Baltimore Public Transit? Or, visiting Baltimore carless.

Hi, I%26#39;m hoping to take an overnight trip up to Baltimore at some point in the future (near future, I hope) from Richmond. I hope to see the museums and historic sites, mainly, and to spend some time at the harbor.

I%26#39;ll do my homework when the times come, but for now, is it possible to get around to a lot of the sites in Baltimore without a car? Is the bus or other public transportation adequate? Or would I feel a bit stranded? I%26#39;d choose a place in the center of it all, perhaps near the harbor.

Thanks for any help!

Baltimore Public Transit? Or, visiting Baltimore carless.

I am embarrassed by Baltimore%26#39;s public transposrtation options. Once again, the northern section of the light rail is not running because of a problem with the wheels and they have no idea when it will be repaired, so using light rail is not a good option. I%26#39;m unfamiliar with the buses.

Which museums? What historic sites? If you stay in the Inner Harbor area and you%26#39;re only going to be here for 1 night, there is plenty to do without a car. Visionary Arts , Science Center, Aquarium, Sports Legends, Reginald Lewis museums; Fort McHenry and B %26amp; O history all an easy walk or reasonable cab ride.

Baltimore Public Transit? Or, visiting Baltimore carless.

You can get to most of the major sights: Inner Harbor, Aquarium, Fells Point, Walters Gallery, etc.

You can also take the water taxi to Fort McHenry and others.

Here are some websites:

http://www.mtamaryland.com/index.cfm

http://www.thewatertaxi.com/

If you%26#39;re only there for one night and basing yourself at the Harbor, 99% of what you%26#39;ll want to see and places to eat will be accessible by foot, Water Taxi, or a short %26amp; inexpensive cab ride.

Baltimore public transit gets slammed fairly frequently in this and other forums, but for tourists and business travelers, it does what it really needs to do--and it does it well IMHO. That is, it connects them from the airport or main train station with the heart of the city. For $1.60 and in less than a half-hour. Not many cities can touch that.

That having been said--for those looking to divert from these beaten paths and for most residents, public transit is usually not a pleasant, efficient option.

I forgot about the water taxi. It%26#39;s an excellent way to get to Fells Point and Canton when it%26#39;s warm. In the winter, the water taxis are less frequent and can be a bit cold.

You can draw your own conclusions about the state of Baltimore%26#39;s light rail in this article from yesterday%26#39;s Baltimore Sun:

baltimoresun.com/news/…5665072.story

Ah, thanks everybody. Sorry to be less than specific, again I%26#39;m still forming the idea of visiting in my head and haven%26#39;t really come up with a list of things to do yet.

The art museums I really want to see (two of them I believe), the Poe house and grave I%26#39;d have to see, the Mencken house I%26#39;d love to see (if it was still open). Been to the aquarium (it was great, but not sure I need to revisit it).

I guess for now I%26#39;m just wondering how the public transit is, so thanks for your replies. I need to map this out a bit and how near things are to where I might be staying.

Wow, the MTA really dropped the ball on the light rail wheel problems! How could that not be something they would maintain regularly? They decide all are bad at the same time and have to cease service? Jeez!