As a parent chaperone for a school club trip to Baltimore, I did not have any sightseeing expectations. But it turned out to be a rewarding experience in every way. We had a day trip to Washington DC which of course is rich in its monuments and truly does convey the vibe of being one of the most powerful cities in the world. DC is well known so I will not go into any details.
Baltimore is the place which surprised us. As one of the cities in the US, that was settled early, Baltimore has its own charm, with historic architecture in areas, a redeveloped waterfront – the Inner Harbor and even the USS Constellation ship anchored there. The city has its edgy areas and certainly one needs to be cautious in which parts of the city you roam and after dark it is not advisable to walk in the city. But Baltimore is trying its best to improve and has a good conference center. Unfortunately as with more than one American city, drugs and related violence are what’s holding back Baltimore from being recognized as a city with much to offer.
A beautiful historic building worth visiting is the former B&O Railroad Headquarters, now home to the Hotel Monaco and B&O American Brasserie. We enjoyed breakfast one morning at the B&O. Built in 1906, the beautiful Beaux-Arts building was frequented by many of the Gilded Age’s power players back in the day when the railroads were driving prosperity and business.
In particular, we loved and enjoyed the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. I have visited a good number of museums around the world and I was stunned at how much I enjoyed the Walters Art museum. Both in the quality of the artifacts and in its layout, this museum is a real delight. And much to our surprise, the museum is actually free to enter and this was the reason, why we selected it since we were with students. And we were so glad we chose to visit Walters Art instead of other attractions.
The Walters Art Museum is spacious and the artifacts are beautifully arranged within large rooms and the breadth of the collection is impressive. You can spend several hours roaming through various rooms on multiple buildings and floors. It’s a relaxing way to spend your time in Baltimore, admiring all the beautiful artwork. In our case, since it was extremely hot outside, it was a great way to spend our time in air-conditioned comfort.
The Walters Art Museum was established by the generosity of philanthropist Henry Walters who donated an extensive art collection, two buildings, and an endowment to the city of Baltimore, “for the benefit of the public.” The collection had been amassed, primarily by his father, William T. Walters. William T. Walters had immense wealth from a fortune made in the liquor, banking, and railroad industries. Henry continued to expand the collection. At present there are about 36,000 objects and cover a broad range of works from Europe, the ancient Mediterranean, Egypt, Africa, East Asia, Middle East and the Americas.
Take a look at just a few of the beautiful art you will find at the Walters Art Museum and make plans to visit Baltimore at some time.
Below: The roof of the foyer in the Mount Vernon place
God Bless and protect the United States of America and may its tradition of philanthropy continue well into the future.