I visited Baltimore for the first time in the Summer of 2013. I'm usually a beach town goer, but I was open to the city near the water short vacation. There is a lot of history & diversity in this large city. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency at the Inner Harbor (see my review). Across from our hotel was a couple of mall like buildings and lots of places to eat. Of course, don't forget to use the water taxi's to get around. Vendors was more than friendly. But I do warn you, everything is a little high priced so take some extra cash.