'''Midtown''' is a district of Baltimore.
Understand
'''Mount Vernon Cultural District''', [http://www.mvcd.org/].
Get in
See
'''The Walters Art Museum''', in mid-town, [http://www.thewalters.org/html/home.asp]. Excellent museum with a large, diverse collection, though it is best known for its collection of 19th century European masterpieces. Free.
Do
Buy
Eat
Helmand. 06 N Charles St. 1 410 752-0311. ttp://www.helmand.com/. u-Th 5PM-10PM, F-Sa 5PM-11PM. 12-22. The city papers love it, the locals love it, even the Karzai family loves it—this truly may be Baltimore's favorite restaurant. The decor is urbane and fairly upscale, but it's fine to wear jeans. The food, despite the restaurant's popularity, is remarkably well-priced. Focus on the appetizers; it's not a bad idea to order a bunch of them, and only one entree to share. Aushak is a specialty here, but if you haven't had kaddo (sauteed pumpkin with a garlic yogurt sauce), order it.
Red Square Restaurant. 023 N Charles St. 1 410 837-7733. ttp://www.redsquaremd.com/. u-Th 4PM-midnight, F-Sa 4PM-2AM. 15-30. An ''excellent'' Russian restaurant, and an experience to be had if you are not familiar with Russian culture. The food is pricey, but it's hard to go wrong here, from mundane Russian pelmeni, to Georgian shashlik (wonderfully seasoned at this restaurant), to Uzbek chebureki. The restaurant is generally empty from opening to late dinner, but late at night it fills to the brim with the local Russian community, coming here for a raucous night of boozing and dancing to (um, heinous) Russki pop-sa and assorted Eurodance. Not a good time to eat, but a very fun and unique experience for the uninitiated! For drinks, try a Russian Baltika (beer), Russkii Standart (Russian Standard; vodka), Georgian wine (Khvanchkara is the best option), or just bother them for not carrying Armenian brandy.
Drink
'''Donna's''', [http://www.donnas.com/], 800 N Charles St. Baltimore coffee house chain.
'''Red Emma's''', 800 St. Paul St. (near Spotlighter's Theater and CenterStage) [http://www.redemmas.org/] Bookstore and coffee shop. Run by an anarchist collective, this coffeehouse features lots of radical literature and vegan menu options.
Sleep
Mid-range
'''Clarion Hotel - Peabody Court''', 612 Cathedral St, ''410'' 727-7101, [http://www.peabodycourthotel.com/]. Located in the historic Mt Vernon Arts and Cultural District. Cultural and historic venues such as Meyeroff Symphony Hall, The Lyric, the Engineers Society of Baltimore, Walters Art Museum, Peabody Conservatory, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore Opera, Center Stage, Maryland Historical Society and Antique Row are just steps from the front door.
'''The Mount Vernon Hotel''' 24 West Franklin Street, ''410'' 727-2000, [http://www.mountvernonbaltimore.com]. Historic architecture just south of the monument. Open since 1907.
Contact