, Phone: (410)659-7600 Fresh sushi and sashami and a variety of traditional Japanese dishes.
Mencken's Cultured Pearl, 1114 Hollins Street, Phone: (410) 837-1947 Artsy type place, eclectic, interesting Mexican/Tex-Mex cuisine.
Obrycki's Crab House, 1727 East Pratt St., (410)732-6399 First rate seafood, especially steamed crabs. Moderate prices.
Prime Rib, 1101 North Calvert Street, (410)539-1804 Elegant restaurant where beef is king. Expensive. Naturally, the prime rib is one of the city's best.
Tio Pepe, 10 E. Franklin St., (410) 539-4675 Very popular restaurant serving Spanish cuisine. Reservations are a must.
Tony Cheng's Szechuan, 801 North Charles, (410) 539-6666 Chinese
g) Cuisine
Afghan:
Helmand
American:
Admiral Fell Inn
American Cafe
Baltimore Brewing Co.
Cadillac Grill
Peabody's
Prime Rib
Ruth's Chris Steak House
Wayne's Bar-B-Que
Cajun/Creole:
Sisson's
Chinese:
Tony Cheng's Szechuan
Uncle Lee's
German:
Haussner's
Greek:
Ikaros
Taverna Athena
Indian:
Akbar
Tandoor
Italian:
Amiccis
Caesar's Den
Da Mimmo
Sabatino's
Japanese:
Kawasaki
Nichiban
Mexican:
Mencken's Cultured Pearl
No-Way Jose
Seafood:
Bertha's
The Fishery
Harrison's Pier 5
John Steven Ltd.
Obrycki's
Phillips
Rusty Scupper
Spanish:
Tio Pepe
Vietnamese:
CoChin
h) Eating on the Cheap
If you're really on a budget, your best bet will be to try to pick up food at the city markets. Many vendors sell cooked food, such as steamed shrimp and crabs or deli sandwiches, and you can always buy things like fresh breads and cheeses. The Akbar has a good lunch buffet, and steamed mussels are a fairly inexpensive dinner at Bertha's. You could also cruise through the food court at the Inner Harbor in the Light Street Pavilion, although I haven't found too many bargains there
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Live Music There are more nightclubs in the Baltimore area than I list here, these are simply some of the better-known or more reliably-booked clubs. For a more current listing, look for a copy of the 'Baltimore City Paper' which is distributed free of charge throughout the city---the paper comes out each week on Wednesdays.
8 x 10, 8-10 East Cross Street, Phone: (410) 625-2000 Popular club featuring lively mix of progressive rock, rhythym & blues, reggae, etc. Call for schedule of bands.
A.L. Gators, 8501 Ft. Smallwood Road, Phone: (410) 255-2132 Various rock bands...mostly local groups.
Hammerjacks, 1101 S. Howard Street, Phone: (410) 659-ROCK Baltimore institution. Large night club with concert hall featuring hard-driving rock. Occasional nationally-known groups such as Ramones, Joan Jett, etc. Tuesdays are usually either wet T-shirt contest or campus babe night. Call for event schedule. Located next to parking lot of new stadium at Camden Yards.
Max's On Broadway, 735 S. Broadway, Phone: (410) 675-MAXS Progressive club in Fells Point area, featuring mix of progressive rock, R&B, etc.
Steeltown, 2401 North Point Blvd., Phone: (410) 288-3400 Hard-driving rock. Newest competition for Hammerjack's, but located on outskirts of town.
b) Comedy Clubs
Comedy Factory, Lombard & Light Streets, Phone: (410) BIG-LAFF
Slapstix, 34 Market Place (in Brokerage), Phone: (410) 659-SLAP
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Short Visit? If you only have a day or two in Baltimore, I'd recommend that you concentrate on things in the Inner Harbor area---especially the National Aquarium, the shops in the Inner Harbor Pavilions, and the view from the top of the World Trade Center. If you have an entire day to tour, the full-day tour offered by Baltimore Trolley Tours is a good deal and will take you to most of the best sights, including sights that might be too far to reach by walking, such as Fort McHenry.
Travelling with Kids? The sights that kids enjoy most are the National Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center, and the B&O Railroad Museum. The best place to eat is the shops in the Light Street Pavilion, which are crowded and noisy and kids will feel right at home.
Budget Traveler
Baltimore International Hostel, 17 W. Mulberry St. (410)576-6880
Visiting Baltimore does not have to be expensive. To stay on the cheap, contact the Baltimore International Hostel. To eat cheap, try getting food at the city markets instead of in restaurants and eating in the park, such as on top of Federal Hill, or try the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet at Akbar. To get around and see the sights, take a bus to the Inner Harbor (or walk) and then get an all-day pass on the water taxi for about $3. Also look for the bargains that I've listed in various sections above. If you want to see a baseball game, you can get standing room only tickets for $3 or a bleacher seat for $4 (plan ahead since baseball tickets are scarce commodities in Baltimore). If you're an art fan, Thursday is a good time to visit the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) and Saturday 11-noon is the best time to visit Walters Art Gallery. If you're a theatre fan, the best deal is the weekday half-price tickets at Center Stage (day of show only, limited availability). There is also an Entertainment book for the Baltimore area that has half-price coupons for many local restaurants and sights, including tours.
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