An Insider's Guide to Baltimore
By Carol L. Bowers
Washington World Correspondent
Friday, June 7, 1996
Welcome to Bawlmer, hon! The real Baltimore, where people drop the "T" in their hometown name, do their dishes in the "zinc," have pastoral scenes painted on their window screens and, in the hot summertime, sit on the marble front stoops of their rowhouses praying for a cool breeze. Best of all, in the right restaurants, you can still see waitresses with beehive hairdos, who wait on you cheerfully and call you "hon" with affection.
The 'Hon' Thing
A word of explanation, lest you be offended. Calling people "hon" is Baltimore's unofficial mantra -- made famous several years ago by a man who periodically tacks a handmade "Welcome to Baltimore, Hon" sign on the official city welcome sign on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. (The state highway crews keep taking it down. They just don't appreciate scofflaws, I guess. Go figure.) There's even a Cafe Hon, located at 1009 W. 36th St., that makes a great breakfast.
Small Confession
Okay, technically I live in Towson, about 20 minutes outside of downtown Baltimore, but I'm really a hometown gal. My parents grew up in Sparrows Point (home to the Bethlehem Steel plant) and Fort Howard. My parents moved to the suburbs in 1966. My grandfather, John L. Edwards, came north from South Carolina to seek work as a foreman in the steel mills and once walked across the frozen Chesapeake Bay from Fort Howard to Sparrows Point to get to work.
When I was young, downtown Baltimore was really just a collection of piers and dilapidated warehouses. You drove through it very fast with your doors locked. But all that changed when James Rouse designed and built Harborplace in 1980, starting what's known in Baltimore as the Renaissance.
More to Baltimore
Oh sure, Harborplace is fun with its nifty shops and restaurants, and Oriole Park at Camden Yards is the best new/old ballpark in the country. But come with me now to check the hidden treasures known only to Baltimore residents. To get the heart of downtown to begin your tour, you can drive and park easily in any of the downtown hotel parking garages, or you can take the Light Rail.
Inner Harbor
The city's newest attraction is Art Links near Harborplace. It's a miniature golf course, complete with a "nevermore" hole. A cheap date at $5 a pop. You can also rent sailboats for the day, or if you're a frequent visitor, join the Downtown Sailing Center. (The water may be dirty, but the wind's great.)
But what really makes Baltimore, well, Bawlmer, is its neighborhoods.
Federal Hill
Located along Key Highway, southwest from Harborplace, is Federal Hill, where in 1861 Union troops tried to protect the nation's capital by seizing the hill and training guns on this city of divided loyalty.
Some of the best bars, like Hull Street Blues, at 1222 Hull St., and Paul's (a bar where you can play pool), at 222 E. Cross St., are located nearby. The area around Fort Avenue also boasts some nice rowhouses, including some made of "formstone," and some great corner bars.
Venture about one mile east from Harborplace on Pratt Street and check out the President Street Station -- the oldest standing railway passenger station in the country and the site of the first actual bloodshed of the Civil War.
The Pratt Street riot, as it's called, occurred in 1861 several days after the first shot was fired at Fort Sumter, when troops called to Washington had to pass through Baltimore. They were met at the station by an angry pro-Confederate mob. The troops fired back, and 16 people died in the melee, including four soldiers. The station is now falling apart and surrounded by a fence. There are several proposals on how to fix it. True railroad afficionados should check out the B&O Railroad Museum at 901 W. Pratt St.
Little Italy
Look across the street from where you're standing at the corner of Pratt and President streets and see the famous wall mural that welcomes you to Little Italy, settled by Genoese immigrants beginning in the 1850s. The main streets are Fawn, High and Albemarle, and they run parallel to President Street; the east-west border streets are Eastern Avenue and Fleet Street.
The area is a combination residental and restaurant district, and there's usually a guy on High Street selling sketches and paintings of life in Little Itlay, so check that out after eating, or ask if there's a bocci ball game nearby.
Street parking is difficult on weekends, but many restaurants offer valet parking now at a pretty good price. It's hard to choose where to eat because there's a restaurant at every corner, and plenty in between, but my personal choices are listed below.
Sabatino's at 901 Fawn St. (corner of High and Fawn) -- where they have superb pasta. Was once frequented by Spiro T. Agnew (Maryland's former governor and the former vice president of the United States). There's a story that in 1973 after resigning the vice presidency, Agnew jested to owner Sabatino Luperino: "Can I get a job here?" It is also known for its salad dressing, which is now bottled and sold in area grocery stores.
Chiapperelli's at 237 High St. has the absolute best salad in town, and it's a meal unto itself.
Caesar's Den at 223 High St. also is a good choice and my personal favorite. Quieter than Sab's or Chip's, the staff here is fabulous. I first ate here on a New Year's Eve without having made a reservation -- they took us to the head of the line and fed us right away (don't ask me why). The chicken cacciatore was to die for, and although it's off the menu now, the owner says: "Just ask. Whatever you want, we'll make it for you."
Bordering on Little Italy is Mo's Seafood, and Mo's Seafood and Pasta Factory, featuring some of the best seafood in town.
If you like micro-brewed beer, check out the Baltimore Brewing Co. on Albemarle Street. It boasts a relaxed atmosphere where you can consume fabulous lager.
Highlandtown
Continue driving east on Eastern Avenue past Little Italy and you'll soon be in Patterson Park, the edge of the area known as Highlandtown. Settled primarily by Polish and German immigrants, it's got some of the best examples of classic Baltimore rowhouses, complete with painted window screens. (The rowhouse was invented in Baltimore, in case you didn't know, and the front stoops really are marble. On Saturday mornings, the women of Highlandtown perform a beautiful weekly ritual -- scrubbing their front stoops and exchanging news.)
Little Italy not withstanding, the best pizza in Baltimore is found at Matthews Pizza on Eastern Avenue across from the old Patterson Park movie theater, just past the park. Set in the middle of the row is this small restaurant with small wooden tables and chairs. Order the large "grated" -- a tomato pie topped with grated cheese and a thick but airy and crispy crust, and a great buy at less than $5 for a 10-inch pie. They don't have a liquor license so do carry-out or BYOB.
When my mother was young, she used to take the streetcar down to Eastern Avenue to shop. Eastern Avenue, and Howard Street in West Baltimore, were the shopping meccas of the town at one time, and Eastern Avenue was the place to buy a wedding gown, though the shops are gone now.
A couple of blocks farther along Eastern Avenue is Haussner's, my absolute favorite restaurant. Well, really it's more of a museum. Founded 70 years ago by the late William Henry Haussner and his wife, Frances Wilke, the restaurant boasts a menu of 112 entrees (two pages, single-spaced) that includes the world's best meatloaf (the only one that rivals Mom's), Tyrolean and potato dumplings, sauerbraten and even some exotic game meats. The strawberry pie is the speciality of the house, though I'm partial to coconut custard.
The restaurant boasts the largest and most comprehensive collection of 19th century artwork in the city, collected by the Haussner's over the years during their travels. Every square inch of available wallspace (including bulkheads) are covered with paintings snuggled frame to frame. Big paintings, little ones, gilt frames, wood frames -- it's hard to know where to look first. Not to mention the marble statues, china, cameos and other bits of artwork on display. The bar at the restaurant (once closed to women I'm told) features nudes.
WARNING: They don't take reservations, and they're closed Sunday and Monday.
Keep heading east on Eastern Avenue deeper into Highlandtown and you'll find two of the city's best Greek restaurants: Ikaros and the Acropolis.
Murder in Its Heart: Fells Point
From President Street turn left on either Eastern Avenue or Fleet Street and head east to neighborhoods still frequented by Baltimore sailors. Or, if you'd rather, from Harborplace take one of the water taxis that deposit you at the foot of Broadway and explore on foot. (This is probably better because parking can be difficult.) The Broadway market is the hub of Fells Point. Be sure to stop by Bertha's and try the steamed mussels. (They also have a great bumper sticker: Eat Bertha's Mussels.)
Murder is on people's minds in Fells Point, but not because it's a high crime area -- it's not. But from Broadway walk along Thames Street (pronounced with a "th" like in the word "that") and check out the fake police station where they film the TV series "Homicide," based on the book by David Simon. Across the street you'll find the Daily Grind coffee shop. Look for their cups in some of the police station shots in "Homicide."
It's murder on Fleet Street, too, (take a right on Fleet if you're on Broadway), where you'll find Mystery Loves Company, Baltimore's mystery-only book store (closed Mondays).
Some of the city's best restaurants (like the Admiral Fell Inn at 888 S. Broadway) and bars are located in Fells Point, too. On Fleet Street check out The Horse You Came In On saloon, made famous in mystery writer Martha Grimes' book of the same name.
On the other side of Broadway, but also on Fleet, walk down to 1800 Thames at South Ann Street and eat at John Steven Ltd., which has some of the best steamed shrimp in Baltimore. Also, try the "American" sushi, featuring cooked seafood. Best bet is the lobster, cucumber and scallion at $9.50. They also serve Woodchuck hard cider. Eat in the bar, or on the back patio.
The Wharf Rat, next door on South Ann, is one of Baltimore's three brew-pubs -- and a great place to sample beer.
