Baltimore in March

[Terry Hayden]

Greetings all,

I find that I have to travel to Baltimore in a couple of weeks.

I will have two days while I'm there to wander about and
photograph.

I'm looking for suggestions for 1) old industrial sites that are
at all accessible and 2) places where it is safe and allowed to
shoot some old stone architechture ( prefferably interiors).

I realize that old industrial sites are mostly off limits - but someone
here may have some unique access information.

As to the architechture - something like old churches, libraries, banks,
whatever would seem interesting.

I will have a car, so I can also get out of the central city if
need be.

Thanks in advance.

Terry
www.terryhayden.com

[al olson]

Hi Terry,

When I was living in Northern Virginia, a friend and I used to drive to Baltimore every three or four months. We would get there an hour before sunrise and photograph until mid morning.

The Inner Harbor area has been renovated (for about 25-30 years now) and the old clothing factories, spice warehouses, etc. have been removed and replaced by touristy restaurants (Rusty Scupper, Cheesecake Factory, Phillips Seafood...), stadiums and such.

There is a nice acquarium on the harbor and the Constellation sailing ship is there along with a number of other boats, lightships, and submarines. The old power plant has been converted into boutiques and a Hard Rock Cafe.

However, it is possible to make interesting photos around the harbor and from up on Federal Hill. The reflected harbor lights make great predawn photos. You can also find some interesting views from the water taxis. The World Trade Center sometimes allows people to go up to the top floor for a comprehensive view of the waterways.

The old Italian section is just a few blocks to the northeast has 100 year-old architecture. Likewise, a little farther along the Harbor is Fells Point with its old homes. Look for the intersection of Broadway and Thames. There are a couple of great places there for breakfast around the square...if you can get seated.

If you get there early in the morning you can find tugboats warming up with their navigation lights lit. The Domino's Sugar plant is directly across the Harbor and will likely have a freighter alongside being loaded/unloaded.

You might also try the port area where there will be freighters lined up with the davits standing tall. A drive up US 1 will also get you into some of the older commercial areas. Going northeast on US 40 you will find a lot of old gas stations, bars, crab shacks in buildings from the 1940s and 50s.

I never did any interior photography so I can't be of help there. But I don't think I would try photographing any banks...especially the interiors.

Enjoy your trip.

[Terry Hayden]

Al,

Thanks,

I'm actually staying at the inner harbor, so I'll keep these
locations in mind.

Regards,
Terry

[wclavey]

There is also Ft McHenry although I haven't see it in years to know what it would look like photographically.

[al olson]

Yesterday my post was blown off so I will respond again.

I purposely omitted Ft. McHenry from the earlier post. It is very touristy and I was never able to make anything but record shots. Not that someone with greater imagination and more creativity couldn't produce a portfolio of keepers, but it was beyond my ken. If I were there again I might consider b&w.

A couple times a day they demonstrate the folding of a huge, huge American Flag. Some possibilities there.

You can get there from the Inner Harbor by water taxi (also via car), but it is a long trip, timewise. As I recall there is a transfer point midway where you change taxis. They may go past the steel mills at Sparrows Point, but I am not sure. That could have been another trip. A lot of industrial and maritime scenery along the way, but you might find it a little chilly in March even though the taxis are enclosed.

[wclavey]

I know what you mean, Al... you are probably right... I grew up in Baltimore and basically stopped taking pictures of Ft. McHenry when I was in high school - - almost 40 yrs ago. But I still go to Baltimore and I still see it occasionally, although not in the past 8 years or so. But the reason I thought of it was that I had been to the 2 forts that are on either side of Mobile Bay this summer and got quite a few good shots, so I might drag my LF gear up to Baltimre some time and see what's cooking there at the fort... on second thought, maybe I'll take the MF to scope it out and then see if I want to drag the LF up there.

[EdWorkman]

When I last visited Baltimore, almost 30 years ago when the redevelopment was underway, I missed photo-ing the junk(?)men who trotted around downtown in pony drawn wagons, which I rue to this day. The wagons and ponies were decorated.

Are they long gone?

There were also some large waterfront structures in the Canton area that seemed worthy of photo attention as well, and the stone arches viaduct at Relay still serves the RR

[wclavey]

There were also some large waterfront structures in the Canton area that seemed worthy of photo attention as well, and the stone arches viaduct at Relay still serves the RR

Yes, the stone arches are still there... I was hiking out that way last fall when I was up in Baltimore and we crossed under them. Unfortunately, my shot of them did not turn out wekk... wierd angle trying to get them in the frame without the modern power lines.