Baltimore/Midtown



Midtown is a district of Baltimore.

Understand
You can visit Baltimore without visiting Midtown, but you will be missing out. Midtown is arguably Baltimore's most beautiful section of town, having housed the city's wealthy and fashionable starting centuries ago. The Mount Vernon neighborhood, especially Mount Vernon Square, is the principal destination for visitors, as it is the lovely setting for the city's Washington Monument, predating the larger obelisk in D.C., and for the Walters Art Museum.

Just north of Mount Vernon is what has become known as Baltimore's Station North Arts District, often known as Charles North, which is the hippest part of town. Great restaurants, great bars and clubs both sophisticated and offbeat, tons of local artists including those at the eccentric Maryland Institute College of the Arts, the prestigious Peabody School of Music, the Lyric Opera House, art galleries, and the beloved art-house film Charles Theatre. This area is also home to Penn Station and the light rail cuts right through it, so you don't have much of an excuse to skip a trip here!

Bolton Hill, to the northwest of Howard St and Martin Luther King Blvd, has far less as far as tourist sights go, but is an absolutely beautiful place for a stroll or drive—stately tall 19th century rowhouses and mansions, gilded statues, huge old churches, and so on. It sports a couple of nice restaurants as well, and a few houses (not open for visitors) of famous former residents such as F Scott Fitzgerald.

Just west of Mount Vernon, charming Seton Hill's eclectic mix of large and small row houses are centered on the beautiful Saint Mary's Park. Strolling through this quiet green space with its large trees and small fountain, you could quickly forget that you are just a few blocks from all the amenities Baltimore offers. The State Office Complex and Downtown Baltimore's towers are visible above the roofs of Seton Hill's historic homes, but are far enough to be quickly forgotten when you leave work behind. And every October the neighborhood puts on the Seton Hill French Fair and Flea market, bringing the community together for some fun and showcasing the neighborhood.

By car
It's easy enough to find the neighborhood by car—you can take Martin Luther King Blvd straight from Exit 53 off I-95N, or go straight up Charles St from Downtown. I-83, the Jones Falls Expressway, leads right into the district and has exits at North Ave and Maryland Ave/Charles St/St. Paul.

Parking is another matter, with often limited metered parking in the busy sections around Charles St, and two hour zone restrictions in residential areas. The zone restrictions are pretty poorly enforced, but the ticket prices can be high.

By train
Amtrak as well as the MARC commuter rail Penn Line from D.C. serve Penn Station, which is a fairly easy walk from virtually anywhere in the district.

By light rail
The light rail leads through Mount Vernon and Station North, stopping at Centre St for Mt Vernon Square and historic Seton Hill, Cultural Centre for the Opera House, Penn Station, and North Ave for the eccentric bars, clubs, and pizza places at the northern edge of the district.

By metro
The metro subway has a convenient stop at State Center (near the Cultural Centre light rail stop), but it's not terribly clear whether anyone uses the Baltimore metro, nor whether you should either.

By bus
Bus #11 has a remarkably useful route leading north on Charles St from Downtown and the Inner Harbor, and on to the Baltimore Museum of Art and Johns Hopkins' main campus in North Baltimore. On the way south back to the Inner Harbor, it follows Maryland Ave to Cathedral St, before heading east all the way to Fells Point and Canton.

The Charm City Circulator's purple route is a really useful loop for any visitors. It runs a loop from Penn Station through the district, Downtown, the Inner Harbor, and even on to Federal Hill. Just remember that it doesn't run that late!

Buy


Midtown a shopping district is not, unless you're looking for art supply stores, of which there are plenty, serving mainly the MICA students.



Connect
There are two very cool, funky little coffeehouses in the neighborhood, both with free WiFi:



Stay safe
The areas north of Penn Station can be legitimately rough, but the main roads, especially Charles St and North Ave, are well traveled and fine. If you have your car on the street anywhere in Midtown, make sure there is nothing lying in plain view, lest someone smash your window and take it.

Go next
While the obvious direction from here is back south through Downtown to the Inner Harbor, some creativity and preferably a car can make for some interesting jaunts farther afield.

If you are enjoying the slightly gritty, but very eccentric areas around North Ave, head a little further north and watch the grit factor soar! Also that way is Baltimore's Korean neighborhood, with some great little BBQ places and the odd karaoke bar, and a couple famous punk bars/venues.

Now you'll definitely need a car in this direction, but heading west will bring you to the Baltimore Zoo and the original location of "The Roost" for some fine fish fry.