Blue crabs of Baltimore

I am a true Mumbaikar and love Mumbai. However, after spending all my life in the bustling, loud, polluted city that is Mumbai, coming to the laidback town of Baltimore and breathing in its clean, unpolluted seaside air felt like going into a spiritual stupor after a life always on a high.

After my initial geographic and cultural disorientation, I found that there is plenty to love about this town on the wharf — its top-notch museums, scrumptious crabs and small-town appeal, just to name a few.

The Indian flag at the World Trade Centre

The beauty of Baltimore is that many of the tourist attractions are within walking distance of each other. The esplanade that loops around the Inner Harbour will take you to the National Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center and the American Visionary Art Museum. The Inner Harbour is a fun place with a touristy appeal.

From the spectacular view of the Baltimore skyline from the observation deck of the World Trade Center to the one-on-one experience of the spontaneous street performances at the riverside, the Inner Harbour has something for everybody.

USS Constellation

Dotting the Patapsco River are numerous historical ships like the USS Constellation, USCGC Taney or the USS Torsk, and to actually walk on their decks and experience a piece of history firsthand is a feeling that is indescribable.

Starting at the Inner Harbour, a guided walking tour takes tourists along an offbeat path and deep into the town’s past. Tourists can visit interesting spots in the neighbourhood like Little Italy, Jonestown, etc. 

The neighborhood surrounding the Inner Harbour offers a unique dining and cultural experience with little lanes sprinkled with authentic Greek and Italian restaurants. Speaking of food, who can forget Baltimore’s famous blue crabs and its specialty, crab cakes? Seafood is a staple of Baltimore, be it fish, shrimps or oysters.

USS Torsk

Within 20 minutes walking distance from the harbour is the Antique Row, a quaint lane scattered with fascinating historical knick-knacks. You can find everything from paintings to coins to collectibles and old books, true collectors’ delights.

Just a water-taxi ride away on the other side of Inner Harbour is Fells Point, a historic waterfront community with genuine cobblestone streets. A diverse assortment of boutiques offering paintings, antiques, clothing, accessories and souvenirs are spread throughout this area. Interspersed among them are sports, jazz and night clubs and pubs.

Sharing this coast is Federal Hill, which was used as a lookout during the war of 1812 and the Civil War. It is now a historic park and offers a panoramic view of the entire harbour area.

Water taxis in Patapsco river

Fort McHenry is another historic site which is just a water taxi ride away from the harbour. The country’s national anthem ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ was inspired by and written in this place by Francis Scott Key in 1814. This star-shaped fort is another vantage point to view the harbour area.

Culture buffs can go to the Baltimore Museum of Art, which organises a range of varied active exhibits and novel programmes; you can spend hours at the American Visionary Art Museum or go take a look at the displays of knights' armours, vibrant paintings and other trinkets at the Walters Art Museum.

Those of you who have a partiality towards the macabre can’t miss this very tranquil yet spooky place in the middle of the metropolis, the Westminster Hall Cemetery. Edgar Allan Poe, who is considered the father of the modern detective story, is buried here.

The National Aquarium

Many landmarks around Baltimore have been around for a couple of centuries at least. The world-famous Lexington Market which has been a home to shops selling meat, fish, produce, baked goods as also small eateries has been around for the past 228 years. Take a walk around this historic market, inhaling the mouth-watering aroma of baking and cooking. According to its website, it is the world’s largest, continuously running market for more than six generations and is almost as old as the country itself.

The Baltimore Zoo, which opened in 1876, is considered to be the third oldest zoo in the US. The University of Maryland Dental School is the oldest dental school in the country, having first opened its doors in 1840. Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine were built in the year 1889 and 1893, after Johns Hopkins, a Baltimore banker, left his estate of around $7 million dollars to found two institutions bearing his name. The Druid Hill Park ranks among the oldest landscaped public parks in the USA.

The bustling Inner Harbour

If barbequing in the great outdoors is your kind of thing then make a trip to the Patapsco State Park. Apart from enjoying a delicious barbeque, there are scores of other activities like hiking, fishing, camping, canoeing, mountain biking or horse-riding to try out.

Compared to other US cities, traveling in Baltimore is convenient with the MTA (Maryland Transit Authority) offering bus and rail services. You also have the water taxi to take you around to see the city’s attractions. The recently introduced Charm City Circulator Buses are extremely popular. These environment-friendly, hybrid buses take you around Baltimore, every ten minutes, and the best part is that they are absolutely free.

One of the great things about Baltimore is that it has variety, be it be cultural, racial or in its cuisines. There is something for everyone. Spring and fall are the best times to visit Baltimore, with numerous outdoor activities and enjoyably breezy days.