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Explore the Best of Baltimore

Monday April 12, 2010

Come for an Orioles game, stay for...everything else. Baltimore has a surprising number of gems, from killer crab cakes to an art collection that even Paris would envy. Book a room at the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel and set off on a weekend that's sure to boost Baltimore a little higher on your list of favorite cities.

What's a trip to Maryland without sampling some of the fruits of her shores - namely, crab cakes? G&M Restaurant has been voted as having the city's best crab cakes by Baltimore Magazine in 2004...and 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. You'll want to order, you guessed it, crab cakes, available as a sandwich or as a single or double cake platter served with salad, vegetables, bread, and coffee. If you're not bursting after that meal, you'll want to head to Brewer's Art, whose name hints at its claim to fame. Located in a classic townhouse, this is a spot for the serious beer drinker. You can sample the house-made beers, which include the Ozzy, its "answer to the Belgian devil beers" like Lucifer and Duvel. If it's a real Belgian beer your after, Brewer's Art has them in spades, along with German, Japanese, and Finnish (yep, Finnish) beers, among others. After such a feast of the stomach, it's only fair that you feed your eyes. Good thing the Baltimore Museum of Art has such an impressive collection of post-Impressionist art. In the early 20th century, Baltimore's Cone sisters visited the Parisian studios of Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, and had the foresight to purchase works by both, along with Cezanne, Van Gogh, and Gauguin. The museum's 500-piece Matisse collection is considered the largest in the world.

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Offbeat

African American Maritime History Comes Alive in Baltimore

Tuesday January 26, 2010

Frederick Douglass Isaac Myers Maritime Park Photo.jpg Since its founding in 1729, Baltimore has been one of the most important seaports on the east coast, supplying the country's interior with goods from overseas and developing an export market that helped drive the Industrial Age. While many groups were responsible for the growth of Baltimore's port, the contributions of the African American community are often overlooked, which makes Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park such an important stop for any student of American history. Located in the heart of Baltimore's Fell's Point neighborhood, the park has a wealth of exhibits related to African American maritime history, with exhibits on noted abolitionist Frederick Douglass (who lived and worked on the nearby Baltimore docks) and Isaac Myers, who began his life as a caulker on clipper ships and eventually helped integrate the maritime labor unions. This Living Classrooms Foundation facility has a learn-by-doing ethos, with interactive exhibits and a collection of marine memorabilia from the past three centuries. There's a fascinating retrospective on the founding of the Chesapeake Marine Railway and Dry Dock Company, which became a symbol of the racial strife in the post-Civil War years. For those of us who pine to work on ships one day, a shipbuilding exhibit details the many small jobs that go into making a vessel seaworthy. It's an eye-opening look at one of the most important chapters in American maritime history. Starwood has hotels throughout Baltimore, including the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel.

[image via Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park]

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Inside

Aloft Baltimore Washington Airport Opens With a Grand Celebration

Wednesday August 5, 2009

The brand new Aloft Baltimore Washington Airport hotel is officially open for business following a grand dedication ceremony on July 30. The event marked the latest new venue for Aloft, which since its 2008 launch has offered a new concept in affordable, style-driven lodging for business and regional travelers. Hotel officials offered tours of the property, including rooms and common areas, and hosted a group of city officials, developers, and media representatives at w xyz bar, where the drinks were perfect and DJ Gemma spun special mixes of modern and classic tracks. The highlight of the event was the burying of a time capsule which included cultural relics of today, from an iPhone 3G to a collection of Michael Jackson MP3s to articles on the current events of the day, all to be unearthed in 2019. As for the stunning new hotel, it's got it all, with 155 comfortable rooms with cutting-edge technology, urban-influenced design, and social areas that help you connect with others. From its re:charge fitness center and splash pool to the re:fuel 24-hour grab and go pantry, you'll have what it takes to be your best. Take advantage of special grand opening rates and explore this exciting new hotel soon.

