BALTIMORE - AUGUST 1984

A VIBRANT CITY ON THE WATER...

at least is what they say!
While in D.C. we profited from the oportunity to stroll around during the week-ends. The first visit was to Baltimore, Maryland, one of the three independent cities in the US that are not in Virginia. Actually, an independent city in the US is a city that does not belong to any particular county. There are 42 independent cities in the United States, 39 in Virginia and the remaining three are Baltimore, Maryland, St. Louis, Missouri and Carson City, Nevada.
In Baltimore, we didn't go much further than the Inner Harbour, but anyhow it was an interesting experience. The Inner Harbour was basically a light freight commercial port and passenger port until the 1950s, when economic changes ended both freight and passenger use. The area became a grass-covered parkland that was used in 1976 for the bicentennial visit of tall ships, and its transformation into a major cultural and economic area of the city continued under Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaefer (1971-1987). The main anchor attractions are Harbourplace, the National Aquarium and the Maryland Science Center.




"SHOPPING MALL - Located at the water's edge, Harbourplace & The Gallery is Baltimore’s premiere shopping, dining and entertainment destination. It offered a great variety of stores as well as restaurants. Concerts, street performers, holiday fireworks, and special events to visiting ships there is always something for everyone..."


"THE WATERFRONT PROMENADE, a sidewalk along the water, was often the site of free entertainment. It seems that once completed it will become an important component of the National Historic Seaport of Baltimore and will provide visitors with a way to tour the entire harbour along the one continuous route. In 1984 it was interesting to see it crowded on week-ends..."


"USS CONSTELATION (1854) is the last existing American Civil War-era naval vessel and was one of the last sail-powered warships built by the US Navy"



"THE INNER HARBOUR 1984, with the Baltimore World Trade Center, the world's tallest equilateral five-sided building. Its observation deck, called «Top of the World», is open to the public and some of the photos in this post, including the first one and the next one, were taken from there. The 1977 landmark tower, designed by I.M.Pei, also houses the headquarters of the Maryland Port Administration"





"THE NATIONAL AQUARIUM in Baltimore, constructed during the urban renewal period of the city, was opened in 1981. The aquarium's collection has 10,500 specimens of 560 different species. Particular attractions include the dolphin display and the rooftop rainforest. The 2005 Annex came much later"


"SHADOWS"


"AQUARIUM LANDING - Exit Only"