Traveling Landlord Must-See: Fells Point, Baltimore – Booze, Art, Booze, Food, Booze, History… and Booze
Posted by travelinglandlord on November 17, 2011
If you’ve never been to Baltimore’s historic Fells Point waterfront throwback, you’re missing out. How many neighborhoods in America boast cobblestone streets, wharfs filled with everything from 8 foot fishing boats to 80 foot yachts, bars dating back more than 200 years, and a crowd made up of one part hippie, one part yuppie, one part hipster, one part urban redneck, and 5 parts funky? Not many.
Fells Point dates back to the mid 1700s, and was a major East Coast shipping port where sailors would dock, drink and do the nasty, and to this day metal stars line the buildings in what was originally an indication of how to get to the brothels (one establishment, Red Star, restored one of the ancient brothels and converted it to a chic restaurant bar). Some bars, such as the Waterfront Hotel and the Wharf Rat, look just about the same as they did 200 years ago when they were built. Rumor has it that Fells Point has the highest concentration of liquor licenses per acre in the United States, and believe you me, the drinks flow like water here.
One of the great selling points of Baltimore is its low cost real estate and residential lease housing. Even in historic Fells Point, it’s possible to find a 2-bedroom townhouse for $1,250, despite recent surges in demand for residential lease housing. Commercial space is often available as well, ranging from restaurant space to coffee shops to retail and art galleries. The art galleries are intimate, funky, diverse and fascinating – like the city itself.
And the food. Baltimore is known for its seafood, and Fells Point does not disappoint. From $1 oysters at the Waterfront Hotel to buttery mussels at Bertha’s Mussels to unique smoked crab cakes at Pierpoint Restaurant, there’s seafood to die for. Keep an eye out for tiny hole-in-the-wall establishments that almost always have a waiting list to enter – Blue Moon for breakfast and Peter’s Inn for dinner come to mind as exceptional examples. And if burgers or pizza are your thing, check out some of the best burgers in the country at Koopers Tavern and gourmet pizza at Bartenders.
Whether you’re thinking of moving to Baltimore or just passing through, check out Fells Point as the must-see neighborhood of Baltimore. Craigslist will show off plenty of options for snagging a residential lease, and if you’re just passing through it’s an easy walk from the Inner Harbor and Harbor East. Or skip that and take the watery route instead, by signing a lease on a boat slip and living on a houseboat, or taking the water taxi from Federal Hill or the Inner Harbor over. It’s beautiful and grungy, historic and vibrant, filled with local flavor and waterfront wharf-liness, a true gem of American history and culture… and drinking.
