This is fourth in a series of entries from blogger Sally Doran on her summer road trip (find previous here).

“Good morning, Baltimore! Every day’s like an open door….”

Tracy Turnblad belts out her love for her hometown in the opening song from the musical and movie, Hairspray, which I must admit is a favorite of mine.  I just can’t get that song out of my head as I arrive to explore this historic city.  And while Tracy’s mom Edna was one-of-a-kind, I hope I can hear the locals conversing with a bit of her distinctive Baltimore accent, Hon!

I don’t have a meeting while in Baltimore, but I’ve always wanted to visit this bustling east coast city.  The fictional Tracy lived in an early 1960’s Baltimore but the interesting past of the city dates back nearly 200 years prior to that, so a history nut like me is in for a real treat.  And there’s simply a ton of cool activities and diversions for the teenagers to enjoy that surround the picturesque Inner Harbor – everything from an IMAX theater in the Maryland Science Center to an invasion of jelly fish at the National Aquarium.

We set up camp at theTremont Plaza Hotel on St. Paul Street (AAA Three Diamond), just a few blocks from the Inner Harbor area.  Exploring the adjacent Tremont Grand was my first historic “find” here; the 5-story building was built in 1866 as an impressive Masonic Temple. Miraculously surviving a couple of fires, aging and the move of the Masons to the suburbs, the empty building was purchased a decade ago and restored to it’s original grandeur as a meeting and banquet center. The feel of the place is like a cathedral; some rooms have huge arched ceilings and intricate carved columns while others feature stained glass windows, 19th-century oil paintings and marble.  There’s lots of marble here—the restrooms adjacent to the Marble Room on the second floor were so lavish I just had to take a picture of one (left) ... I see why they've been nominated for best restroom.

(Turns out marble is actually an iconic part of the city’s history.  Mile upon mile of slightly cramped row houses made for affordable living in Baltimore over the past century; the addition of marble steps added a touch of class to the otherwise non-distinct streets of similar homes.)

I’m anxious to get a first-hand look at some of the cities historic landmarks, but I know Jake and Kyle will not be into spending a day this way.  Before going our separate ways, we all take a 27-story elevator ride up to the Top of the World observation floor at the World Trade Center overlooking the harbor. The view is incredible- you can see for miles in every direction and get a great sense of the various neighborhoods and the important role the waterfront and Chesapeake Bay play in the area’s past and present.

The guys are thrilled to turn me loose so they can have lunch and some game time at the ESPN Zone, located in the old Power Plant , before moving on to the aquarium and a tour of an actual submarine at the Baltimore Maritime Museum.  

I take the few blocks walk over to the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House which is located in the original 18th-century home of Mary Young Pickersgill.  She’s the enterprising young widow who had a successful career (highly unusual for 1813) sewing flags and banners.  Mary was commissioned to create a massive 30’ x 42’ American flag to fly over Ft. McHenry, kind of an “in your face” statement to the British who were at war with the U.S. at that time.   It was visible all the way out in the harbor, where Francis Scott Key saw it from aboard a ship at the end of a violent two-day battle. “Our flag was still there,” and thus he was inspired to pen a poem that became The Star-Spangled Banner.   Ft. McHenry still sits at the mouth of the harbor, just a short water-taxi ride from the Inner Harbor to tour this 200-year-old fort. 
 
With my time left in Baltimore, I’ve got to choose between two historic neighborhoods which are a little further hike from the Inner Harbor: The Fell’s Point neighborhood, which has kind of an unsavory yet fascinating past and an historic tie to Frederick Douglass, or the Mount Vernon neighborhood, which features some of the beautifully-crafted homes of the city’s well-heeled folks of the 19th and 20th centuries. I go with Fell’s Point, following a great self-guided map I found at the Visitor’s Center right on the Inner Harbor.

First, though, I have to settle in for a crab cake at Phillip’s right on the harbor and enjoy Maryland’s famous treat on this sunny though slightly hot afternoon.  I know the crab cake is going to be good, but it ends up being fantastic- there must be a state secret as to how the blend the crab, seasonings and filler to get it just right.  Or perhaps it’s the view over the Baltimore skyline and waterfront that really brings out the flavor.    Any other Baltimore recommendations?