essential things to see for Baltimore/DC family vacation

respectrecords

taking the family to DC~Baltimore~Philly to visit some family.
would like to have some Strut recomendations for food - sites - cool shit to check out.
thanks in advance!

j~

LaserWolf

Haven't been to DC for a while, but I grew up there.

DC has the nations best museums and they are mostly free.
Art, modern art, more art, natural history, technology, American history, air and space, Native American and more, all right on the mall and free.

FBI tour is always good.
Viet Nam War Memorial.
Zoo, not sure current condition of zoo, or if you can stand zoos, but it is large and free.
DC is endless.

Aquarium, water front etc in Baltimore is generic custom designed for tourists. Should be avoided.
Lexington Market is good spot to check out in Baltimore. Eat lunch there.
Women's Industrial Exchange is another old Baltimore institution worth stopping by.

Breez

B-More:
- The Inner Harbor (food, bars, malls, shopping, family fun)
- Fells Point (Bars, Record Stores, Food)
- Baltimore Street "The Block" (Strippers, Strip Bars, Bums, Violence, Drugs, Sex Shops),
- Camden Yards (Orioles Stadium).
- N.E. B-More (See where The Wire was filmed).
- Edgar Allen Poe's house.

Oh, and me. Come buy some records from ya boy!!

Breez

Depending on the dates you'll be here, I'm doing a couple O'l Skool Hip-Hop & Funk parties in late July early August.
But definitely give me a holla when you're here. We can grab some drinks, I'll take you to some diggin spots & hit a few titty bars. I can show this little shit hole we call B-MORE.

Jonny_Paycheck

Edit: I thought you were saying North*west*. Yeah I heard much of the filming was done on the east side. Of course the turf they were trying to approximate was all south of North Ave and west of MLK :freeway:


As far as Lexington Market goes, hit Faidleys for crab cakes and a Natty Bo.

Mmmmmmm Faidleys....... I need to make it back down there.

Breez

Jonny_Paycheck said:

As far as Lexington Market goes, hit Faidleys for crab cakes and a Natty Bo.

Mmmmmmm Faidleys....... I need to make it back down there.

See, this is the schitt we take for granted living here. Faidleys is the truth. If you eat meat you gotta hit Pollock Johnny's and get a hotdog or sausage.

Also, Attman's on Lombard St. Get a cornbeef sandwich, pretty damn good!!

Breez

Jonny_Paycheck said:

all south of North Ave and west of MLK :freeway:

I'll take you up to Walbrook Junction / Harlem Park area and you can see the "real live" Wire. Then we can venture over to Liberty Heights / Park Heights area, LOL. Shit gets real crazy around there!!


BTW Paycheck, let me know when you coming through here again. We gotta hang out!!

Jonny_Paycheck

Oh no doubt, I'm familiar... man, when I used to go down that way more often I would hit the thrifts around W Baltimore St, W Pratt, Edmondson. I would start at the shops in Fells Point, maybe go up to to Dimensions, then make my way gradually out to Jazz West hitting all those little thrifts (and one really big one). Or go the reverse, depending. And I can't lie, I was often shook. For a while I was trying to track down a record and my only real lead was right around where Pimlico Rd. and Park Heights intersect... then hit up some friends in Northwest or around Hampden after that. This was before I was hip to The Wire I just thought there were records in Baltimore lol.

The-gaffler

holler at the zoo! i rode my bike through there not too long ago. it's free as well.

meistromoco

In Baltimore, the American Visionary Art Museum is supposed to be THE SHIT.
http://www.avam.org/

In DC, I like the Hirshorn, American Art Museum (which shares a building with the National Portrait Gallery), The National Gallery, The Corcoran, and Botanical Gardens.

If you are with kids, you might want to hit the Air & Space Museum, Natural History, or Spy Museum.

respectrecords

thanks for the reply's.
looks like there will be plenty to fill up our time with.

BREEZ, not going to have a lot of time to dig but I would like to come through and buy some heat. hoping to skip the thrift store filler and satisfy the record itch without burning to much time!

smoking_robot

DC: I'd grab some ethiopian for dinner for sure, there's a ton of ethiopian spots. the one i used to like went out of business so i cant give a solid recommendation. definitely check out the monuments, i was really surprised how interesting they are. hit the smithsonian, maybe the corcoran if they have a decent exhibit, the national gallery - they're all right next to eachother (relatively speaking)

Philly: If you're with the family i'd recommend taking a stroll down walnut to rittenhouse park at 18th and walnut. there's (expensive) restaurants all over that area with plenty of outdoor seating.

for sights - take a stroll down boathouse row (kelly drive) right past the Philadelphia Art Museum, famous for the art or the "rocky steps" depending on when you grew up.