North on Broadway, away from Fells Point, is the Great Blacks in Wax Museum. It is perhaps Baltimore's most unusual museum, in an old fire station off Broadway at 1601 E. North Ave. The museum uses wax models to illustrate black history: from Egyptian pharoahs to Martin Luther King Jr. The models are posed in prop-filled dioramas. Upstairs, figures in the Maryland Room include Baltimore-born ragtime piano player and composer Eubie Blake, and blues diva Billie Holiday, who was born and raised on Dallas Street just around the corner. The fee is $5.50, and summer hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.
A Day at the Races - North of the city
In the spring, you can always enjoy a day at the Pimlico Race Course, head north on Charles Street and turn left on Northern Parkway and follow the signs to Preckness Way. It is about 15 minutes' drive from the heart of downtown. Afterward, drive through the surrounding neighborhood to see one of the finest examples of urban deterioration caused by greed and racial fear. The neighborhood was the target of "blockbusting" real estate practices in the 1960s that changed entire neighborhoods from predominately white to predominately black as white families "fled" to the suburbs in an atmosphere of racial upheaval. Makes you think.
Markets
The best fresh food in Baltimore is found at Lexington Market and the Cross Street Market, both on the west side of the city within walking distance from the heart of downtown. At Lexington Market, one of the city's oldest and loudest covered markets, check out Berger's Bakery for the richest chocolate-iced vanilla cookies in town. To get to the Cross Street Market, take Light Street and go straight through the light to where the Key Highway splits left. You’ll be at the Market moments later.
Near the Cross Street Market, on Cross Street is Sisson's, which was the first of Baltimore's brew pubs. It's an ale brewery, with the only beer named for Edgar Alan Poe, has great seasonal beers and great atmosphere. Sisson's has one of the best happy hours around, and a great menu.
A longer hike is the Hollins Street market, the neighborhood of H.L. Mencken, Baltimore's well-known curmudgeonly writer. A worthwhile trip to visit the Mencken House Museum, where an actor portrays Mencken, and to see some of the best examples of urban restoration.
Downtown, but Not the Harborplace
In 1904, a careless smoker tossed a cigarette that sparked what's now known as the Great Fire. Within 24 hours, the wind-whipped fire leveled 140 acres and 1,500 buildings, destroying everything from the waterfront to Mount Vernon on Charles Street, except for the domed City Hall built in 1867.
Head north on Charles Street from the Inner Harbor to get to Mount Washington. You can't miss it when you get there -- there's a 165-foot-high monument to George Washington in the middle of the street, which circles on either side. The Walters Art Gallery, the Gothic Mount Vernon Methodist Church and Peabody Conservatory of Music border Monument Place and are worth your time.
I'm partial to the Peabody Library, myself. It has five tiers of intricate wrought-iron balconies rising above ground-floor displays of 16th-century books. There's even an illustrated 1555 edition of Boccaccio's "Decamaron" and a 1493 printing of "The Nuremburg Chronicles." (It's open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and it's free.)
On your way to the Washington monument, check out two way-cool restaurants. The first is Mick O’Shea’s, an old-fashioned Irish pub at 328 N. Charles. The great thing about Mick’s is the music: Irish bands play on weekends and the "regulars" (a group of older men) accompany them by playing spoons. They know all the words to the songs, but don’t be intimidated. Inevitably, one of them will come by the table if you are a newcomer and offer you a free computer disk with the words to each song. A true gift from the heart. Next time you come, bring your own printed copy and feel like one of the gang.
Next (just before the monument on the left side of Charles Street) is one of the best restaurants: Louie's Bookstore and Cafe, known for its wild window displays that change monthly. The shop contains an eclectic sort of bookstore in the front and a two-story cafe in the back reminiscent of a French bistro. Students from the Peabody Conservatory play for tips on weekends. The menu boasts the city's best ice cream drink and dessert selection.
Another good restaurant on the other side of the monument is Donna's, and I'd be remiss not to mention Tony Cheng's, one of the city's best Chinese restaurants boasting the best lemon chicken I've ever tasted.
Head two miles further north on Charles to see the pseudo-classical modern galleries of the Baltimore Museum of Art and its fairly new sculpture garden (closed Mondays). One gallery in the West Wing
is devoted to Warhol, but the highlight is the Cone Collection of works by Delacroix, Degas, Cezanne and Picasso, and another feature is more than 100 drawings and paintings by Henri Matisse.
Cathedrals
Keep heading north on Charles Street past the art museum, and you'll find the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, a beautiful work of architecture that is one of Baltimore's two cathedrals. (The other is the Basilica of the Assumption downtown on Cathedral Street.) Baltimore's first families were indeed devout Catholics who came to Maryland in search of religious freedom. Maryland's Catholic heritage is now renowned because it was one of the stops on the pope's tour of America.
I hope you've enjoyed this little taste of Baltimore. See ya 'round Charm City, hon.
Back to top
