"Charm City" Baltimore

Baltimore. Staying far outside town, at BWI - Baltimore-Washington-International Airport -, we took an Uber into town, wanting to avoid traffic jams and parking problems. Haven't been to the city for a long time and didn't have a set itinerary, were on our own instead, and, picked some sights we haven't seen before.

We liked Baltimore from the first visit on, it's different (Afro-american, young), and, it is a vibrant community with a lot of contrasts, with world-renowned museums, diverse neighborhoods, a fantastic location on the water and a lot of cultural sites and history. We think, it has never gotten the appreciation it should get as a big city. There were, unfortunately, always happenings which brought the city into the not-so-good news.

First stop in the morning: The B&O Railroad Museum, called the "Cathedral of American Railroading". Mural on the right is situated on the other side of the street.

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the U.S. opening in 1830. The tracks crossed the Appalachian Mountains towards Pittsburgh, to the Ohio River, and helped merchants from Baltimore to do better business. The museum is located in the Mt. Clare Shops, a turntable and repair facility, and an architectonical gem on its own. 

The Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum was just in walking distance. George Herman "Babe" Ruth, the son of a German saloon keeper, was born in this tiny row house on Emory Street, a rough place at the time, nearby the harbor. He became one of the most famous baseball players with records in many fields.

 

Since the local MLB baseball team, the Orioles, were in the playoffs and playing Saturday and Sunday, the city was packed with fans, dressed in orange, and, we continued on to the stadium in downtown (nearby the Ravens football stadium) to inhale the atmosphere. Hadn't got tickets, but Babe was everywhere!

 

 Inner Harbor is the pivotal point of Baltimore, on the waterfront, with the Visitor Center and Aquarium, some historic boats, the World Trade Center (with observation deck), shops and restaurants. 

 

Passing the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture (left) we walked along Harbor East, a new neighborhood, with marina and fantastic modern architecture (below).

 

 

 Fell's Point is the lively heart beat of Baltimore. Not only on days like yesterday when a big annual festval, Fun Fest, was going on and rocking this neighborhood. Bars and stores, colorful and a bit screwed up - this seems to be the destination to party! Towards inland, the neighborhood becomes different, less "fancy" and hip, more hispanic and down-to-earth, then in Upper Fell's Point more "residential" again. Found a nice community garden with a big mural there! 

 

It supposedly was a German neighborhood in the past and the prominent sign of it is St. Michael’s Church, a Catholic Redemptionist Church. This church was a  historic community gathering place at the time, and still is - but, now as a brewery! Never seen that before."Ministery of Brewing" moved into the run-down church in 2019! We watched some baseball there and called it a day lateron.