Baltimore

For a work conference, I flew on United into Dulles International Airport and took an Amtrak train into Baltimore Washington International Airport and a taxi (Uber) to the hotel. As crazy as it sounds, the routing was cheaper than flying into BWI directly. One good thing about the east coast is the ease of mass and public transit. I'm always a fan of supporting these systems.

Checked into the Springhill Suites Baltimore Downtown/Inner Harbor as it was the cheapest hotel in the area. If it makes more sense to stay at an alternative hotel than the designated one, I will opt to suffer the inconvenience of walking. These days, walking is probably the best for me....Like any Springhill, you do get complimentary breakfast but often I chose not to get anything and find food in the city.

On my last day, I checked into the Westin Arlington Gateway hotel. This hotel was the first hotel I'd seen during the pandemic to offer buffet style breakfast. It is clear that this hotel has an international clientele because the options were plentiful and delicious.

As I was mostly occupied by the event, my activities were limited to dining. And not many pictures either!

Dining

Lexington Market - Inside this food hall, there are a number of 'baltimore' institutions. At the time of my visit, the market was undergoing renovations and so it was a little tricky from the street to figure where to enter the market. There is also a crush of local people which makes finding the entrance confusing.

Connie's Chicken & Waffles - I didn't visit the Lexington location but one close by. I did enjoy the fried chicken and waffles. They also have red velvet waffles. The other location I visited, the service can be a bit slow. They do have an online ordering platform and I would suggest doing that if you are in a rush.

Faidley's Seafood - I wasn't going to get crabcakes but ended up getting crabcakes for lunch. The crabcakes in Baltimore are delicious and Faidley's was good. It isn't cheap though so be prepared.

Berger's Bakery - I am a fan of Dangerously Delicious Pies and they make a pie out of Berger's cookies. So of course, I wanted to go to the original bakery of these cookies to check it out.

Buttercup Bakery - sitting across from Berger's is Buttercup. Both bakeries appeared to offer the same items except for the "berger" cookies. I don't remember what I bought but it was fine. It was also not that memorable either.

Shake Shack - I found myself indecisive on what to eat for dinner one night and ended up at Shake Shack because it was close enough and still open. I don't find the burgers at Shake Shack superior but it was filling. I do enjoy their shakes.

Miss Shirley's Cafe - An extremely popular spot amongst tourists and locals, I was only able to eat within a reasonable time period by ordering food online first for takeout. I ended up eating at the patio with my takeout. The food is good and I would enjoy coming back. Just make sure you don't come at the most popular time of the day! I enjoyed my shrimp and grits.

Mekong Delta Cafe - Located within a food court plaza at 222 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201, I opted to see if there was any good vietnamese food. Overall, I thought for Baltimore it was decent. The food is a tad sweet like thai for my taste. I ended up with a ton of leftover and gave it away while walking back to the hotel.

Ovenbird Bakery - I had some time to kill in an afternoon and decided to rent a zipcar to get out of the inner harbor area. I didn't feel like Uber would be effective and it allowed me to hit a few spots. One of them was Ovenbird Bakery. I bought a few bakery items and thought they were tasty. They are generally known for their breads which I didn't buy. The croissants etc seeemed fine but it won't be enough to draw me back.

Dangerously Delicious Pies - under new ownership since I last came, the pies are still delicious. Both the savory and sweet versions. I was happy to load up before heading home.

Cafe Dear Leon - close to the pie shop above, I opted to drop into this cozy and cute bakery. It isn't a large space but the sandwiches and bakery items were good. Cookies were tasty too. The koign amman was good but nothing near the quality of my two favorite spots. 

Vola's Dockside Grill - Since I flew into Dulles International Airport, I needed to stay overnight closer to the airport to catch my early morning flight. I was able to connect with a friend who picked me up and took me to Alexandria for dinner at this popular pier restaurant. Overall, the food was good but the claim to fame is the views of the ocean from the restaurant. The oysters were good.

One Tea House - Another friend picked me up from Alexandria and made a pit stop at this Taiwanese style boba tea house. I'd give it a solid B. Located in Eden Center, the plaza is one of the main asian food and market plazas in the area. Given the concentration, I had hoped for better quality.