Baltimore’s mayor has it right.
The way to explore this charming city is by ditching the car.
Whether you hoof it around the Inner Harbor, museum hop by water taxi, or pedal through the wealth of historic neighborhoods, the way to take in the exuberant mood is by slowing the pace. Here’s a look at what I did.
FRIDAY
Check in to a convenient hotel, like the Hilton Garden Inn in the up-and-coming Harbor East neighborhood, or the first certified “green” hotel, the Fairfield Inn & Suites, opening in July on the former DeGroen’s Brewing Co. site in historic Jonestown.
Start with a brisk bike ride with the city’s top ambassador. Mayor Sheila Dixon leads a twice-a-week ride along green spaces like the Gwynns Falls Trail. Meet at City Hall at 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays. You can rent a bike at Light Street Cycles.
With a workout in, it’s time to dine. With so many amazing restaurants to choose from, why not sample as many as possible in one evening?
Slip on your walking shoes and start with drinks and appetizers at the Lebanese Taverna, where the piping hot pitas, homemade hommos and moussaka are an authentic meal unto themselves.
Travel a few blocks to the sultry Pazo and indulge in the extensive, impressive tapas menu from land and sea.
Difficult as it is to leave this intoxicating den of feasting, push back from the table to save room for dessert. Make it a “healthy” one by wandering over to Fell’s Point for a gelato at Pitango’s. Pitango’s uses milk from Spring Wood Organic Farm in Kinzers.
Come during summer restaurant weeks, July 21-Aug. 9, to save, with many top restaurants serving fixed-price lunch and dinner courses.
SATURDAY
Jump right into your Saturday morning with a leisurely neighborhood bike tour to soak in the neighborhood flavors. Eat your way along an ethnic bakery tour through Little Italy, Fell’s Point, Highlandtown, Greektown and Canton, ending up at the Pagoda at Patterson Park for a spectacular view of the city. Reserve with Ralph Brown, of Monumental Bike Tours, for rich history lessons and encyclopedic knowledge of the immigrant experience along the way.
Make Federal Hill your lunch spot, sampling Bruce Lee’s Wings at the historic Cross Street Market to whet your appetite before settling in at Spoons Coffee Café & Roastery, an eco-leader promoting greener restaurants and foods with a local flavor. Its hearty wraps and organic fair-trade ice tea are filling and fabulous.
Head for the Inner Harbor and start at the top, taking the elevator to the Top of the World Observation Level of the pentagonal World Trade Center. Tall ships turn to bathtub boats, and tourist-filled paddleboats are reduced to tiny specks along the sparkling harbor. Turn north and it seems you could see all the way back to Lancaster.
With all your choices neatly laid out before you, pick a spot to spend the afternoon. Jellies, a 4-D theater and a new dolphin show at the National Aquarium? The dinosaur invasion at the Maryland Science Center? A tour of Camden Yards? The stunning new Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture? The funky American Visionary Art Museum? Or just motor around on the water taxi for a boat’s eye view.
If you’ve explored to your heart’s content on foot, bike and boat, pick up your car and head to the historic renovation of Clipper Mill for an unforgettable meal at Woodberry Kitchen. Focused on local foods, the meals are innovative and fresh. Reservations are strongly recommended for this dining hot spot.
Save room for brunch at the sassy Miss Shirley’s for Southern-style sweets or the eclectic Ze Mean Bean Café and Wine Bar for an amazing Crab Benedict.
Spend the day steeped in history and culture in the lovely neighborhood of Mount Vernon, centered around the nation’s first monument to George Washington and surrounded by picturesque parks.
Stock up on fresh produce and treats at the Sunday Farmers Market. At noon you can tour (for free) America’s first cathedral, the restored Basilica of the Assumption. Then meander the rest of your afternoon through the (free) Walters Art Museum with the extraordinary exhibit of the Saint John’s Bible, on display through the end of July.
Free admission to the fabulous Baltimore Museum of Art and The Walters Art Museum are temptations enough to travel. But it also won’t cost you a cent to check out the art galleries at Fell’s Point, visit Edgar Allan Poe’s grave to celebrate his 200th birthday, watch bocce ball in Little Italy, play volleyball at Rash Field, or dozens of other freebies.
With a bit of planning, fans of Inner Harbor can explore all the top attractions for one attractive price by reserving a Harbor Pass online.
Don’t miss the Waterfront Invasion of dinosaurs at the Maryland Science Center and jellies at the national Aquarium, coupled with the family-friendly free outdoor movie series featuring classic invasion movies like “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” and “Godzilla.”
Fans of the gloriously unique American Visionary Art Museum can delight in the quirky exhibits for free from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday nights this summer, then catch free flicks like “Dr. Strangelove” and “Ghostbusters” on Federal Hill at dusk.
Free films on Friday nights are a fixture in Little Italy, where a festival atmosphere prevails all evening with live music and plenty of food.