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Re: Trip to Baltimore
Board: State: Maryland
Reply to: #944863 by oj drinker
Apr 29, 2017 7:28pm
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I am going to BronyCon :)

I'd be happy to bring along my siggy and PTs for exchanges if you (or any other boxers) will be there as well.

Thanks for all of the suggestions, too! Hoping I have some time to see one or two things while I'm in town since this will also be my first trip to MD.
Re: Trip to Baltimore
Board: State: Maryland
Reply to: #945115 by MamaShark
May 8, 2017 12:14am
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Hi MamaShark,
When you mentioned "August" and "Baltimore Convention Center," I immediately thought of BronyCon, but I haven’t been to it, nor do I have plans to go. Sorry. Didn’t mean to raise your hopes there.

I’ve traveled to Baltimore several times for Otakon (it was the second-largest anime convention in the US for a long time, attracts around 30,000 people each year). For the past few years both BronyCon and Otakon were held at the Baltimore Convention Center in the summer, and some people attend both cons.

I’ve eaten at various places around Baltimore, but as I explain below, I’m not sure how useful my experiences will be to you. I do want to give you some information, though, so you’re not left in the dark.

See, the problem is that the Inner Harbor is the most touristy part of Baltimore. Naturally, most of the eateries in or near the Inner Harbor are tourist traps and/or belong to national chains. If eating at an independently-owned restaurant is important to you (it’s important to me), there’s a far better selection of them in other neighborhoods, such as Fells Point and Federal Hill. Fells Point or Federal Hill wouldn’t be TOO far out of your way.

I don’t know what BronyCon is like, but I’ve attended my share of conventions, and generally people attending conventions want to minimize the time, effort, and money they have to spend in order to get meals. However, since I’ve attended lots of anime conventions and they all tend to be somewhat similar, I was willing to hop on a bus and travel a ways in search of new food experiences, partly in order to escape the massive crowds of Otakon. This was why I didn’t recommend anything at first—because the places I liked the best are far away from the Baltimore Convention Center, and they don’t sound like what you’d be looking for.

I can tell you that, for example, I had an excellent meal at Charleston, but Charleston is a very expensive fine dining restaurant. Patisserie Poupon was the best bakery of the ones in Baltimore that I’ve visited, but, it’s a bakery—it only sells pastries. I had a great experience at Ekiben (Asian fusion eatery with casual, funky décor), but it was a hike from the convention center, has a limited menu and limited hours, and can only seat maybe 9 people at a time.

Otakon attendees gravitated to the Harborplace Pavilions (bordered by Pratt and Light Streets) to eat, but many of the establishments my boyfriend and I patronized there have closed down. In my opinion, the Harborplace pavilions are shadows of what they used to be.

With all of that out of the way…

Here are my opinions of a few places near the Inner Harbor that to my knowledge are NOT part of national chains:

Miss Shirley’s Café (750 E Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202): Good place to get brunch. They don’t mind T-shirts and jeans—my boyfriend was wearing a video game costume when we went, and you can see people wearing T-shirts in Yelp photos of the place. Could be a long wait to be seated.

The Bun Shop (22 Light Street, Baltimore, MD 21202): Nice café and good savory buns, although their buns are no more than snacks at most.

Delights by Mina (105 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201): West African food. I went on a Friday to get lunch, and the set-up was a buffet; I gather that the food is made-to-order on other days of the week. Pretty good cheap food, but their décor is that of a take-out joint, and their staff was utterly indifferent to me. I didn’t care—I was hungry and wanted to be in and out as fast as possible so I could return to Otakon.

Pratt Street Ale House (206 W Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21201): Brewpub serving decent food. Nothing special. Their location can’t be beat, though—they’re directly across the street from the convention center. As a result, they’re often busy during special events, like conventions and Orioles games.

Thai Elephant Wok (32 S Eutaw Street, Baltimore, MD 21201): Really more of a take-out joint. Food was okay. I’ve never been to a Thai restaurant anywhere that I thought was outstanding, but this place is convenient if you’re staying at the Marriott Inner Harbor or the Holiday Inn.

This restaurant is part of an international chain, but you may find it of interest anyway—
Nando’s Peri-Peri (421 W Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201): A restaurant chain originating in South Africa, known for their rotisserie chicken. The food was pretty good. Saw plenty of people wearing T-shirts here. Note: A host will seat you and give you a number for your table, but once you’re seated, you have to go up to the counter yourself to place an order.

If you head up N. Charles Street, there are some other ethnic restaurants.

Now that Otakon is moving to Washington, DC, I probably won’t return to Baltimore for a long, long time.
Re: Trip to Baltimore
Board: State: Maryland
Reply to: #944908 by MamaShark
May 8, 2017 12:37am
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we will all be in some variation of jeans/shorts, t shirts and sneakers

The restaurants at the Inner Harbor are used to casually-dressed tourists and hordes of people in outrageous costumes because of Otakon, so I don’t think you really need to worry about your group’s attire. Just avoid fine dining restaurants like the Rusty Scupper and a couple of $$$$-places in the Harbor East area (such as Charleston), and you’ll be fine.

You might want to try Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. if everyone enjoys/is not allergic to seafood.

I thought the food at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. was mediocre, but that’s just me.
Re: Trip to Baltimore
Board: State: Maryland
Reply to: #945363 by oj drinker
May 8, 2017 12:47am
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I forgot to mention Fort McHenry National Monument as another tourist attraction to visit in Baltimore. I felt my visit to Fort McHenry was worthwhile, but I enjoyed the American Visionary Arts Museum more, in part because I like art better than history (and partly because I'd rather have "America the Beautiful" as the national anthem than "The Star Spangled Banner").