John, the guy behind the twitter account for the bar Bad Decisions in Fell's Point, has come to join us, too. He bought his bar in 2008, just before the economy tanked, so it's been a tough ride to the top, but it's well established now as one of the bars to go to in Baltimore – for tourists and locals. Just wish we had more time. 

This rush to take in a long day in Baltimore is making everyone wistful … and Guardian editors are notoriously nostalgic for a certain HBO drama alluded to many times today. What could be more appropriate, therefore, as we slowly recap the day, than to hear David Simon, Bunk, Prop Joe and Bubs wax affectionate for Baltimore?

And for those who haven't yet seen the show, don't fear for any spoilers – it's just a bunch of proud professionals describing the city as they see it.

One of the people who have kindly left tips for us is the owner of WC Harlan bar in Remington (Hampden and 23rd). He suggested we come down and check it out, so here we are. 

We never would have found it without that tip. It's a word-of-mouth joint that opened at the beginning of the year. It's hidden behind a nondescript black door on a residential street and has an old speakeasy vibe, lit by candles, with jazz music in the background. Cocktails are the speciality. We're about to check out the menu. 

Vicky's all too right – you can't do everything, especially in a city as packed full of diversity as Baltimore. Even their aquarium, named the National one alongside its smaller counterpart in Washington DC. It has five whole floors of exhibits, including a massive recreation of a coral reef and another of a kelp forest. It has a ring of sharks, a freshwater crocodile, and hundreds and hundreds of jellyfish, which, as we've recently been told, are taking over the world. 

To stave off any fears of jellyfish invasions, you can watch the aquarium's peaceful live feed far from its inhabitants' tentacles and teeth.

Hampden is a lovely neighbourhood. Lots of little low-rise houses with wooden front porches. We passed the famous Cafe Hon – with a giant flamingo on its front - and Common Ground cafe, which were both tipped. You can't do everything. Shopping must be good round here during the day, with boutiques lining 36th Street – the main road. 

Aisha (@aishamk), who recommended this place via Twitter, has called in to join us for ice cream. She's a photographer and went to Mica art school. Originally from DC, she has been in Baltimore since 2006. I ask her why she's stayed. Meg interrupts, "Er, why wouldn't she?" Fair point. Reminds me of the John Waters quote we started the day with.

Editor's addendum: below the line, TheGribbler quotes – what else – The Wire, to that same point: "Why would anyone want to leave Baltimore, man, that's what I'm asking?" 

And as if that wasn't enough, the spoons here change colour. Watch this. 

Dessert time! We made it to the Charmery in Hampden. It opened around three months ago. The whole place smells of waffle cones – they make them on site. We just tried a spoonful of every flavour going. Most of them shouldn't work, but they do. Old Bay caramel is my favourite (a scoop of pure Baltimore), but there's also red licorice, baklavah, Berger cookie and cream (the local cookie that tipsters have mentioned) and pickle. Yes, pickle. And it's good. Really, it is. 

We're saying bye to the Woodberry now. On the way out, we come across a fire pit outside. A nice smell of bonfire in the early autumn air. It's still just about warm enough for outdoor dining. 

Yesterday at the Visionary Art Museum I learnt of an unlikely connection between the famous Baltimore drag queen Divine and a recent British prime minister. Beneath a giant sculpture of Divine was the story of how she co-founded the Alternative Miss World contest with British artist Andrew Logan. When the original Miss World contest took legal action in the 70s, Logan and Co called on a young British lawyer to put their case together. They won. His name? Mr Tony Blair. 

Kylie studied in Washington DC for a semester and is now kicking herself for not making that 30-minute train journey before. Half an hour that's all it takes to get to Baltimore. The Bolt Bus, like the Megabus, is also a really cheap way to get here from New York, taking around four hours. 

Speaking of architecture, LindaR has suggested below the line two architectural oddities that there isn't nearly enough time for Vicky to see. Thus, the condensed Wiki of her tips

The Pagoda of Patterson Park: on a hill that was key to defending Baltimore from the British in 1812 – during a war that otherwise didn't go so well for the young US – an architect was commissioned to build the city an observation tower. Ironically, he chose to follow all the latest British fads of the moment (1891), and chose to build the tower, seeing that his Victorian peers overseas were fascinated by Asian art. Thus: a pagoda in Baltimore, and an unclear verdict as to who won Hampstead Hill (yes, even the name).

