Where to Eat with 24 Hours in Baltimore

The Light City festival gave us the perfect excuse to zip up to Baltimore, but let's be real... when my friends and I road trip, it's all about the food. Here's the tick tock, in case you wanna recreate it, hon.

11:30am Saturday  Depart Washington, DC

Grapefruit Crush at Thames Street Oyster House

12:30pm We drove straight to Thames Street Oyster House in Fells Point for lunch. This is a no fuss spot that takes their seafood and cocktails seriously. We started with the calamari (basic, I know, but it was delicious) and a grapefruit crush cocktail. The lobster roll was all meat, no mayo, and I paired it with the broccoli salad.

Lobster Roll and Broccoli Salad at Thames Street Oyster House

1:30pm Right across the street from Thames Street Oyster House is the much talked about, new Sagamore Pendry Hotel. The property is stunning and right on the water in Fells Point. I'd book a room there just to lay by the pool when it warms up.

The Pool at the Sagamore Pendry Hotel

2:00pm Arrived at the Four Seasons Baltimore. Our room wasn't ready yet, so we walked around the neighborhood and took in shops like Madewell, Sassanova and South Moon Under. I somehow managed to not spend any money. Win.

3:30pm Finally got into our gorgeous room and promptly took a nap. [NOTE: You may want to fill this time walking around the Inner Harbor of Baltimore or visiting nearby Little Italy.]

6:30pm Met up with friends at Dylan's Oyster Cellar, which quickly became one of my favorite spots. The bartender was grouchy and someone else told me I couldn't use the barstool next to them. But, like a bad boyfriend, I was so smitten and determined that they would like me. Just a few minutes later, the grouchy bartender served me a fantastic gin-n-tonic and my neighbor gave me the barstool next to the electric outlet so I could sip my drink *and* charge my iPhone. Swoon.

Dylan's Oyster Cellar in Hampden

Dylan's has this gorgeous ramp roots on toast, with creamy cheese, honey drizzle and sprinkled sesame seeds. I wanted to stay, but we had reservations...

7:30pm Next stop, La Cuchera, a spacious Spanish joint very close to my Baltimore favorite, emeritus, Woodberry Kitchen. La Cuchera had a lively bar with fun cocktails and wine flights. When we sat, we had pintxos, croquetas and charcuterie. But, the best bite of the night was the rabbit, three ways.

Rabbit, (one of the) Three Ways at La Cuchera

10:00pm After dinner, we went back to the Harbor to walk around and take in all of the light installations. There was a rainbow ferris wheel, lights that moved based on motion, lit-up see saws and more. Light City is worth checking out next year.

Light City, Baltimore

12:00am Sunday There were midnight fireworks and then we all crashed.

10:00am  As sounds of the jazz brunch at Wit & Wisdom wafted through the lobby, we checked out of the Four Seasons. After all trusted friends had all been telling us about this brunch we needed to try...

10:30am Bar Clavel lived up to the hype. We basically ran the brunch menu and loved the tuna ceviche with tangy pineapple, the crispy chilaquiles and the breakfast tacos.

Breakfast Tacos at Bar Clavel

11:30-12:30 Before we hit the road home, we hit Hampden for some Artifact Coffee and to peruse cute shops like Trohv and In Watermelon Sugar.

Artifact Coffee

An hour later, we were back home with fun memories and plans to go back and try more next time.

So, what are your Baltimore must dos? Share em in the comments or tweet me @tammy.