With new design hotels and a high-low culinary renaissance, Baltimore is getting its groove back.
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The Latrobe Building in central Baltimore has long been a symbol of the citys shifting fortunes.
But as the city went from boom to bust, so did the Latrobe.
Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.Credit:Pgiam/Getty Images
The carpet was blue leopard print, and the claw-foot tub was encircled by silk curtains.
In recent decades, Hampden has drawn young creatives pushed out of more expensive cities.
Guesthouse by Good Neighbor encapsulates this dynamism.
The Our Lady of the Flowers suite at the Ulysses hotel.Brett Wood/Courtesy of The Ulysses
It was opened in September 2023 by Shawn Chopra and Anne Morgan, husband-and-wife design obsessives.
With just seven rooms, it has a modest footprint but big ambitions.
People can come to the house and see what woodworkers and artists are doing, Chopra told me.
From left: An oyster feast from Lexington Market; Little Donna’s restaurant.Justin Tsucalas/Courtesy of Visit Baltimore;Courtesy of Little Donnas
Named after his grandmother, Little Donnas made theNew York Timeslist of Americas best restaurants in 2023.
His food is a delicious melange of all three influences.
Lobster pierogi transported me to Eastern Europe.
Tutlewskis pizzas are original takes on the Indiana pies he grew up eating.
If this was the standard of home cooking during Tutlewskis childhood, youll wish you were a Tutlewski too.
When the pandemic hit, Gjerde was forced to evolve.
Woodberry remains a sixteen-year attempt to answer that.
Around the markets, businesses are popping up like mushrooms.
One evening I traveled southwest of downtown toHollins Market,which has also been revamped.
There was wine, cheese, and a rotisserie grill, Amanda told me.
Rooted Rotisserie is a model neighborhood restaurant, serving a narrow range of perfectly executed dishes.
Go for the rotisserie chicken, stay for the double-cut pork chop.
A version of this story first appeared in the May 2025 issue ofTravel + Leisureunder the headline Charmed City.