Our other incongruous structure of the Baltimore skyline is the Druid Hill Conservatory, which, like any good preserve for flora built in the 19th century, has rooms for orchids, palms and cacti – and also hosts events such as "The Drunken Botanist", in which an author will discuss "the dizzying array of plants that humans have, through ingenuity, inspiration, and sheer desperation, contrived to transform into alcohol."

Meg is still with us. She knows everyone, and the city inside out. She's a 12th generation Baltimorean. She is doing a lecture soon about why Baltimore is more than The Wire and she's eager for people to get to know other sides of the city. She is also on the board for the Baltimore architecture foundation and so has been pointing out some incredible buildings. The architecture here has really impressed us all. Meg says she loves it because it has it all, from classic Georgian to beaux art to brutalist. And the row houses, of course, which are so uniquely Baltimore. 

We're balancing out the soup with some kale salad and green beans, so we don't feel too guilty. 

However, we have just had a great ice-cream tip. We're hoping it's still open when we're done. 

Greta: "Watching the Woodberry Kitchen's chefs is like watching a choreographed dance."

It's pretty swish here. Huge, high ceiling. Lots of exposed brick and iron. Out back there are stacks of crates full of organic produce, and the menu lists all the farmers they work with. We've started with an oyster stew ($12) – it's essentially a cream and butter soup with oysters at the bottom. It's amazing. 

Woodberry is a neighbourhood in the north-central part of Baltimore, still within the city limits but quite a way from the Inner Harbour area where most tourists stay. It was a surprisingly green drive up here. There are converted mill buildings along the Jones Falls river. Many were abandoned until recently and one has become the Woodberry Kitchen, which is renowned for its farm-to-plate philosophy. 

Vicky and the team have tentatively decided on Woodberry Kitchen for dinner and WC Harlan for a drink (per albinopines, among others), but not for lack of reader tips for meals and beverages.

Bertha's Mussels, back in Fell's Point, was recommended by 50states1day for its "piece de resistance", its "Pelican Shrimp … honestly the best shrimp I've ever eaten".

Over at Witness, meanwhile theinbetweendream left an epic set of recommendations (previously quoted in full), suggesting not just Woodberry but also 13.5 Wine Bar, The Food Market, and Rocket to Venus for "fried PB&J".

Chap's Pit BBQ comes recommended by KurtDaConqueror, who has apparently taken 'The Wire' food tour and memorized the bit of trivia that "Dee and his friends went there in season 1 after one of them was promoted in the Barksdale hierarchy."

Other choice tips include Bo Brooksfor crabs (what else), Holy Frijoles for $2 tacos (per @AishaMK) and The Helmland for Afghan food, per ustr2 – and the unverified bit of trivia that its owner is Hamid Karzai's brother, per Luckychips.

And finally, @Judio12, @martindonnelly and AlexBoh cut to the chase and demand that Vicky try Natty Boh, aka Natural Bohemian, Baltimore's proud local beer.

Today we've been hopping in and out of cars to save time, but yesterday I had chance to take the Charm City Circulator, which is a free bus service. Yes, completely free. It launched in 2010 as an eco initiative to encourage people not to be so reliant on their cars. There are a few lines across town and they come every 10 minutes. Boris, can we get one of these in London, please? As if.

Foreshadowing …

Some street art from the Station North neighbourhood, aka Charles North. It's another area undergoing revitalisation. 

There are murals on the floor too.

We've lucked out Meg is joining us and she has a car. That means we can get round more of your tips, in less time, we hope. A couple of minutes from the diner is the Charles Village area, which is known for its colourfully painted houses, nicknamed the painted ladies. We're going to do a bit of neighbourhood hopping round here. 

This is not a recommendation to walk through Baltimore discalced – just a grateful anthem for xpix below the line.

Just a reminder that our next stop is Philadelphia. We're heading there tomorrow, via … we don't know where. Anyone got tips on which route to take, where to stop and what to see when we get there? We haven't got a place to stay yet either so need to get moving on making a reservation. Know a good hotel or B&B? Not too expensive, but with plenty of character.

