Where to stay in Baltimore?

July 13, 2008 3:51 PM

BaltimoreFilter: A friend and I are driving from Boston to Baltimore next month and need hotel recommendations, among other things.

Neither of us have been to Baltimore before so we aren't familiar with the neighborhoods to look for and the ones to avoid. We're looking for a hotel that is, in order of importance, safe; close to a Metro station; and cheap.

We're driving down on Friday morning for the Virgin Mobile music festival, which starts on Saturday, so barring any unexpected delays we'll have exactly one evening free for some gastronomic exploration. I'd rather not drive in a strange city at night and get lost, so if anyone can recommend a good local restaurant or bar near a Metro stop I'd be much obliged.

The festival is at Pimlico, which appears to be about a mile from the Rogers Avenue and West Cold Spring Metro stops. Would either be preferable to the other in terms of neighborhood safety or anything? Should I just drive there instead?

Anything else I should be aware of?

Thanks a bunch for any information you can share.

posted by xbonesgt to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

Pimlico is not in a very nice neighborhood. And having been on the metro a few times, I would suggest driving. As for hotels i would suggest in the downtown area so that you could catch a cab to federal hill, canton or charles village.
posted by ihadapony at 5:35 PM on July 13

by metro do you mean train station? Baltimore doesn't actually have a functional inner-city transit system - most people get around by car or cab. It's not a bad city to drive around in, but do be careful at night.

There are a number of hotels in downtown Baltimore, mostly on the expensive side. I don't know about cheap hotels near Pimlico, but I'd avoid it if possible - if it's anything like I remember, you don't really want to be hanging around there after dark. Best bets would be to find something in Charles Village or Mt. Vernon (on Charles Street), or stay in the suburbs (Towson, Timonium, or Hunt Valley) and drive 15-20 minutes to get into the city (or if you're in Hunt Valley, take the Light Rail into the city).

good luck!
posted by puckish at 5:49 PM on July 13

Seconding ihadapony - avoid the Metro. If you can, get a portable nav system and just drive to wherever you need to go. Or just take a cab.

There are quite a few hotels downtown. You weren't very specific about your price range, but I'm sure there is at least one that will fit your budget.

As for spending your free time, Federal Hill is a lot of fun (bars, restaurants). Charles Village is ok, and safe as long as you stick to the busier areas. Mount Vernon is a nice area to get food and there are some interesting attractions as well. You can also do the touristy thing and visit the Inner Harbor. Fort McHenry (think War of 1812) can also be a cool experience.
posted by roomwithaview at 5:55 PM on July 13

I grew up about a mile northwest of Pimlico, and I had a whole long ramble typed out, but instead I'll just say that I agree with ihadapony: Pimlico's not a good neighborhood and the metro's not great. Also, you're talking about Baltimore in August, which means it will be hot and humid and gross. Drive.

Neighborhoods do get better and safer as you head north of Pimlico, particularly when you're east of Reisterstown Road or Park Heights Avenue.
posted by needs more cowbell at 5:56 PM on July 13

If you've got just one day to eat something in Baltimore, I'd say go to Lexington Market and get a Faidley's crabcake.
posted by escabeche at 6:26 PM on July 13

Stay in Mount Vernon and drive to Pimlico, or catch a cab. When you get back to Mount Vernon, bars will likely still be open--and there are a lot of them. I recommend the Brewer's Art on Charles Street, which has a bunch of house-made brews as well as microbrews from all over, including Belgian ales like Chimay and what have you. They also have a great chef and great food made for pairing with beer. There's a dining room (this is in an old row house mansion that's on the less chic side of shabby chic), an upstairs bar, and a brickskeller pub atmosphere in the basement. You can't go wrong with the food or the beer at Brewer's Art.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 6:28 PM on July 13

I have never stayed there (or been inside), but the Abacrombie Badger was on the list of hotels/.Bed & Breakfasts to recommend to parents when I was temping at the front desk at Maryland Institute College of Art. It's in Mt. Vernon and seems like it might be an interesting place. It also appears to be less expensive than the big-name hotels downtown.
posted by needs more cowbell at 11:57 PM on July 13

Ok, general rule for tourists in Baltimore is stay east of MLK, west of 83 and south of Mount Royal. There's no point in staying near Pimlico, since there's not really much to do there. Abacrombie's is a good suggestion, but their restaurant is pretty expensive, so their B&B probably is as well. There are also a few hotels in the northern part of the city, but it's pretty suburban up there, so there's not much around.

From the festival's site, it looks like staying downtown is your best bet, because you'll be able to take the subway. There's a bunch of reasonably priced (<$150), nice hotels on either Baltimore Street or Redwood Street, between Park and Calvert. They're close to the harbor and both Fells Point and Federal Hill, so plenty of restaurants and bars. That part of downtown is pretty empty in the evenings, but generally safe and you shouldn't have any trouble getting a cab.
posted by electroboy at 7:54 AM on July 14

ok, thanks for the info everyone; we're looking at hotels now.
posted by xbonesgt at 8:58 AM on July 14