Work TODAY, FLY TOMORROW • August 2016
Six reasons to stay on in Baltimore
From the world’s finest crab cakes to majestic galleries, Baltimore resident Roswell Encina shares his recommendations for your next trip to this waterside city
Don’t be shellfish
Baltimore residents take their crab cakes very seriously. And while everyone has a view on where to get the ‘best’, my favourite is Faidley’s Seafood inside Lexington Market. I love grabbing lunch at the counter, alongside other local Baltimoreons.
Retail therapy
If you’re a cook or a food lover, don’t miss Baltimore’s Farmers Market which takes place from 7am to noon every Sunday. Shoppers can revel in everything from seasonal fruit and vegetables to bison meat and wood-fired pizzas. I get more eating than shopping done every time.
Something to see
As one of their employees I may be biased, but I love the Enoch Pratt Free Library. Architecture enthusiasts will appreciate the grand space with ornate ceilings and a majestic main hall, while the special collections should be part of any cultural Baltimore tour. Items include a lock of Edgar Allan Poe’s hair and a handwritten rap by Tupac Shakur.
Arts appreciation
Spanning the neighbourhoods of Charles North, Greenmount West and Barclay, Baltimore’s Station North art district has a diverse collection of galleries, artists’ studios and performance spaces. For souvenirs, visit Artist & Craftsman Supply and pick up a linen-bound Shizen notebook and pretty origami paper.
Meet the neighbours
The Hampden neighbourhood should be in the dictionary under ‘quirky’. Everything about it illustrates why Baltimore is known as Charm City. The area includes The Avenue (West 36th Street), a strip of stores and restaurants ranging from independent gift shops and clothing boutiques to hipster bars. Visit restaurant Rocket to Venus, which commemorates an eight-month project undertaken in 1928 by three locals who famously built a spaceship.
Somewhere to lay your head
See the best of historical Baltimore by basing yourself in the Inner Harbor area. At Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore, make yourself comfortable in a cabana by the infinity pool. You never know who you’ll see – I hear members of One Direction hung out there during a recent visit.
One last thing…
A few days aren’t enough to see everything Baltimore has to offer, but try to visit Fort McHenry (birthplace of The Star Spangled Banner) and the original Washington Monument (erected before the one in DC). When I have a guest in town, I love taking them on a mini Edgar Allan Poe tour. We visit his gravesite at Westminster Hall, before heading to the Fells Point bar The Horse You Came In On – reputedly the last bar Poe visited before he died.
This article has been tagged Destination, Travel Tips