Waterfront Promenade: Where Baltimore strolls
There's something about water that drives up real estate prices, wait times at waterfront restaurants and the number of people just sitting along the water, staring. In Baltimore, where water has made the city survive through the centuries, people can enjoy its harbor and water views along the Waterfront Promenade.
The seven mile path is popular with joggers, who finally have a quiet, scenic and fairly safe pedestrian path. Bikes and rollerblades are not allowed, or else the path would be crowded beyond appreciation. The path connects all parts of the harbor right along the water's edge, in asphalt, brick, metal planks, wood decks or bridges. The path meanders through waterfront residences, boat docks, private clubs, restaurants and parks, giving people something to see and do along the way. There are converted warehouses, shipyards, docks, and factories that retained many of its original detail, giving an interesting historic twist and perspective along the promenade.
Construction of the Promenade began in the 1980s and continued through the 1990s, with intentions to renovate, beautify and make safer the areas directly along the water. Many of the buildings were restored and turned into parks and public spaces, and kept alive through the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, a non-profit organization.
The path begins in Canton and weaves through Fells Point and Inner Harbor, then winds around to Federal Hill and ends at Fort McHenry. There's a map online that labels major sites and points of interest, as well as mile markers at every quarter-mile. Brick paths, some with names etched in them, are laid out in six plazas along the promenade, including Canton Waterfront park, Broadway Pier in Fells Point, Little Italy, Bicentennial Plaza and Ravens Plaza in Inner Harbor, and the Coast Guard Plaza.
It's easy to enter and leave the path; all you have to do is head towards the water and pick up the path at the point. The path rarely goes anywhere too questionable or quiet, but it's best to be with someone especially in the evenings and at night. There are often people on the path during these times, however, and on warm months a number of boat owners working on their boats.
Posted by Rin-rin Yu
