Post: #51

Good writeup jackflag, thanks. I would only add a caution to your last paragraph that cabs are not always easy to get in Baltimore. I've been stranded myself once or twice, and seen out-of-towners stranded often.

Post: #52

Thats strange, cabs usually are trolling the streets with a vengeance unless its super late. Ive had problems getting cabs but usually because some a-hole hailed it down first!

Another bmore cab tip - always ask how much before you get in. Dont let the meter run, there are so many lights in the city its unbelievable and the meter goes so fast you'll be up to near $15 in no time. Get a figure beforehand. Dont pay more than 8 to go anywhere. If they refuse, walk away - either he'll relent or the next guy will give you the deal.

Post: #53

We desperately need to to a Baltimore meetup. It's way too cold now, but maybe in early April, some of the Baltimore and D.C. guys can meet up in either Federal Hill, Fells Point, or Canton.

Post: #54

(03-04-2014 02:09 AM)jackflag Wrote:  Thats strange, cabs usually are trolling the streets with a vengeance unless its super late. Ive had problems getting cabs but usually because some a-hole hailed it down first!

You can find cabs pretty easily in Fells Point and to a lesser extent, Federal Hill, but they can be pretty scarce in Canton. There are sometimes a few lined up right in front of the Bank of America A.T.M. in Canton Square, but if you don't call in advance, you may very well not be able to find one in Canton.

Post: #55

(03-04-2014 05:11 PM)Merenguero Wrote:  You can find cabs pretty easily in Fells Point and to a lesser extent, Federal Hill, but they can be pretty scarce in Canton. There are sometimes a few lined up right in front of the Bank of America A.T.M. in Canton Square, but if you don't call in advance, you may very well not be able to find one in Canton.

If its really late it can be hard to find a cab. The bars let out in Baltimore around 1:45, and by 3am people have cleared the areas after getting some late night pizza and making their last ditch efforts at pulling some ass. If you're just wandering around at 3:30 in the morning you'll probably have to call a cab company, yeah. Hopefully you won't be in that position because you've had a good night.

Not sure if this is what happened to Rutting Elephant, but if you aren't in the main areas of the neighborhoods, you may see cabs passing by in the street but they will have passengers and won't stop. If its late, make sure you're in an area where cabs can park. That means the Canton Square, Fells Point Square, and the Cross Street Market street in Federal Hill. And if its late, there can be competition for cabs - even if they are around, you can be outbid or outhustled for one. Be aggressive hailing at the end of the night if you feel could be a problem.

Post: #56

(03-04-2014 04:08 PM)Merenguero Wrote:  We desperately need to to a Baltimore meetup. It's way too cold now, but maybe in early April, some of the Baltimore and D.C. guys can meet up in either Federal Hill, Fells Point, or Canton.

Why not the Block?

Post: #57

(03-04-2014 07:52 PM)Rutting Elephant Wrote:  

(03-04-2014 04:08 PM)Merenguero Wrote:  We desperately need to to a Baltimore meetup. It's way too cold now, but maybe in early April, some of the Baltimore and D.C. guys can meet up in either Federal Hill, Fells Point, or Canton.

Why not the Block?

We could do the block after going to Federal Hill or Fells Point. It's pretty close to both. I like where your thinking is. The block probably deserves its own thread.

Post: #58

Jackflag, great post however if you count only area's south of Patterson park that is only about 35% of the city. You forgot to mention that most areas West of MLK Boulevard is a no-go zone at night. I was attending Friday night event recently at LT Hall on Hollins street and even there the bartender told me that 2 partron's were robbed at gunpoint right outside the club....and this area is supposed to be gentrified.

Also, PowerPlant live area is not even worth mentioning. It is too small nowadays and PBR I don't think would appeal to many of the Rooshforum members, especially those who love international nightlife or go out custom-suited. I still stand by my comments that for older players (30+) the only viable area to go out in Baltimore is the classier joints in Fells Pt. with occasional exceptions (for example: hitting Red Maple (Mt. Vernon))

Post: #59

(03-04-2014 10:53 PM)TripleG Wrote:  Jackflag, great post however if you count only area's south of Patterson park that is only about 35% of the city. You forgot to mention that most areas West of MLK Boulevard is a no-go zone at night. I was attending Friday night event recently at LT Hall on Hollins street and even there the bartender told me that 2 partron's were robbed at gunpoint right outside the club....and this area is supposed to be gentrified.