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Celebrate

A Year of Edgar Allan Poe Festivities at Baltimore's Nevermore 2009

Tuesday August 4, 2009

Poe 2009.jpg Edgar Allan Poe lived and worked in Baltimore for much of his life, taking inspiration from the old port city to channel into some of his most celebrated stories of mystery and the macabre. This year marks the 200th anniversary of Poe's birth in 1809, and the city is commemorating the milestone with a year's worth of Poe-related events that highlight his life and work. Get up to speed on Poe with a visit to Enoch Pratt Free Library, where a collection of photographs, manuscripts, and other memorabilia belonging to Poe will be on display throughout the year. Or stretch your legs on an exciting walking tour called the Edgar Allan Poe Tell-Tale Tour of Baltimore. Named after The Tell-Tale Heart, Poe's 1843 story about murder and guilt, the tour visits some of the great landmarks of his life in the city, from the Poe House, where he lived from 1832 to 1835, to Church Hospital, where he died in 1849. Surprisingly, not all of Poe's work is dark and Gothic. He was also a spirited essayist, and a special tour offered at Mount Clare Museum House and Homewood Museum focuses on "the Philosophy of Furniture," his tongue-in-cheek 1840 essay criticizing Americans' decorative shortcomings. That's right, the guy who wrote The Raven, one of the scariest horror stories ever published, was also a furniture critic. Go figure. For a full calendar of events, click here and prepare yourself for a delightful fright. Starwood has hotels throughout the Baltimore area, including the nearby Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel.

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Savor

Memorial Day Barbecue Away from Home

Friday May 22, 2009

There's nothing like firing up the grill on Memorial Day Weekend for a little backyard barbecue — so if you're on the road this weekend, you have my sympathies. The best I can offer is a few good spots for stand-in ribs and hot links; hopefully one is near where you are.

First, two places named RUB — one in New York, one in Baltimore. The R.U.B. of the former stands for Righteous Urban Barbecue, just a few blocks from the Four Points by Sheraton Manhattan Chelsea. It serves up much more than just ribs and chicken, including smoked ham, brisket and a Kansas City favorite, burnt ends. The Baltimore RUB is a Texas-style affair, featuring note-perfect smoked turkey and beef sausage in a city not normally known for its smoked meats, and only about a mile from the Sheraton Inner Harbor.

If you're staying at the Four Points by Sheraton San Francisco Bay Bridge in Emeryville, you're not far from Everett & Jones locations in Oakland and Berkeley. Soul food complements the slow-cooked brisket, and there's live r&b and blues in the back.

In Chicago, one of the stand-out joints is Smoque on the Northwest Side; it serves up fantastic renditions of several regional barbecue styles. But much closer to the Four Points by Sheraton Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile is the Weber Grill, a nice sit-down place that cooks everything over charcoal on specially designed Weber kettle grills. It's the closest you'll get to that backyard cookout taste without being in an actual backyard.

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Savor

On the Cupcake Trail

Friday April 3, 2009

I never expected cupcakes to be such a resilient trend, but years later, they're still hip and happening. Here are some spots around the country to indulge in a bite-sized sweet fix.

Magnolia Bakery in New York arguably touched off the fad. Its moist cupcakes piled high with frosting got a boost from "Sex and the City," leading to long lines at its three locations. The Rockefeller Square store is just two blocks from the W Times Square.

The Cupcakery is keeping Las Vegas happy with fun toppings and flavors like lemonberry, raspberry with champagne frosting and pecan-coated German chocolate. Better yet, they'll happily deliver to the element Las Vegas Summerlin and other Starwood properties.

Baltimore's Charm City Cupcakes offers beautiful treats in more than 40 flavors, ranging from classic red velvet to caramel turtle, plus two dozen flavors of two-bite mini cupcakes. The bakery is just a few blocks north of the Sheraton Inner Harbor.

Kara's Cupcakes in San Francisco merges two two dessert trends with its fleur de sel cupcake, filled with with caramel and topped with chocolate ganache and a sprinkle of salt. Pick one up while you stay at the St. Regis San Francisco.