Old City are is where all the historical crap is i.e. liberty bell, constitution museum etc etc thats around 5th and market and extends east towards the delaware river. Also full of expensive restaurants and bars.

There's also South Street which has drastically changed over the years but if you've never set foot on it, its about 7 blocks of bars, stores, and restaurants as well. South Street eventually ends at the south street bridge which connects to Penn's Landing area along the delaware river. Nice view of the Ben Franklin Bridge etc.

I can recommend a shit ton of other spots to eat/drink if you're looking for that, lemme know.

meistromoco

smoking_robot said:

DC: I'd grab some ethiopian for dinner for sure, there's a ton of ethiopian spots. the one i used to like went out of business so i cant give a solid recommendation.

Etete and Dukem are sure shots. Etete, I think, is marginally better, but Dukem has more atmosphere. There is a Dukem in Baltimore as well.

onetet

I've reviewed a bunch of Baltimore spots in the travel guide, most falling into the Fells Point and Hampden neighborhoods. If you're travelling with family but also trying to get some record-shopping in, you'll want to hit these areas: there are multiple record stores in both neighborhoods, and plenty of distractions for people who aren't into records. Broadway/Thames in Fells Point and 36th St. in Hampden are also the most walkable districts in Baltimore for food, bars, shops, etc. Fells Point has the added advantage of being on the water and more scenic (but is also more touristy).

I second the recommendation for taking in a lunch at Lexington Market, it's a Baltimore must-see. That said, if you are with kids you may find yourself fielding questions about the people pacing the entrance to the market intoning the names of painkillers.

Druid Hill Park is also a very lively and beautiful place on weekend afternoons.

IMO some of the best restaurants for dinner in Baltimore are The Helmand (Afghani), Dukem (Ethiopian; also has a DC location, as noted above), and Woodberry Kitchen (upscale local/organic, in a unique and quiet neighborhood in the heart of the city).

Brewer's Art is a great spot for microbrews (the downstairs bar is better than upstairs IMO); their Resurrection is a Baltimore institution. The Golden West, Club Charles, and Rocket to Venus are some other popular + worthwhile bars in town.

Nam Kang (Korean) is my favorite late-night food spot (there are few places in Bmore open past bars closing at 2am).

have fun!

edulus

god i love pollock johnny's. i like to grab a shrimp salad sandwich in lexington market. god i miss baltimore. i cant wait till i finish my dissertation

Breez

respectrecords said:

BREEZ, not going to have a lot of time to dig but I would like to come through and buy some heat. hoping to skip the thrift store filler and satisfy the record itch without burning to much time!

Sounds good bro. Just PM me when you're gonna be in town. We'll definitely hook up!!

Almond

DC: The best free museums for the whole family are Natural History and American History because there's something for everyone. If you go to an art museum, there will always be someone talking smack about the art and ruining your visit. And Air and Space is only interesting to those who are interested in engines and transportation and stuff. My friend and I were bored out of our minds.

If you have kids, then a walk down Pennsylvania Avenue to take a picture in front of the White House is always cool. Or go down to the Capitol. Take advantage of the Metro; as a Californian, I love the opportunity to NOT drive somewhere.

There's always something good to eat in DC. If you're with picky kids, there are the staple fast food places. But if the fam-bam is up for something more exotic, there are a million places all over. The Georgetown and George Wash Univ areas both have a young crowd and plenty of food options.

Enjoy DC! I was living there last summer, and this summer I'm back in CA and missing it! It was hot and muggy as hell in DC, but CA has dry heat that f***ing HURTS my skin.

Philly: Someone will inevitably hand you a little brochure or map with historic sites on it. Let the kids pick the ones that look most interesting. I was in Philly last summer and thought it was rather gray-looking even in the summer, so it wasn't my favorite place to be. I visited Ben Franklin's house, Edgar Allen Poe's house and the Liberty Bell. I can't remember what else. Pretty much every other cheesesteak place will boast a sign saying they serve the best cheesesteak in Philly. As a vegetarian, I can't really say anything about that.

Unknown

Arlington Cemetery to visit the Memorial Amphitheater, The Tomb Of The Unknown, and maybe a some specific grave sites.

On a nice day, I think it is a good place for a comfortable family walk, and to just hang out. Maybe take a camera?
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/

Lots of Love,
lilmonstu