Baltimore

Today started out at a leisurely pace as I had little to do in Philadelphia except pack. I made one quick trip to the bakery for travel snacks then headed out at 10.30am for my bus. The journey to Baltimore was quicker than expected. I did a bit of reading onboard and sent a couple of e-mails but it really was quite a short trip. The oddities of Megabus meant we were dropped off someway outside the city at a huge shopping complex. I was prepared for this but still had to ask someone exactly where to get the bus from to the city centre. The bus took ages to come and it was quite a long trip through some desirable and some less desirable neighbourhoods. I saw plenty of boarded up rowhouses which could well have been where The Wire was filmed.

I arrived at my hostel just as it was time to check in, 3.30pm. It's a very nice building in a central location right opposite the Basilica. After taking time to settle and survey a map I walked down to the harbour and up to Federal Hill Park which gave a great view. I walked back down and around the harbour looking at all the historical ships and boats. You can see a lot of investment has gone into the area and there were plenty of other tourists wandering around and a huge visitors centre. I made my way back up to and past the hostel to the nearest supermarket and stocked up on supplies for my time here then came back and cooked.

The Downtown area and main sites seem quite compact so I should be able to see a lot within walking distance. They also have a free bus, the Charm City Circulator which runs on various central routes and should get me to whatever I want to see. I need to bury my head in the maps and leaflets I picked up to work out exactly where I should be going to during my time here.

HI Hostel, Baltimore

Harbour and Downtown

Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse