Tourists seeking a taste of the "real" Baltimore beyond the coiffured confines of the Inner Harbor will want to head up Eutaw Street to Lexington Market, according to this visitor from Maine.
Here's an excerpt:
"Lexington Market, a historic food market on the western edge of Baltimore's downtown, is the world's largest continuously operating marketplace. It's also about the closest thing to a snapshot of Baltimore itself that I have found yet. In a city divided by lines, all ages, ethnicities and classes can be found within the throng around its many stalls.
Stepping into the busy marketplace is an assault on the senses. With the many aromas, the noise of the crowd, and all of the different things to look at, it can be hard just to keep from being run over, much less choose what to eat. All around me I see food: fish markets, fried chicken, butchers, delis, fruits, vegetables, collard greens, barbecue, Chinese cuisine, bakeries, sushi, okra, tilapia � everything from simple pizza and fries to oddities like chicken necks and, yes, muskrat. A sea of people and vendors hawking their wares flows around me."
Read the full article here.