Thanks to television shows like “The Wire”, many people hear “Baltimore” and think, “murder capital of the world.” Back in reality, that title actually belongs to Caracas, Venezula, and Baltimore is a pretty fun place to spend a weekend. Grittier than New York (at least Manhattan) and cooler than D.C. (unequivocally), Baltimore is home to the work of architects like Mies Van Der Rohe and I.M. Pei, the grave of Edgar Allen Poe, and the nation’s only museum of dentistry (check out George Washington’s not-so-wooden teeth!). If that’s not enough to get you out of the District, the Voice has provided you with a complete itinerary, so you can save your brain space for more HBO.
Getting There
Getting to Baltimore is easy (and cheap!). Take the Circulator bus or the Red line metro to Union Station, and then take the Marc train to Baltimore. Marc train tickets cost $7.
Learn
If you missed seeing Barack Obama at the inauguration, you can still get your picture taken next to his wax likeness at the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum. A quirky mixture of history museum and Madame Tussaud’s, Great Blacks in Wax depicts figures from Rosa Parks to Makeda, Queen of Sheba. The museum also provides a compelling look at some of the racial issues that have shaped the city, and doesn’t hold back when chronicling some of the more disturbing issues like slavery and lynching. $11 with student ID.
If you’ve been to all the Smithsonians a million times and are still hungry for more knowledge, check out the Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry. Don’t miss George Washington’s dentures, the history of the toothbrush, and the chance to gross yourself out with an interactive odyssey into your mouth, entitled, “Saliva: A Remarkable Fluid.” $3 with student ID.
Pay your respects to the poet who sent chills down the spines of high-school students everywhere with “The Raven” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.” This year marks the 200th anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s birth, and the city is pulling out all the stops. Poe’s grave, which is located in Westminster Hall, is the subject of some local legend. According to tradition, a mysterious stranger visits Poe’s grave on the anniversary of his birth and leaves a half empty bottle of cognac and three roses in tribute. Check out the intrigue for yourself at Westminster Burying Grounds and Catacombs, at the southeast corner of Fayette and Greene Streets, in West Baltimore. The cemetery is open daily to the public from 8 a.m. until dusk.
Observe
If the only wildlife you’ve seen lately are the rats behind the library dumpsters, head over to the Baltimore aquarium, where you can watch sharks and pet horseshoe crabs. Not only is the Baltimore aquarium one of the largest in the world, but its steeply discounted on Fridays afternoons—entry after 5 p.m. costs only $8 (regularly $25!).
Masticate
The restaurants around the inner harbor are mostly tourist traps heavy on overpriced, unoriginal fare, so save your appetite for One World Café. Located across the street from Johns Hopkins University, One World specializes in fresh, organic food at low prices. Vegetarians will appreciate a restaurant where meat-free isn’t synonymous with “grilled cheese,” and the offerings are so tasty that even carnivores won’t miss the meat. (Entrees from $8 to $14.)
Recover
If for some reason you decide to stay overnight in Baltimore, the only youth hostel is a branch of Hosteling International, located on 17 West Mulberrry St. Rates start at $25, and there’s a $3 fee if you’re not an HI member.
