July was a busy month in Baltimore. The city played host to dozens of different events and festivals designed to help its citizens fill the endless summer hours. Camden Yards became the site for the African-American Heritage Festival, fireworks lit up the sky above the city on Independence Day, and on July 21, bookstores were overwhelmed with fans for the seventh Harry Potter book release.
Amidst these and many others, there was an additional celebration on July 1, one equally as anticipated: the reopening of the Baltimore Hostel.
"For any city to be prominent, to be proud of itself, it must have an international presence," Hostel Manager Matt Warfield said. "To have [a hostel] here really speaks to Baltimore and how it's coming up and changing."
Located on 17 W. Mulberry St., the original building was first established in 1857 and belonged to the Bennett family. In the past 150 years, the building has changed hands countless times. First it became a private home, then a sorority house and eventually a hostel in 1983.
"[The Hostel] closed in 1999 because of a number of things ... bad management, the neighborhood and the fact that Our Daily Bread was so close by," Warfield said. "When they decided to reopen the building, they had to decide between an upscale international hotel and the hostel."
After briefly serving as an apartment building in 1999, the hostel was shut down and renovated. A volunteer group called the Friends of the Baltimore Hostel was founded. They donated time, effort and money to restore the building, creating a comfortable and inviting atmosphere with new paint, carpets and a new attitude.
"A lot of the volunteers have met their significant others through hostelling," Warfield said when asked why the group decided to revive the hostel. "You get to meet a lot of different people."
A map of the world stretches out along the staircase, inviting guests to the rooms upstairs. In the spacious common room, a welcoming collection of mismatched furniture sits in two or three smaller groups, arranged around antique fireplaces and a grand piano. Glass-top tables are covered with pamphlets about Baltimore, as well as international items collected by various artists.
The renovations have certainly made the hostel an attractive place for tourists, international and American alike. It sits in a quiet corner of Mount Vernon, across the street from the Baltimore Basilica and just a few blocks from the Inner Harbor and the Washington Monument.
"This is my first time at a hostel," said Ariya Mudhu, a guest who currently lives in Detroit but is originally from India. "So far, it's been pretty good."
While the hostel offers 44 bedrooms and affordable rates - only $25 a night - the management hasn't stopped there. They also host events as often as possible for their guests as well as for the surrounding community.
With the combination of an attractive site, a convenient location and a variety of events, the hostel has been successful so far, with every night bringing in more guests than anticipated.
"It's a lot of fun," said Judy Kuzmak, an employee who has worked at the hostel since June. "You get to meet different people from all over the world, so it's really exciting."
"We really want to introduce Baltimore to a segment of the world that's never had experience with it before. There are a lot of bad stereotypes that we want to dispel ... that it's dangerous, full of crime and there's not much to do. We want them to see the underground art and music scene. Right now we're featuring a local Baltimore photographer and one of his collections," Warfield said.
Dreamed Images, a collection of international photographs taken by William Schmidt, Jr., lines the mantle above the fireplace. Some are from as far away as Japan and Hong Kong; others were taken here in Baltimore.
"They're mainly to educate people about travel," Warfield said. "We also want to introduce the local Baltimore community to the hostel."
According to Warfield, the hostel hopes to continue to grow and expand, offering steadily running programs as well as reviving music events and fostering more interaction between the city and its guests. "The young crowd that's backpacking and hostelling in the U.S. is looking for something unique to this city," Warfield said. "We're looking to help them find it."
The hostel's next event is a talk about Australia to be given by Kristin Smith on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. Having traveled to Australia herself, Smith will be discussing the international experience, living abroad and hostelling in different countries.
