Going to Baltimore for baseball game for first time...questions (California: hotels, safe area)

[bryan6]

Hello,
I am travelling down from Boston to see a O's/Sox series in late July/early August.(I know what your thinking..NOT ANOTHER BOSTON FAN). It is my first time down to Baltimore and I was just looking for suggestions for a couple different things. First....what is a good area to look for a hotel in? Trying to find a close and safe area, inner harbor is just way too expensive to stay in. Also, what are some must see places, attractions, bars,restaurants, museums, etc..

Thank you for any help

[Summer_G]

Relax- that was outside of a "gentleman's club". If that's not where you're going, just pay attention to your surroundings... no different than any other city.

There's a great B&B over in Butchers Hill, which isn't in the Inner Harbor, but is not impossibly far. I put my parents up there about a year ago and was impressed by the rooms and the service. I don't know how the prices compare to your budget, but it's kind of off the beaten path, and in a nice part of town. Baltimore Bed and Breakfast, Inner Harbor, Baltimore lodging, Maryland (http://www.bluedoorbaltimore.com/site/ - broken link)


Must see.... Ft. McHenry, definitely. Fells Point for dinner/drinks/shopping. Also lots of restaurants in Canton, as well as along Charles Street in downtown. Harbor East is very uber-yuppie, with prices to match. Not my favorite.

I like the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Walters Gallery, but the American Visionary Art Museum is also top-notch. Of course, everyone will be at the Aquarium, and it's quite crowded, but still....

have fun!

Summer

[jonjj]

Originally Posted by rogerdog

Best advice: Keep your head down.

Man, 32, fatally shot near Camden Yards, police say
Incident at corner of Eutaw, Lombard streets one of two overnight city killings
By Justin Fenton | justin.fenton@baltsun.com
12:53 PM EDT, May 28, 2009
A 32-year-old man died after he was shot multiple times early Thursday morning two blocks from Oriole Park at Camden Yards, police said, one of two fatal overnight shootings in the city as violence continues to surge in Baltimore following a recent lull.

Plus, I believe this occured like at 3 in the morning or something like that. It was an argument between two guys who knew one another.

[CHIP72]

As a sports fan, you'll want to check out the Sports Legends Museum (located in the old B&O Train Station next to the ballpark and warehouse) and Babe Ruth's Birthplace (only a couple blocks west of the ballpark). If you have an interest in trains, the B&O Museum is also near the ballpark, a handful of blocks to the west.

Neighborhood-wise, I'd recommend Fells Point (east of Inner Harbor) and Mount Vernon (immediately north of downtown).

[Zea mays]

Originally Posted by Summer_G

There's a great B&B over in Butchers Hill, which isn't in the Inner Harbor, but is not impossibly far. I put my parents up there about a year ago and was impressed by the rooms and the service. I don't know how the prices compare to your budget, but it's kind of off the beaten path, and in a nice part of town. Baltimore Bed and Breakfast, Inner Harbor, Baltimore lodging, Maryland (http://www.bluedoorbaltimore.com/site/ - broken link)

Here is a pic of the above Blue Door in Baltimore bed and breakfast at 2023 East Baltimore Street:

http∶//maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2023+East+Bal timore+Street+Baltimore&sll=41.794402,-88.080305&sspn=0.141291,0.282898&ie=UTF8&ll=39.292 279,-76.58829&spn=0.002292,0.00442&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbl l=39.291753,-76.588216&panoid=nDe2-SYMO86tv4otiiLXBA&cbp=12,211.25,,0,5

If they had secure off-street parking, I'd be tempted to try it myself sometime. I grew up just a few blocks east of there (unit block of Luzerne Ave). But I will not leave my car with Illinois plates on the street overnight in that part of town. I usually stay at a motel in Hunt Valley.

[mrboltonman]

try Reviews of vacations, hotels, resorts, vacation and travel packages - TripAdvisor

On that site I found Hampton Inn Baltimore - Camden yards and it looks like it will cost around $130/night. The location and price seem good to me.

[mikey jam]

Best bet for reasonable hotel/motel along I-95 & i-695 corrider. Good info would be to call AAA Mid-Atlantic for rates and ratings. Good attractions are Inner Harbor, Little Italy and Fort Mchenry.

[Summer_G]

They actually do have a couple of spots behind the inn, but I think you have to reserve one when you make your room reservation. I remember seeing them when I toured.

[JHUgrad]

Originally Posted by Zea mays

But I will not leave my car with Illinois plates on the street overnight in that part of town.

Sorry to derail, but do you think that there's an increased theft/break-in risk for a car with out-of-state license plates? I ask because I was planning on keeping my California plates and getting a non-resident registration sticker since I'll be eligible to get one, but I might rethink that if I'm putting my car at risk.

[Zea mays]

The reasoning is that an out-of-state license plate may indicate a tourist who is not as street-smart as a local, and who may leave valuables (presents, gifts, etc.) in his trunk, rather than drag them into his motel or B&B. Many trunks can be opened from inside a car with the pull of a lever, unless the trunk lever is key-locked, which few people take the time to do. That's the reasoning here regarding out-of-state license plates. Maybe thieves in Baltimore don't reason that way.

I may be naïve, but I don't think Baltimore is as dangerous as it is purported to be. I visited my mom several times a year when she lived in the unit block of Luzerne Ave until she died in 1986, and I felt the neighborhood was about as safe as when I left it 20 years earlier. At the time I was living at 31st & State on the south side of Chicago, a stones throw from old Comiskey Park; my mom would have been aghast.