We've had a surprise visitor. I went to the bathroom and came back to find a lady sitting down at our table with Greta. It turns out it's one of our commenters, Meg Fairfax Fielding (aka blogger @pigtowndesign), who has popped by to join us! She saw we were in the Paper Moon Diner and, seeing as she lives just round the corner, thought she'd swing by and say hi. That's the beauty of live-blogging, folks.

Oh and there is a massive display of Pez dispensers again. I swear I haven't seen these things since the 80s and now that is the second display in as many days. What's with the Pez obsession, Baltimore? 

Just your average, ho-hum mannequin garden …

… run by Mike, manager of this wacky, nutty cafe.

The Paper Moon Diner is an explosion of colour that appears from nowhere after driving past the campus of the Mica art school. It's brightly painted on the outside, and the garden is filled with all manner of oddities: a mannequin with a headdress made of spoons, a cow with five-inch eyelashes, a yellow bath tub filled with plants. Inside is like a bizarre toy store, with dolls and toy cars hanging from the ceiling.

While the team is taking a moment to recoup, another playlist, this one with special thanks to @artbaretta – tell us songs and we'll add 'em to the next one!

We need a recharge – both us and our phone batteries. We're heading to Paper Moon Diner, as recommended in the comments below, for coffee. We're catching a taxi ride with Willy, a former gangster, so he says. Now he's in his early 70s, although that's hard to believe, and he wants to talk to us about the Karsdashians and America's Next Top Model. 

The Poe trivia, rumours and editorial corrections have been bouncing around the blog as Vicky rambles through Baltimore – what about some creative versions of his work?

First up: a surreal little animation of The Tell Tale Heart from 1953, banned from sight for British audiences and nominated for an Oscar in the states. Not sure what that means, exactly, so you can judge the creepy conscience tale for yourself:

And because Christopher Walken cannot resist anything and everything unsettling, he once recorded a reading of The Raven.

Steamed, spiced crab, wrapped in the newspaper match report of the Ravens NFL game yesterday – it doesn't get more Baltimore than that. I've been wondering what makes crab so special here. 

We've just had an education courtesy of Damye Hahn, who is the great-granddaughter of the founder. Her son works here too – fifth generation Faidleys.

Maryland steams crabs, whereas a lot of places boil them. They also use their famous Old Bay seasoning. The slaw here has celery seeds in, which is her a German grandmother's recipe. Most importantly they use lump crab here. That's the good stuff. It takes 40 crabs to make a 1lb can. 

Wow. The crab cakes deserve the hype. Fleshy and full of flavour. There are no seats in here. You just stand up at the counter. Over one million clams and oysters are served annually, according to a sign.

The staff are really friendly, too. "Did you have enough?" calls a woman from behind the counter with a big grin. I get the feeling they get a lot of happy customers here.

At first we couldn't find Faidley's. Only because we were saying it wrong (it's fade-lees). Once we got that right, people's eyes light up. "Ah, you made the right decision," they say.

We get chatting to a guy called Mark at the counter. He has been coming here since the 70s. He's ordered the lump crab cake, the speciality. As have we.

Actually we lied. We do do know this tune - but it's not very complimentary. And we're all about the positive...

Ronald has inspired us - and we want to sing Baltimore's praises, too.

But we don't know any Baltimore tunes.

So, we asked Pasta Primavera - a Baltimore based independent music blog - to come up with a playlist for us. We couldn't find a fishy-sounding music blog. Sorry. And we don't know any of these tunes or bands, either. But you might - so you can sing along. And you can send us requests, too, and we'll cue 'em up for you - in the comments below or to @GuardianTravel.

So, Lexington Market is pretty intense. It's full of life. Everyone is talking at once. Quite a contrast from where we came from, which was deadly quiet.

On the way into the market - which is like a big food hall- we meet Ronald. Slung over his shoulder is range of scents for women and men, which he's selling.

"Erm, is that one called pussy? And what's that other one say - Michelle Obama?" I ask.

"Yeah," he says, "and they smell good."

Ronald is quite a character and he's singing Baltimore's praises. "Anything can happen here. It's baby New York. I love my city," he says.

Reminiscence road: @Pigtown recalls the time they took The Guardian US's very own Steve Busfield (editor of the The Wire Re-Up blog and book) around town to make the point that Baltimore: It's Not Just The Wire. Steve took his daughters - just to be safe! 

