Hi everyone!

Firstly, I want to thank everyone who provided suggestions of where to go and what to see in Baltimore. I'm heading off on Saturday and I expect to have a great time there. We primarily plan on checking out the Science Museum, AVAM, and Lexington Market. We'll go to Fell's Point and have dinner somewhere there one evening. If we have time, we might visit either the Aquarium or the B&O Railroad Museum (we're both fans of railroad building).

Now, I'm torn about places to stay once I get there. Do I stay in a place in the Inner Harbor and pay anywhere from $150 - $200 a night (either the Holiday Inn or the Marriot or Courtyard)? Do I stay at a B&B a bit farther out ($150), no longer at walking distance? Or do I go for the "Quality Inn" types ($100 a night) but I'm about 5 to 10 miles away? It looks like it's going to rain all weekend so walking around a lot wouldn't be something that we would do much of (normally, we would do a lot, so there would be more of an incentive to stay close to the attractions).

Any recommendations?

-- Anonymous, August 29, 2002

Answers

I understand that staying 5 -10 miles out in a Quality Innish kind of place, is cheaper, but not THAT much cheaper that it's worth it to be staying in an icky motel in a not great area. Baltimore and its environs can get a little shady. While a B&B might be lovely, it all depends on where it's located. Even if it is raining, you might be better off staying in the Inner Harbor area. There's stuff to do there and being able to walking around is still a good thing, even if the weather isn't the greatest. That's what I'd do anyway... Is it really $150 - $200? Have you tried Priceline or Hotwire? That seems awfully expensive....

-- Anonymous, August 29, 2002

Oh, I am so jealous. The B&O museum is reputed to be excellent, with many one of a kind exhibits of locomotives and rolling stock. I wish I could go.

-- Anonymous, August 29, 2002

The Marriott right on the water is a wonderful hotel. For the record.

On the other hand, I'm a total Marriott whore. They own me because I'm Chairman's Preferred, and am addicted to the ass kissing.

The one at Metro Center in DC -- not near as wonderful as the one in Baltimore on the water.

-- Anonymous, August 29, 2002

I did a quick search on amazon (through expedia) and found that the Wydham in the Inner Harbor has a special expedia rate of $99. You might want to check that out.

That B&B is in Bolton Hill, a cute funky neighborhood that's not to far from the inner harbor. It's near Peabody Conservatory and is also very close to Mount Vernon, where parts of 12 Monkeys was filmed.

I know you're from NYC but I feel compelled to warn everyone that if you park your car in the street, leave *nothing*, not even a few pennies, visible. In a town where one out of six people has a serious drug problem, you don't want anything to tempt them. My friend Raoul has had heavy potted plants stolen from his front porch (all his pots now say "Stolen from 2943 Pleasant Place." If you go to Lexington Market, you may witness a few heroin deals *but* there's actually very little crime, other than nuisance crime, in that part of town.

(really, i'm not trying to scare you. I mean, I live a few blocks away.)

-- Anonymous, August 29, 2002

Gah. Please ignore the hideous spelling and grammatical mistakes in that last post. It's amazing and sad that I actually make a living editing other people's writing, isn't it?

-- Anonymous, August 29, 2002

Getting past my inability to understand why someone would want to make a weekend out of the place, I'd suggest the downtown Marriott as a decent bet. It's within easy walking distance of the Inner Harbour and all of the attendant attractions. While I'm not a fan of the city, I do think the Aquarium is pretty impressive. Love the stingray pools, and the shark exhibit is top-notch.

-- Anonymous, August 29, 2002

I've actually stayed in that Wyndham that was mentioned at $99 and it was really lovely. So, there ya go...more opinions than you needed.

-- Anonymous, August 29, 2002

The Baltimore Science Museum...kinda sucks. It's definitely not in the upper echelon of museums of its type. The Aquarium kicks its ass all over the harbor, especially because they still have their kickass Seahorses exhibit. Skip the Science Museum! Go to the Aquarium! And make sure to buy your tickets from the website (they're timed) so that you definitely get in. It's that good.

Oh - and stay in the Harbor if at all humanly possible. You do not want to walk around Baltimore, and staying so far out just sucks with parking and stuff. The last time we went (which I know wasn't a holiday weekend) we tried for a 3 star hotel for $70 on Priceline (bec. you can specify Downtown), and got it. We stayed across the street from the Harbor. It's definitely worth a shot!

-- Anonymous, August 29, 2002

Hey Iko, how was your trip?

-- Anonymous, September 03, 2002