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Savor

Charm City Treats

Friday January 23, 2009

Baltimore has a reputation for being a working class town. Not many cities boast a serious taste comparison of cheap beers in the daily paper. But just because the attitude is down to earth (as exemplified by Charm City Cakes employees on Food Network's "Ace of Cakes") doesn't mean the populace lacks a refined palate.

In fact, even the local donut chain is gourmet. The Fractured Prune offers plenty of specialty donuts — or create your own by combining one of a dozen flavored glazes and and toppings such as coconut, Oreo crumbles and chocolate chips. But for a more upscale sweet, Dangerously Delicious Pies (see video) is the place. Their pies are overloaded not just with scrumptious fruits and berries, but also savory ingredients like steak and chili or pork barbecue. (Bucking the workman reputation even further, they also serve quiche.)

Continuing on the savory side, head to The Brewer's Art, which goes well beyond National Bohemian in its beer selection, and boasts an excellent dinner menu as well. For the wine lover, there's the Chesapeake Wine Company, which offers around two dozen wines by the glass and some tasty pizzas and other light bites to go with the vino. Both are an easy cab ride from the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel.

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Celebrate

Fell's Point Fun Festival in Baltimore

Wednesday September 24, 2008

Pride 2 200.jpg Baltimore is always a fun city to visit, but it'll be even more fun on October 4-5, 2008 when the Fell's Point Fun Festival rolls into town. An entire festival dedicated to fun. I like that. More than 700,000 people will gather in the Fell's Point National Historic District to enjoy handmade arts and crafts, live jazz and blues, local food (think crab cakes) and an impressive collection of Maryland microbrews and wines. A special family zone has entertainment for kids of all ages, with puppet and marionette shows, circus arts, and interactive games. That does sound like fun. But it gets better. You can indulge your inner seafarer with a tour of the Pride of Baltimore II, a reproduction of an 1812-era Baltimore Clipper privateer. It stays tethered to the dock, but I'm sure you can feel the motion of the distant ocean. Guests at the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel or any of Starwood's Baltimore properties might enjoy a taste of the fun life at this colorful festival.

[image via baygateways.net]

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Celebrate

A World of Literature at the Baltimore Book Festival

Tuesday September 16, 2008

Read any good books lately? I don't mean the latest potboiler from the airport newsstand, I mean a work of literature that truly transformed you. If it's been a while since you've been inspired by great writing, get your reading mojo back this fall at the Baltimore Book Festival. From September 26-28, 2008, more than two hundred authors will be on hand to read from their latest works, sign copies of their books, and engage in round table discussions about the state of literature today. Keep an eye out for writers like Walter Mosley, who has published more than twenty books of crime fiction and mystery, and Omar Tyree, whose work explores the trials and tribulations of people trying to get by in the modern world. Fans of political journalism won't want to miss Ron Suskind, while Sweet Potato Queen Jill Conner Browne won't hold back on the subjects of parenting, relationships, and, presumably, sweet potatoes. But it's not all reading and gabbing at the festival, you can also get your handwriting analyzed to see "what kind of person you are" and embark on a literary walking tour around the city. And nothing encourages reading and writing like traveling. The festival will be held at Mount Vernon Place, an easy twelve-minute walk from the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel.

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Offbeat

On the Rails at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum

Monday June 23, 2008

The iconic streetcar is a relic of the past in most American cities, having given way to the automobile in the latter half of the 20th century. The fanciful era of the streetcar lives on, however, at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum. This unique museum, just ten minutes from the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel, features an impressive collection of authentic antique streetcars on display, ranging from an open-sided nine-bench car that the Brownell company created in 1896 to a 1944 Pullman Standard car, which was one of the last streetcars ordered for Baltimore until the city began introducing the kind of new light rail cars that are beginning to emerge in some of the country's more environmentally-conscious cities. While it's interesting to walk around and look at vintage streetcars, it's much more fun to ride in one, which is why the museum has a short section of track so you can take a streetcar ride like they did in old Baltimore of a century ago. Ride the rails as much as you like, and enjoy an era that might be coming back into fashion after all. All aboard!

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