[That's enough Wire - ed]

Pigtown

23 September 2013 6:58pm

I took one of your Guardian colleagues on a tour de Baltimore earlier this summer. @Busfield wrote the book on The Wire for the Guardian.

You can read about our 24 hours in Bmore here. We managed a baseball game, lunch at Lexington Market, a Wire Tour, the military tattoo at Fort McHenry and more. Great fun with Busfield and his girls!

Wire reader challenge:

@TonySoprano77 has popped up from below with this little bit of mischief about The Wire...

TonySoprano77

23 September 2013 6:46pm

The Wire quiztime! You Guardian writers better step up! This one must come out of your memory, so dont cheat and look it up on internet or playback the dvd.

What did the waiter say when D'angelo took the dessert off the cart for his girl at the restaurant in season 1?

OK, Baltimore - it's crab time.

We've had plenty of tips for Faidley's (@mwcarruthers - again - below in comments, and from local newspaper man and blogger John Houser III in this Guardian article).

Wire fans: This place was a winner for McNulty, too. He brought a crab cake delivery for his nightshift colleagues.

"Faidleys? You alright McNulty," said Kima. We're heading to Lexington market.

We've had multiple recommendations for the American Visionary Arts Museum (thanks hellsbadger and mwcarruthersamong others)and we really wanted to go. But it's closed on Mondays. GAH!

Yet the plan wasn’t a complete washout. Well, at least, not for me. I arrived earlier than the others, so I was able to pay it a visit yesterday by myself. And it was extraordinary. And brilliant. And frankly every city should have a museum like this one.

It’s designed to celebrate the outsider and houses the work of all sorts of unconventional artists, including the homeless, or just people whose work would have otherwise been overlooked.
It’s impressive from the outset. The building is flamboyantly decorated in mosaics of shattered mirror and broken glass. Inside, the main hall has a quote by Einstein: “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Beneath it, there's an array of paintings, models and carvings, all with a little panel explaining the artist’s story. Every one is fascinating.

Upstairs, there’s a man’s collection of over 1,000 Pez-sweet dispensers (remember them?) and a stegosaurus made of rubbish. There’s also an area dedicated to the work of Frank Bruno (that’s the apocalypse-inspired artist from Arizona, not the British boxer). I read how he was denied admission to art school, but later managed to sell a painting through gallery; how he hated dealing with art dealers and since then he’s vowed never to sell another piece of his work – not even to a fanbase that includes Johnny Depp.

So, in sum, the advice to come here was spot-on. Definitely worth seeing. Just don’t come on a Monday.

Poe story correction: Poe had his last drink at the Horse You Came In On on October 7 1849. He was found soon after, delusional, in the street outside. He was taken to Washington College Hospital and died soon after, at 5am

We were told to try one if the beers by local brewery Brewers Art. Happy to oblige. This one is called Resurrection.

We're in the Horse You Came In On bar. It's an old-fashioned saloon, with swing doors and bar stools designed to look like horse saddles. Jack Daniels bottles line the walls and there's some live acoustic music, playing to a handful of patrons. The bar man confirms that Poe died here [er not, true - ed]. It was his favourite place and he was here all the time [probably true - ed].

Oh, and it dates back to 1775 - the only pub in Maryland open before, during and after the prohibition.

We're deliberately resisting bringing you too many Wire references too early in this blog, and instead refer you to a scene from one of author David Simon's earlier works of genius - Homicide, Life on the Street, featuring one John Waters, and with reference to one Edgar Allan Poe.

So calm on the water, no sound at all but the ripple of the sail.

We're heading back to shore now.

Some tippers have mentioned Edgar Allan Poe, who lived in Baltimore and died here. He liked to drink in a saloon called The Horse You Came In On, apparently. Allegedly, he was walking home from the pub when he was found delirious on the streets of Baltimore, and died the next day in hospital aged 40. There are rumours that his ghost lives on in the bar. It's here in Fells Point, so we're going to go and check it out.

Sail's up. It's a 32ft boat with a small room and three beds - somehow. We're heading past all the industrial shipyards.

"Ooh, it's like series two of the Wire," I say.

"I haven't seen TV in eight years," says Alex.

Wire banter is off the cards, then. Although that would almost take us back to series 2, wouldn't it? .

