Discovering Baltimore

Baltimore is a medium-sized city on the Chesapeake Bay, somewhere in between D.C. and Philly. Baltimore gets a bad rap for crime, but there is something else to charm city. The city that bleeds (an unfortunate nickname) is the hometown of ice cream, the originator of the American umbrella, and home to the first dental college. Now if that doesn't make you want to visit, read on to discover some of the fun places in Baltimore that locals don't even know about.

Best Baltimore Museum: American Visionary Art Museum
The AVAM began in a very unconventional way; Rebecca Hoffberger left a nursing career with no art world experience and opened the museum by making an agreement with the city to clean up pollution on the building site. The museum expands three buildings and an outside corridor. Covered in a mirrored mosaic, the AVAM is described as "un-museumy." The AVAM's permanent collection includes sculptures and paintings by people with disabilities and a series of sculptures made out of matches. Exhibits have featured Race, Class and Gender, High on Life, The Art of War and Peace, and (currently) All Faiths Beautiful.

Best Baltimore Theater: The Everyman Theater
The Hippodrome is a great theater but you can go to New York to pay $300 to see Cats. Check out the Everyman Theater in the Mt. Vernon area of Baltimore. The Everyman is an intimidate theater with local actors; their mission is to provide quality theater that is accessible and affordable to everyone. Tickets range from $15 to $35. They have a five show season and cover everything from William Shakespeare to pop-rock stylist Jason Robert Brown. For little more than the cost of a movie, support local theater and enjoy a live production.

Best Baltimore Pizza Place: Joe Squared
Alright, I'll admit it the best pizza is found at Matthew's on Eastern Avenue. Matthew's started winning awards in 1983 and is still wining them. Their deep dish pizzas are worth the calories but carry-out because their atmosphere is lacking. The best pizza place is Joe Squared. Joe Squared is a pizza place and bar. They have subs, wings, good reasonably-priced pizza and good beer. The popular college hangout is open every night until 2am and often has live music.

Best Area to Go Out in Baltimore: Fell's Point
With over 100 bars and restaurants in the small waterfront area, there are plenty of options to choose from. Walk down the cobblestone streets and take in a view of the harbor. If you are a fan of the show Homicide, visit the Waterfront where a few of the episodes were filmed. Visit Red Star for delicious martinis (I recommend the pomegranate one). Have dinner at one of Cindy Wolf's renowned tapas restaurants, Pazo or Mezze. Go to Friends to play the jukebox or Fletcher's for good live music. If you aren't into the bar scene, go to Brick Oven Pizza and eat delicious thin crust while enjoying a view of the harbor.

Best Local Bar in Baltimore: Brewer's Art
Brewer's Art, located in contemporary Mt. Vernon, has an elegant European-style restaurant upstairs and a hip young brew pub downstairs. Upstairs you can enjoy the gothic architecture of a renovated Baltimore townhouse and try the delicious cuisine. I recommend the steak frites. After dinner, go downstairs where the atmosphere is comfortable and the crowd is welcoming. Try their home-brewed beers; I recommend Resurrection ale. You can curl up in one of the many dark corners and enjoy the indy alternative music.

Best Baltimore Park: Patterson Park
Walk through the park which is full of Baltimore history during the day but avoid it after dark. Climb up the beautiful pagoda to see a view of the Baltimore skyline. The largest park in Baltimore also features cannons from the war of 1812, a lake, a skating rink, playgrounds, fields and a national football league stadium. Walk a little east of the park to see beautifully restored Baltimore row homes in Seton Hill.

Best Baltimore Crabcake: Angelina's
Angelina's is on the outskirts of Baltimore. It is hard to tell if Angelina's is an Irish pub or Italian restaurant or what, but one thing is for sure, they have the best crabcakes in town. When you pull up to Angelina's, your first instinct may be to keep driving but go inside and order a crabcake. When you walk through the door the smell of fresh seafood will keep you there. The huge cakes made of fresh crab meat taste as amazing as they look. Don't worry if you go with a non-crab eater (if those exist) the menu is full of good seafood and decent Italian alternatives.

Best Dive Bar in Baltimore: Frazier's on the Avenue
Hampden is a quirky area of Baltimore on its own, but it's most famous bar, Frazier's on the Avenue, takes the cake, hon. Hampden is a funky, blue-collar part of Baltimore where it almost feels like time stopped in 1955. Walk down the avenue during the day and enjoy the boutiques; stop in cafe hon for coffee and pie. At night, got to Frazier's which makes Hampden feel modern. Frazier's is Hampden's most upscale bar- that does not mean Frazier's is classy. With a young urban crowd, Frazier's is a pretty hip place. Frazier's on the Avenue has great bar specials and good non-bar food, including steaks and seafood. They also have pool tables and fold up chairs (just in case you didn't believe that it is a dive bar).

Best Free Baltimore Event: Artscape
Baltimore's biggest festival, Artscape is always its best. Artscape is held every summer to show off local Baltimore artists. The festival includes booths of food, local articles, vendors and the like. There are music performances and live art demonstrations all over the city. Restaurants even hold a corresponding foodscape. The best part about Artscape is that it is free to enter. This year's Artscape will be in July 2008. I hope to see you there!

Best Tourist Destination in Baltimore: Lexington Market
If you are reading this article because you will be or are currently visiting Baltimore, then you have probably already heard of Lexington Market. Lexington Market might be the biggest tourist destination in Baltimore, but take it from a local, it is worth the trip. Lexington Market is an indoor market (so save it for a rainy day) in downtown Baltimore. There are over 80 food vendors, crammed into two buildings, selling everything from crabcakes to gyros. Before you leave, make sure to try Baltimore's famous Berger's cookies, shortcake cookies topped with a pile of chocolate fudge. Some days Lexington Market invites jazz players or other local musicians to serenade guests while they eat, if they can hear them over the noises of a huge crowd.

There are many good things about Baltimore but I think these are enough for one trip. Stop back for my next set of Baltimore must-tries.