True. But I guess my point is that I would purposefully eliminate the remaining 65% of the city because it would be a risk, both in terms of safety and pussy prospects for the night, especially for someone who wasn't familiar with the city.

If a RVF member asked me how best to maximize his time in the city, I would personally suggest imagining Baltimore Street as a Maginot Line and treating anything north of it, and Patterson Park, as hostile territory. The areas I mentioned may make up 35% of the city, but unless you are in a certain demographic (read: urban, which most of the forum is not from my observation) and looking primarily for those of similar background, i'd feel like I was wasting their time telling them to experience the remaining 65%. And the few spots that aren't "urban" aren't as good as the big 4 areas anyway, IMO.

For anyone who wants to efficiently chase tail while staying out of danger, the 4 areas I mentioned (Fed, Fells, Canton, PowerPlant) are pretty much your best bets. And really you don't even need all 4 - any player visiting the city will probably only have time to really explore 2 or 3 at the most.

Quote:Also, PowerPlant live area is not even worth mentioning. It is too small nowadays and PBR I don't think would appeal to many of the Rooshforum members, especially those who love international nightlife or go out custom-suited. I still stand by my comments that for older players (30+) the only viable area to go out in Baltimore is the classier joints in Fells Pt. with occasional exceptions (for example: hitting Red Maple (Mt. Vernon))

A few years ago I would have emphatically agreed, but PowerPlant has gotten better recently - the crowd is more mature, better-dressed, and better-looking in general. Much less trashy than before. In fact, Mosaic and a few of the bars next to it are just the kind of venue older players here might like - welcoming to suited up guys and easy to flex table or bottle game. PBR is the kind of place that could be in Fed Hill and it would make perfect sense - I think if a RVF member is down to party in Fed they'd be down to party in PBR.

I would also venture to say that those who love international nightlife and prefer to be in custom-suit environments might be better placed in DC than Baltimore anyway - thats really not the vibe of the city, and if thats your focus this is probably the wrong place for them, IMO.

I forgot all about Red Maple though! I've never been, but I have friends who have and say its a decent spot, though its possible to get in some trouble there. How have you found it personally?

Cool to meet another Baltimore bro to talk shop with btw. City is ugly and beautiful at the same time.

Post: #60

jackflag- great analysis. You tried Banditos yet? I'm guessing you probably have, but if by chance you haven't, definitely take a look next time you are over this way.

Also, I think Towson shouldn't be ignored in this discussion. There's a ton of bars all in walking distance - CVP, Buddah Lounge, Greene Turtle, Little Dickies, Rec Room, Kent, Crease, 7 west. Never any covers. You got a big ass mall nearby for daygame if you need to kill time. Towson is known for hot chicks due to the large nursing/teaching schools there. I've bitched about the overall decline earlier in this thread, but doesn't mean that guys won't find success there. There's still hot chicks and you will find a total lack of competition with the guys there. As a college town it's a much more mixed scene with all kinds of people not just students, so you will not look out of place there if you are a bit older. You'll have to hunt/sift for the talent but they are much less pretentious compared to downtown and on another planet compared to DC, plus lack of competition from dudes there, so I think it's worth checking out.

Post: #61

^^ can vouch for rec room that place is a shit show in the best way.

Great write up Jackflag, even as a resident I learned some things. +1

Post: #62

(03-05-2014 02:58 PM)poledaddy Wrote:  jackflag- great analysis. You tried Banditos yet? I'm guessing you probably have, but if by chance you haven't, definitely take a look next time you are over this way.

Also, I think Towson shouldn't be ignored in this discussion. There's a ton of bars all in walking distance - CVP, Buddah Lounge, Greene Turtle, Little Dickies, Rec Room, Kent, Crease, 7 west. Never any covers. You got a big ass mall nearby for daygame if you need to kill time. Towson is known for hot chicks due to the large nursing/teaching schools there. I've bitched about the overall decline earlier in this thread, but doesn't mean that guys won't find success there. There's still hot chicks and you will find a total lack of competition with the guys there. As a college town it's a much more mixed scene with all kinds of people not just students, so you will not look out of place there if you are a bit older. You'll have to hunt/sift for the talent but they are much less pretentious compared to downtown and on another planet compared to DC, plus lack of competition from dudes there, so I think it's worth checking out.

Thanks man. I actually don't think i've been to Banditos - or if I have, I was too lit to remember. I'll def remember the name next time I stop through though.

Towson is a good spot for anyone who wants to leave the city and check out some great talent not too far away, I agree. I've only been there once, I think we went to the Ice Lounge hookah bar and then the Greene Turtle. That was the only Greene Turtle i've ever been to that turned into a live party spot at night, it was insane.

Post: #63

What are the spots in Camden these days?

Post: #64

I will say the 32nd street Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. There are a lot of women there. Mostly hipster young White and Asian chicks wearing yoga pants.

http://www.32ndstreetmarket.org/

Post: #65

I'll be visiting Baltimore for work next week. I'm staying in the Sheraton Inner Harbor. After reading through the thread and looking at the map it seems like Federal Hill would be the best place to check out

I'll only be there from Sunday night through early Friday, so I won't be there the on the weekend. My question is are there any spots in particular that are good on the week nights?

Thanks again for the info in this thread.

Post: #66

Thursday night Cowboys & Rednecks is the biggest weekday HH crowd in Fed because they do this flip a coin / guess heads-tails and if you guess right you've get a free beer. So it gets packed as shit. And then mad river usually gets a later crowd on Thursday night. Mad River is where I'd tell someone to go if they were out of town and trying to get an SNL.

Mon-Wed is going to be much more hit or miss but you might find something. There may be bars with specials, I haven't gone out much those days in a while, look around online. If you do try M-W, I'd say try to work HH scenes on cross street in Fed or head over to canton square, and find some chick(s) that are down to party/stay out late, as opposed to showing up to a bars at 11pm during the week (except Thursday).

Overall I'd say for the most part save your energy for Thursday and go for broke that night. If you do Fed, hit C&R first and then head to Mad River at like 11pm or so. All the other bars are easy walking distance around there so check them out too. Good luck.

Post: #67

Thanks man. I usually stick to Thursday night's anyways so that's helpful.

I'll be going to at least one Orioles game for work so I'll see what the gaming opportunities are like there as well.

Post: #68

(06-04-2014 09:40 PM)Macklin Wrote:  Thanks man. I usually stick to Thursday night's anyways so that's helpful.

I'll be going to at least one Orioles game for work so I'll see what the gaming opportunities are like there as well.

Some guys consider Orioles games to be their best option in all of Baltimore.

Post: #69

I live in Maryland and I belive that if you're a college age student, then you can't go wrong with Towson. I went gaming in a Greene Turtle with another member from this forum and we approached about 10 sets and were greeted pretty openly from all of them. One important thing to point out is that we are both minorities (I'm Pakistani and he was black) so it was safe to assume that race certainly wasn't a factor. One problem with Towson is that some places are pretty ghetto and the best crowds are in the places more closer to the mall.

Post: #70

If you guys know of any good places in the Towson area than please let me know.

Post: #71

Towson is slept on big time, as I've stated earlier in the thread. There's no cover at the bars so next time you should try some of the other places that have been discussed-CVP, Kent Lounge, Crease, etc, etc - they are all within a 2 minute walk of where you were. Go and check it out.

Post: #72

Local guy here, just wanted to clarify some things because it seems like Federal Hill and Fells are the only suggestions... actually, if you want a more chill scene, there are better places.

1) Federal hill is a total fratty sports bar scene. If you have high energy game and can tolerate that kind of scene, more power to you. Don't expect to roll their suited up without looking very out of place. The girls are hot, but not well dressed -- sports jerseys, t-shirts, and baseball caps abound. It's not really my scene, but I agree its probably got the best quality. If you don't mind the sports/jocks scene, this is good for you. If you're more into intelligent conversation, there are better places to go.

2) Fells Point is okay. It's gone downhill in recent years. I've pulled there of course. Bond Street Social is great for everyone. The Get Down kind of sucks now, was better a few years ago - not worth the hassle of standing in line. You can usually see college cuties in Max's and while it gets crowded, it's still accessible for approaching and starting conversations. If you go just north of Broadway, there are some Latin clubs (Latin Palace in particular) if you want to hit on cute latino girls and practice your dance moves. On Fleet, you've got some more chill bars where locals hang out as you head toward Canton, like Johnny Rad's. Actually, that was the bar where I began my game journey. You get some hipster cuties in there.

