Place 19 of 52: A Celebration of African-American Culture in Baltimore

The writer forgot to mention the Billy Holiday murals on the 200 block of South Durham St in Upper Fells Point where she once lived.

I think you mean Bessie Coleman instead of Bessie Smith. Bessie Coleman was indeed, the first African American woman to earn a pilot's license. Bessie Smith was the Empress of the Blues. Bessie Coleman is also listed on their site and Bessie Smith is not. "the minute I walked in, greeted by a life-size wax statue of the ancient North African military commander Hannibal atop an elephant, opposite Bessie Smith, the first licensed black woman pilot, in her plane. "

I went to visit family every month or so during 2015-16. Stayed in Fells Point (at the awesome and amusingly named The Admiral Fell Inn.) Walked freely at all hours in that neighborhood. There are homeless and street life and actually I found that seemed safer than wandering deserted streets. Never had any issues. I guess the writer sought an angle, hence viewing Charm City as a chance to explore black culture, but it’s also a great place for — history in evidence especially near the water, art, food, boutique shopping, eating, nightlife in local bars. The people who work there are fabulously warm and kind. You’ll be called “hon” everywhere you go. No mention in the article of Natty Bo, eating raw clams with 7 kinds of butter at Bertha’s, Inner Harbor boat rides, Jimmy’s diner fried chicken and low prices, the Daily Grind coffee (a walk-up window!) Gertrude’s blood orange mimosas, Hamden boutiques and antique stores (and a great used book store) with diners and Italian eateries, Hopkins’ beautiful rotunda giving birth to the expression “grand rounds.” I think the writer needs to get out more! A real unpretentious working city where people who work there can also live there, so unlike manhattan (which I also love.) as with most towns with high crime rates, that’s mostly connected to unfortunate particular neighborhoods, and isn’t distributed evenly throughout the city.

We were taken to the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore by our first-ever couchsurfing hosts then just over the road in the Federal Hill Park we were told we could see Fort McHenry about which the song 'bombs bursting in air' was written blew - my - mind ...

Thank you - great article.

Baltimore "...30 minutes from ..." DC? Not even in a helicopter. Fact-checking? However, a visit to the shops, galleries, bars, and eateries of Hampden are well worth the trouble.

Can't help but hear the song "Baltimore" as I read this. It's always been a hard town from what I've read over the years. Sadly the author seems to have come to the same conclusion!

The travel and leisure article showed better things.

You can't talk about race in Maryland without referencing their official state song, "Maryland my Maryland" It includes the words, "The despots heel is at thy door....." No, not King George III, but President Abraham Lincoln. In spite of many proposals to change it, it still is as written: The despot's heel is on thy shore, Maryland![a] His torch is at thy temple door, Maryland! Avenge the patriotic gore That flecked the streets of Baltimore, And be the battle queen of yore, Maryland! My Maryland! None among the states that seceded from the Union have retained an official memorial of hatred of the North such as this. Another stanza, (all can be found on Wikipedia) Dear Mother! burst the tyrant's chain, Maryland! Virginia should not call in vain, Maryland! She meets her sisters on the plain— "Sic semper!" 'tis the proud refrain That baffles minions back amain, Maryland! My Maryland! Whether reference to "Sic semper" are the words of John Wilkes Booth after the assassination; or only the words of the Virginia State motto are uncertain. This state song defeating eight attempts to change it is a unique overt rejection of the primary effect of the Civil War, which was to end slavery. It seems like the elected state officials can't quite turn the page on this history.

It's the Walters Art Museum. It changed its name several years ago. Yes, Baltimore does have tremendous problems, mostly dealing with violence, but it is not The Wire as shown on HBO. Read the book the series was based on and you'll learn about some truly unfortunate problems that Baltimore and every big city suffeed from--including D.C., New York and Philadelphia: poverty, crime, joblessness. David Simon, the series creator, let success go to his head after the first year and saddled the city with an unfair reputation for years to come.

Every city has some areas that are best avoided for safety reasons. If you have any such concerns, simply ask your hotel personnel before venturing into unfamiliar territory.

Although I spent many years in Baltimore from childhood on during the war and must say it is a totally changed city reflecting societal changes, there are many fascinating things to see and learn. The author does a very good manuscript on describing this mix. And so I was at loss to understand why presidential politics have to vitiate this otherwise informative TRAVEL piece. If people are so interested, the historic Pennsylvania RR station now Amtrak is on North Charles St and on North Ave near Maryland Ave is the exceptional Baltimore Streetcar Museum with summertime streetcar rides.

Just in case anyone was wondering, there are white people in Baltimore also. They mostly don’t get shot. The food is good, but don’t tell DC. Go visit the aquarium, the revolutionary warship and Ft McHenry. Eat and shop at Harborplace. Take a stroll on Hopkins’ campus. Check out the Brass Elephant. And stop slicing your readership by color, gender, religion, etc.

To LMM of NYC, who doubted the veracity of my comment pointing out the possibility of being pushed into Inner Harbor: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-harbor... https://www.reddit.com/r/baltimore/comments/7bcehw/teens_push_man_into_i... And the level of crime in general: https://medium.com/@TraceyHalvorsen/baltimore-city-youre-breaking-my-hea...

Interesting that Stevie Wonder liked the murals...

I used to live there in the 90’s. High crime, very violent. But fun city. Not much has changed. Great place to visit.

Thanks. I had the opportunities to visit Baltimore several times over the years, and always found a reason to go back. People are very surprised to hear I loved it there.

Next stop, Iceland? With the advent of the $99 (or less) fare, is Iceland being overrun with tourists? Sure, Reykjavik is a great city, but take us somewhere where the crowds aren't.

Thank you NYT for posting this article! Maryland needs to recognize and honor its black legacy.

