Who goes to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor for the hip scene? Young trend-setters, and their elders too. They all delight in the Pier 5, a boutique hotel with a prime setting next to the National Aquarium.
The harbor views are gorgeous and romantic at sunset. Vivid colors—mustard yellow, deep purple, and green–put a zip in the three-story atrium lobby and guest rooms.
The Inner Harbor grows more exciting every year. It’s one of the country’s great urban spaces: art and science museums; the aquarium; shopping; water-view dining.
Harbor-view rooms should be your first choice, though they are more expensive. Valet parking gets you quickly out of the car, and plush robes await.
Bottom line: Old Baltimore gets with it.
Pier 5 Hotel, 711 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore MD 21202, 866-583-4162; http://www.harbormagic.com. Rooms range from $299 to $329 a night. Package deals, with discounts and tickets for area attractions, are also available.
This article first appeared in the April 2005 issue of The Washingtonian. For more articles from that issue, click here.
