Mount Vernon, home of a Washington monument older than the one in D.C., derives its name from the estate to which George Washington retired.
Mount Vernon encompasses the Peabody Institute of Music (the music school connected to Hopkins) and is bordered by the University of Baltimore (primarily graduate students, juniors and seniors), the Maryland Institute, College of Art (MICA) and Penn Station (the Baltimore stop on the East Coast train corridor) to the north.
North Charles St. runs through the heart of Mount Vernon, located about a dozen blocks north of the Inner Harbor.
Now home to a thriving selection of bars, restaurants and galleries, as well as an impressive set of towering churches, Mount Vernon offers a wide range of cultural experiences.
The Walters Art Gallery is one of the larger ones in "Mobtown" (an old nickname for Baltimore), and MICA generally has several varied, interesting exhibits.
Walking along Charles St., you're bound to run into a handful of smaller art galleries, especially as you near downtown.
If you're looking for music, Peabody is usually staging concerts, and performances at the Lyric Opera House range from instrumental to, well, opera.
In the food department, there's Donna's, the area staple, as well as a variety of ethnic eateries ranging from Indian, Afghani and Thai to Japanese, Chinese, French and Egyptian. There are also a handful of small delis and pizza shops.
Al Pacino's Caf (Egyptian/Mediterranean/Pizza, 900 Cathedral St.) is frequently voted "best pizza" in various city contests. Akbar and the Bombay Grill can each pull their own in the Indian department. At the elegant Elephant Room, you can find quail on the appetizer menu, and the Brewer's Art Pub offers a range of beers brewed in-house.
Also in Mount Vernon is a proliferation of gay clubs and bars, including the popular dance club the Hippo, and the bar Central Station.
And don't forget Gampy's - with its 1980s-inspired fluorescent dcor and 3 a.m. closing time on weekends - whether you're gay, straight, bi, whatever.
You won't be able to miss Object. In fact, it fairly well jumps out at you from its street-side glass display. No wonder. It was voted best "drive-by porn" in last year's City Paper, you can go inside to find all the fetish wear you could possibly want (and probably a lot you don't want).
With all its offerings, Mount Vernon is a pleasant stop during the day or night. And although located only a few blocks outside the Inner Harbor, most tourists never find their way there. So prove you know more about Baltimore than all those downtown tourists, and find a great cultural experience to boot.
