Baltimore: Highlandtown, Mount Vernon, & transit

Cirrus · #1 Posted **Mar 11, 2014, 5:40 AM**

Twice this winter I had chunks of time in Baltimore and my camera, so I took some pictures.

First off, the Highlandtown neighborhood. This is straight east from downtown Baltimore.

Yes, those are milk jugs.

Now let's shift over to Mount Vernon, the neighborhood immediately north of downtown, between downtown and Penn Station. It's Baltimore's best urban neighborhood.

A little bit of downtown & inner harbor, as a bonus.

And now the promised transit. Hooray!

Start at Penn Station, where Amtrak, MARC commuter rail, and Baltimore light rail all come together.

This is, BTW, how one travels to Baltimore from DC.

But if one wants to get to downtown Baltimore from Penn Station, one takes light rail.

Howard Street, on which the light rail runs, still has seedy sections. As you get closer to downtown it cleans up block by block.

Camden Station still has an active MARC and light rail station behind it, but the historic depot building is now a sports museum.

Near here you can catch Baltimore's subway. There's one line.

Of course Baltimore has plenty of buses.

The best of which are specially branded as the Charm City Circulator. These come frequently and are free to ride.

Baltimore isn't known as a super awesome biking city, but it could be. It does have some nice things, like the Jones Point Trail through downtown.

Goodbye from Maryland.

Cirrus · #2 Posted **Mar 11, 2014, 5:44 AM**

Oops.

full size

Muji · #3 Posted **Mar 11, 2014, 6:28 AM**

Great stuff! Mt. Vernon is truly a one-of-a-kind place, and I always enjoy a good Cirrus transit tour.

OhioGuy · #4 Posted **Mar 11, 2014, 9:32 AM**

Good stuff!

Danny · #5 Posted **Mar 11, 2014, 2:55 PM**

Very nice and interesting tour! Thanks for sharing, cirrus!

I like Baltimore´s streets and its transit. I like the light rail on the streets. I´ve read that the Charm City Circulator is free, and that´s a very good idea, of course.

By the way, Mount Vernon is specially nice.

Congrats and greetings from Madrid, Spain.

STLgasm · #6 Posted **Mar 11, 2014, 3:26 PM**

Great pics of one of my all-time favorite cities. Baltimore is just so cool. From it's name to its location to its architecture, it's pretty amazing in my book.

JivecitySTL · #7 Posted **Mar 11, 2014, 4:25 PM**

Every city should be jealous of Baltimore. What a gem.

SignalHillHiker · #8 Posted **Mar 11, 2014, 5:04 PM**

Now that is a city. Population isn't everything, after all.

Reminds me of Boston.

ColDayMan · #9 Posted **Mar 11, 2014, 11:27 PM**

It always amazed me that the subway never connected to Penn Station instead of jogging along Pennsylvania Avenue. But whatever, nice photos.

Ex-Ithacan · #10 Posted **Mar 11, 2014, 11:52 PM**

That was fun. Mount Vernon is a gem, but Highlandtown seems more like the most of Baltimore neighborhoods to me.

Great transit shots too, thanks Cirrus.

Nineties Flava · #11 Posted **Mar 11, 2014, 11:55 PM**

Nice shots, Baltimore's a city I wouldn't mind visiting again.

LouisianaRush · #12 Posted **Mar 12, 2014, 12:10 AM**

Great photos man. We don't get to see Baltimore much on here, especially Highland Town.

Yorkie · #13 Posted **Mar 13, 2014, 12:57 AM**

Mt Vernon is a delight in Charm City, there are some other neighborhoods almost as nice. As you can see Baltimore in not just The Wire, or abandon no man land filled with vice..

soulard&como · #14 Posted **Mar 13, 2014, 3:52 AM**

I must get there soon. Always been enamored with this great city. Fantastic showing!

Centropolis · #15 Posted **Mar 13, 2014, 2:37 PM**

Very cool, Baltimore made an interesting impression on me when I visited a few years ago, arriving via train from DC. I do remember Howard St, it almost felt New Orleans-y. Visiting Baltimore, I couldnt help but notice the similarities between it's Mid-Atlantic DNA and the (albeit newer obviously midwestern flavored) Ohio Valley/St Louis.

MplsTodd · #16 Posted **Mar 13, 2014, 4:35 PM**

Charm City is a very accurate motto for Baltimore! Your photos capture it well!

brickell · #17 Posted **Mar 13, 2014, 5:06 PM**

I fall in love a little more with Baltimore at every photo thread.

marcus · #18 Posted **Mar 15, 2014, 12:41 AM**

Awesome job Cirrus! Love the focus on transportation. Baltimore has very pathetic transit, but at least its something! I've actually never ridden the subway, but I need to!

Btw I took some shots of Adams Morgan today and recently started exploring your city. Beautiful!

ChrisLA · #19 Posted **Mar 15, 2014, 5:14 AM**

These are some of the best photos I've seen of Baltimore. I was fortunate enough to visit this great city once, and would love to go back some day to check it out again, thanks for sharing.

jpdivola · #20 Posted **Mar 17, 2014, 11:53 AM**

Nice job Cirrus! B-more is looking good.

Interesting how DC and Baltimore are only 40 miles apart and yet look so different. Baltimore is a tightly packed rowhouse city, in many ways more like Philly than DC. The front doors open right to the street. DC is more of a Mid-Atlantic Chicago, a leafy, set back city with lots of pre-war apartment buildings.

Too bad that Baltimore is often only seen in movies and TV shows as a stand in for DC. I often find myself thinking "I wish Capitol Hill looked that urban." IMO, Richmond would be a closer approximation, in many cases.