North Baltimore, Baltimore: neighborhood guide

North Baltimore is a broad band of the city running north toward Towson, and for a visitor it comes down to two districts. Greater Charles Village spreads along and around Charles St north of the Jones Falls Expressway, and holds the Homewood campus of Johns Hopkins University and the Baltimore Museum of Art. Charles St itself is the busy part: restaurants, bars and shops in a strip you can cover on foot.

Hampden sits west of the campus, with its commercial spine on 36th St, known locally as The Avenue. It has a long-standing reputation for eccentricity and independent shops, and the strip is where nearly everything of interest is concentrated. Expect a mix of old residents, students and newer arrivals rather than a polished tourist zone.

Both districts are residential first. That is the appeal — you eat and drink where people live — and also the limitation, since the big waterfront sights are a ride away.

Choose North Baltimore if your priorities are the art museum, the Johns Hopkins campus and neighborhood food and drink, and you are happy to travel to the harbor for a half-day rather than wake up beside it. It also suits anyone arriving or leaving by train, since Penn Station is in the area.

Look elsewhere if you want to walk out of your hotel to the aquarium, the stadiums or the waterfront. Those sit in Downtown, the Inner Harbor and Fells Point, and staying north means a rideshare or a light-rail ride each time. The Metro does not run deep into Charles Village, so the last stretch is often on foot.

A practical split for a short trip: stay near the harbor for the sightseeing days and move north for a night or two if the museum and Hampden's bars are the point of the visit.

Charles St through Charles Village is the reliable choice: a long run of casual restaurants, cafes and bars serving students, staff and residents, so something is open most of the day. The Avenue in Hampden is the other cluster, with a stronger independent streak and a mix of diners, pubs and small kitchens.

Both strips are best on foot, and both are busier in the evening. Small kitchens in this part of the city often keep shorter weeks than downtown restaurants, so check hours before you commit to a specific place.

For a wider choice, Midtown and Downtown are a short ride south and carry more late-night options.

Penn Station at 1500 N Charles St is the anchor for arrivals: Amtrak runs from Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Chicago, Charlotte and Miami, and MARC commuter trains connect Washington, DC and Perryville, Maryland. From the station, Charles Village is a walk or a short ride north.

On the light rail, North Avenue station serves Charles Village and Woodberry station sits close to Hampden; a ride is US$2. The closest Metro station to Charles Village is State Center, but it leaves a walk at the end. Light rail runs from early morning until around 12:45am on weekdays and Saturdays, and from 10am to 10pm on Sundays and major holidays.

By car, the Jones Falls Expressway (I-83, the JFX) enters from the northwest, N Charles St (Route 139) from the north, W North Ave from the west, and Calvert St (Route 2) from the south. Parking near the campuses is the hard part; check posted permit rules before leaving the car.

The Baltimore Museum of Art at 10 Art Museum Drive, at N Charles St and 31st St, is the main sight, with 19th-century, modern and contemporary collections and free admission; it is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

The Johns Hopkins Homewood campus at 3400 N Charles St is worth a walk for the buildings and the Homewood House, a federal-style country house built for Charles Carroll's son and now a museum. The Evergreen Museum & Library further north on Charles St is a second, quieter option; check its hours before going.

Hampden is the other half of the visit: the Avenue's shops and bars are the attraction rather than a single sight.