NEIGHBORHOODS |
JONESTOWN
The house where Mary Pickersgill stitched the 30-by-42-foot flag that inspired Key to write the anthem is still standing . The 1793 site is now a museum called the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House , where visitors can learn all about the Pickersgill family and the origin of the flag . ( The flag itself is in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington , D . C .)
MOUNT VERNON
Baltimore was the site of the nation ’ s very first Catholic cathedral , the Baltimore Basilica , which started construction in 1806 . The cathedral — designed by architect Benjamin Latrobe , who also designed the United States Capitol — employs a neo-classical design that symbolized the newly formed nation ’ s approach to religious freedom .
While you ’ re in Mount Vernon , check out Baltimore ’ s very own Washington Monument — it was built 33 years before the one in D . C . Visitors to the monument can tour the inside and climb the 227 marble steps to the top for an outstanding view Billie of Holiday the city .
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DOWNTOWN
This city has a long list of medical bests and firsts — including the world ’ s first dental college , which opened as the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery in 1840 and was the first to offer a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree . Now , the original Eutaw Street building is on the National Register of Historic Places , and the college has transformed into the University of Maryland School of Dentistry — but you can still learn all about dentistry and its place in Baltimore history by visiting the National Museum of Dentistry . This niche museum counts 40,000 objects in its collection , including George Washington ’ s dentures and vintage toothbrushes , and features exhibits on dental forensics and animal teeth .
For lunch , stop by the newly renovated Lexington Market , which is the oldest continually operating public market in
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the country . The market ’ s new home , which debuted last fall , counts more than 40 vendors , both new and old favorites , including the familyowned Faidley ’ s Seafood , which has been serving some of the city ’ s best crabcakes for generations .
Just north of the Inner Harbor is The Peale , the first building in the U . S . constructed specifically to house a museum . It reopened last summer after a multi-million-dollar renovation . In 1814 , artist Rembrandt Peale opened his “ Museum and Gallery of Fine Arts ” and today , you can visit to peruse a collection of Baltimore stories and community art . Peale is also credited with installing the first public gas streetlamp
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