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Shopping in Baltimore
In the heart of Baltimore's revitalized financial and office district, Harborplace and The Gallery, at the corner of Light and Pratt streets overlooking the Inner Harbor, features national retailers and a variety of cafes and restaurants divided among three buildings: two glass-enclosed pavilions and, connected via an overhead skywalk, the Gallery, which offers three floors of shopping. A fourth floor consists of restaurants and shops.
A visit to one of the city's indoor food markets can be a fascinating experience. These markets are well-preserved monuments of an older Baltimore and contain aisle after aisle of stalls in which vendors offer wares ranging from meats and produce to fresh seafood from the bay. Some of these markets have served their neighborhoods since the city's earliest days.
Lexington Market, at 400 W. Lexington St., the largest city-operated market since 1782, is open Mon.-Sat. 8:30-6. The Arcade, a contemporary addition, offers everything from fresh produce to local seafood as well as two restaurants and a central stage area for entertainment and community use. Note: It is advisable to visit the market only during daylight hours. Leave wallets and handbags in a safe place and travel with a partner. A renovation and revitalization of downtown Baltimore's Westside neighborhood is currently underway.
Small shops abound in Baltimore. Galleries and restaurants now occupy the elegant houses that long distinguished Charles Street. Those in search of the unusual may want to visit Antique Row in the 700 and 800 blocks of Howard Street. Both blocks have rows of shops and galleries specializing in antiques, art and unusual gifts and collectibles. Mount Washington Village, on Kelly and Sulgrave avenues, encompasses specialty shops and boutiques within a village setting.
Cross Keys Village is a complex of shops and restaurants surrounding a parklike square on Falls Road between Northern Parkway and Cold Spring Lane. The Rotunda, north of downtown at 711 W. 40th St. near Johns Hopkins University, caters to college students and others with its 21 specialty shops.
For something different, the Historic Savage Mill in nearby Savage is an 1820s textile mill turned specialty marketplace where shoppers can find some 50 shops, eateries and art galleries in restored buildings.
Several regional malls are within the metropolitan area. One of the largest, White Marsh Mall, just north of the city off I-95 at exit 67, has a number of major stores, including JCPenney, Macy's and Sears.
Bargain hunters can find plenty of shopping territory at Arundel Mills, 10 miles south of Baltimore off I-95 exit 43 in Hanover via SR 100 E. Included in the complex is Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, featuring wildlife exhibits and sporting demonstrations.
Other large malls include Eastpoint, I-695 exit 38W; Marley Station, via I-97 exit 14 and SR 100 exit 16 to 7900 Ritchie Hwy. (SR 2); Owings Mills, I-795 and Owings Mills Boulevard; Security Square, I-695 exit 17 to 6901 Security Blvd.; Towson Town Center, 825 Dulaney Valley Rd.; and Westview, I-695 exit 15B.
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