3) Canton has some cute girls and the scene here is a little more laid back and older than Federal Hill. I always found the bars here to be a sausagefest, though.

4) Station North. This is the hipster scene with lots of dive bars. The quality isn't great compared to Federal Hill, but the bars are pretty chill by comparison, have cheap drinks, and some have live music. I've pulled here. This is where the artsy MICA girls hang out if you're into them. One of the bars is open from 1am - 5am. You can probably get laid there, but I can't attest to the quality. Generally speaking, the main issue with hipsters is the awkwardness. But everyone is very approachable. Joe Squared is probably the best spot, but there's also Club Charles, the Windup Space, and Liam Flynn's. Actually, Station North is where I have most of my dates cause it's cheap.

5) Midtown: The Owl Bar, the 13th Floor, and the Brewers Art. Good scenes in general. The 13th Floor is one of my favorite bars for a more serious date (like a 3rd or 4th date with a classy chick) with a 360 view of the city and a Piano singer. Red Maple is supposed to be the most NYC bar in Baltimore -- I haven't been there in years, but it does have some cute chicks but I think it's gone kind of ghetto. Midtown is probably the most balanced scene where you have more locals and less tourists. But it's also the "Gayborhood".

6) Harbor East: The best scene. This is where you can pick up hot, classy, older women. For most of us over 30, this is where to be. Wit and Wisdom is the best bar in the city hands down. Lots of couches, never too crowded, great drinks. Fuck I've pulled some 8s here! Some of the restaurants also have bars. If you're staying in Baltimore, get a hotel here.

7) Inner Harbor: Honestly, I'm a local -- we don't hang out in the Inner Harbor, lol. Maybe it's good to pull there. It just seems like a cheesy scene to me. Lots of suburbanites and cheesy looking bars.

8) Hampden: Also the hipster hood, but the quality is a bit better than Station North - and its become popular with transplants. Hard to get to though, and that's why it's a hidden gem. My favorite bar is Golden West Cafe, but there are many others like Rocket to Venus, which are good places to meet chicks, very chill. Of all the neighborhoods, this one is probably the easiest to pull. Logistically, if a girl is hanging out here at night she probably lives nearby.

Closing thoughts:
The big benefit of avoiding Federal Hill, the Inner Harbor, and Fells is you get a more chill scene. This means on a weekend, you can actually walk into a bar and see a decent ratio without it being too crowded to hear your own voice. Also, there is no competition in any of these "local" hoods. You'll be the only player in these parts. Federal Hill and Canton, in particular, are full of in-shape dudes who can easily out pull you if you don't fit the jock stereotype, so food for thought.

Anyway, I hope this is helpful. I'm local (well, in DC now, but I lived in the city for many years) - so keep that in mind.

**Will probably repost this as another data sheet**

Post: #73

Duplicate post

Post: #74

(03-30-2013 12:58 PM)Qwest Wrote:  The next day we go to some daytime scene by the water which has a big outside patio facing the harbor, sand on the ground, etc. They basically did a cheesy rendition of trying to recreate some Hawaiian beach scene. I don't remember the name but it had chicks and they played good music I remember. We are flirting with the waitress who is a really hot 23yo single mom and my boy ended up pulling her # and banging her 3 or 4 days later. She wanted to leave with us then but couldn't because of her kid.

Does anyone have any idea of the name of the place that Qwest was talking about here? I'm thinking of checking it out over the weekend. I'm pretty sure it wasn't anywhere in the city. There is a place in Middle River, Baltimore County called Sunset Cove that fits the description, but I'm not really sure. Years ago, they had a similar type place, I think in Northern Anne Arundel County, where they tried to have a Latin Night on Saturday. The Latin Night was advertised either on El Zol or the old Mega and the place looked like like it had a ton of potential, but for some reason I was the only person in there except for the staff and I waited until about 1:00 A.M. or something. Maybe people couldn't find it or something.

Post: #75

Looks like I'm landing in Baltimore for the Thanksgiving Weekend. Who wants to grab a beer and swap war stories?