The Baltimore Museum of Art has a terrific collection of paintings by Henri Matisse, who was certainly not African-American, but was one of the pioneers who helped introduce African themes to modern European art. Anyway, the pictures are great!

Yes, Visionary Arts Museum is a must see. very unique, fun, and the best gift shop ever.

Thanks for sharing your Baltimore experience in such a positive light. I lived 20 minutes from downtown Baltimore for 14 years and I still get homesick for that city. In fact, you mentioned places I never knew existed in Charm City and now regret not visiting. Just for the record, Baltimore also has an amazing symphony orchestra - a night with the BSO is always a treat. I still remember visits to the Walters Museum to see the clay figures from China, an exhibit of carvings and art from ancient Egypt and a beautiful show of impressionist artists including, Pissarro, Manet and Cezanne. I saw my first baseball game in Baltimore and the National Aquarium housed some of the same African cichlids I kept in my tank back in California. And yes, you found the right place for crab cakes! I know Baltimore isn’t paradise but I met a lot of kind, caring folks there who never made me feel like a stranger. Like the lady said, if you’re looking for perfection, well nothing is perfect.

As a longtime resident, I enjoyed this look at what Baltimore has to offer. To the people who say no thanks to visiting here, your loss. Yes, this city has serious problems but there is also a lot to love here.

Don't forget the Edgar Allen Poe Museum. The weather is hot and humid in summer but so is DC. Glad to hear they now have Uber/Lyft as driving in Downtown is tricky at best with some of the fiercest traffic wardens ever encountered, this coming from an NYCer. It is a beautiful city with a true mix. The grim abuts the affluent with little subtlety so know where you are. The stadium is right downtown for Orioles games and there are great variety of restaurants.

Baltimore is a city of culture, quirkiness, great food, and lots of art. Really great art: The Baltimore Museum of Art, The Walters Art Gallery, & the previously mentioned Visionary Art Museum. Baltimore is the home of MICA, one of the best art schools in America, and many people move here because of the school and stay here because of the city's charm. It's true that you can get yourself into trouble here, but it is not all a backdrop for the Wire. There are wonderfully diverse neighborhoods full of beautiful architechure befitting one of the pre-emminent cities in colonial America.

You left out the Walters art gallery - a great teaching museum and worth a visit - not to mention the national aquarium which is virtually empty on Christmas Eve, my favorite time to go. How could you not visit Edgar Allan Poe’s grave? What about water taxis? How about renting a kayak and paddling in the inner harbor? And (I don’t know if I’ll get in trouble that for this or not) the cannolis in Little Italy Baltimore top those in New York City any day.

I used to live in Reston, VA. I frequently went to Baltimore to hear a concert at the Meyerhoff , home of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, in the Mount Vernon neighborhood. It was purpose built as a symphony concert hall so the acoustics are excellent, much better, superior to the muddy sounding Kennedy Center concert hall in Washington, DC. That's not just my opinion. The acoustic characteristics of the two have been measured and studied. If you want to hear great music, go to the Meyerhoff. There is a nearby parking garage with reasonable rates, or you can safely park on the street. It's still even better than recently constructed Strathmore hall, which was built as a multi-purpose venue. The wall and sound panels there are adjustable, controlled by computer. And if you are interested in some after concert entertainment one can often spot a lady of the night offering her services on the nearby streets. Or maybe one would like to see some original stained class windows made by the Louis Comfort Tiffany company, at St Mark's Lutheran Church or Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church. There is a reason Tiffany became so famous and was much imitated. The originals are quite remarkable, and rare.

Did a two-day visit to Baltimore last fall -- had a fine time eating my way across the city. Lexington Market is an absolute must, the best crab cakes to be found on the planet. The raw bars, just great food and drink everywhere. However ... I have never feared for my personal safety in any city as I did in Baltimore. Consult with your hotel before venturing out on foot -- the man at the front desk where I stayed was very forthcoming about streets and sections I should avoid, this without my having asked, so prepared was he to steer me out of harm's way. If you visit Inner Harbor, stay away from the water's edge. There is no barrier along the water to protect you should someone come running up to push you in. Again, advice I received unsolicited. Panhandlers seemed particularly aggressive. Be prepared to deal with many. Still, I would venture back to see the places touched on in this article, I would. But I also think it a disservice not to advise potential visitors to proceed with extreme caution.

Fun to read about! Next time, also consider visiting The Avenue in Hampden and the Peabody Library in Mount Vernon. I'd love to read a column from you just on this: "how much trouble I was having with the writing part of this job." Curious about your process and how you overcome these challenges!

just returned from baltimore and yes a rough town but still with some common sense & asking the locals you will do fine.. camden yards, inner harbour, little italy, fed hill and fells point were all awesome but do ask the locals about safety.. the locals black & white are super friendly.. as for lex market incredible but a rough area so do be careful.. go orioles.. best crabcakes in the world..!

Tourists don't go into the neighborhoods where the violence happens, so forget the murder problems and concentrate on the good thing of which there are many. The restaurants are great, Fells Point is cool, Walters Art is world class, catch an O's game, Inner Harbor, and walk the campus of Johns Hopkins. Lots going on and you don't have to be brave to do it.

Fond memories of the Blacks in Wax Museum and the Aquarium, along with easy train access to points South and North.

If I am not so interested in exploring black history and culture this article leaves me pretty much at a loss as to what else I might possibly do during a visit to Baltimore. If in fact you do want to explore black history, the place you really should go is the outstanding National Museum of African American History and Culture, just down the road in Washington, DC. Admission is free but you must book a timed ticket via etix.com If you would like a rundown of Baltimore's many attractions, restaurants and hotels, try TripAdvisor.com