So we're off on an adventure. We just met Jared and Alex in their boat, moored by the pier. They're planning to take it - and its Grateful Dead flag - around the world. They've covered 500 miles so far, from Long Island. We're jumping aboard and going for a sail to see Baltimore from the other side - from out on the water.

Fells Point naval history 101 (with thanks to the Pride of Baltimore website).

During the second war of independence, in 1812, American privateers, many of them sailing out of Chesapeake Bay in Baltimore Clippers built in Fells Point, captured or sank some 1,700 British merchant vessels during the two and a half year war.

In retaliation for the actions of the Baltimore privateers, the British launched the Chesapeake Campaign in 1814 for the purpose of "cleaning out that nest of pirates in Baltimore." Its goal - to shut down the shipyards of Fells Point and halt the production of the deadly Baltimore Clippers.

On their way up the Bay, the British captured and sacked Washington, DC. They burned the Capitol and White House. Continuing up the Bay, they sought to capture Baltimore by land and by sea. On September 12, 1814, Baltimore troops fought a two-hour battle to delay the British land forces at the Battle of North Point before they reached the City. Fort McHenry, at the mouth of Baltimore harbor, withstood a ferocious 25-hour naval bombardment on September 12 and 13, 1814. It was during this bombardment that Maryland lawyer/poet Francis Scott Key, spotted "by dawn's early light" the huge "star spangled banner" still flying over Ft McHenry. He penned a description of the sight and the poem has gone down in history as "The Star Spangled Banner."

So we've only seen one side of Baltimore so far, but downtown is immaculate. Brick buildings, all perfectly kept. Fells Point square, down by the waterside, is full of ice-cream parlours, restaurants and pretzel stalls. But on a low-season Monday afternoon, there are no tourists in sight. 'A nest of pirates' is what the British dubbed Fells Point, back in the days when it was one of the most important shipbuilding centres in the nation. It's certainly not like that now.

Well fed and well caffeinated, we're heading out into the surrounding streets of Fells Point, a lovely neighbourhood that tippers have recommended. We've called into the Chesapeake Souvenirs & Gifts store in the main square. We're talking to the owner, Sandra, who worked here for 13 years before taking it over. Big sellers seem to be anything crab related. Greta is buying a snow globe - one in every city, that's the plan.

This is how much better Kylie feels after a Blue Moon breakfast (#not celebrating Man City's victory).

While we're waiting for updates from Vicky and Greta, we want to make it clear that the choice of the Blue Moon Cafe was in no way related to Man City's drubbing of Man Utd yesterday. Is there a blue moon over Baltimore? We couldn't say...

Breakfast (and maple syrup) - you are in us!

French toast is served. Wow. Intense sugar rush for a Monday morning. It's really good - not greasy at all. I'm pretty sure it's going to beat me though. It's huge. The place is still buzzing, constant flow of diners, staff rushed off their feet. Constant filter coffee refills, though - one of the great things about breakfasts in the US.

We're in! We've got a table and there's a massive glass bottle of ... something on the table. Greta is inspecting it. It's syrup. A litre of syrup. This bodes well.
I've ordered the house speciality, Captain Crunch French toast. Toast fried and encrusted in sugary cereal, topped with fresh fruit and cream.
There's also a dish known as Sweet Baby Jesus - hash browns stacked with jumbo lumb crab meat, smothered in cheese, two eggs, hollandaise sauce and Maryland Old Bay seasoning. Phew. It's an effort just to type it, let alone eat it. We're passing on that one and saving our crab experience for later.

Bawlmor. Baldamore. Bawlmer. Better bleeve it, hon!

Nice tips sent in by @theinbetweendream on GuardianWitness, also touching on the local accent...

The accent, apparently, takes some getting used to, as touched upon - none-too-sensitively, it has to be said - by Baltimore sportswriter and novelist Frank Deford in the Smithsonian magazine:

Baltimoreans talked funny, a horribly grating nasal accent, sort of lispy, somehow produced because it was here where the harsh Bronx tones from the North crashed head-on into the softer hillbilly lilt moving up from the hollows of the Alleghenies. All sorts of dictionaries have been written, trying to capture the accent and its spelling. Here is a sampling: Bawlmer, air hametown, is in the state of Merlin, which is bounded onna ees by the Lanick Ayshun and onna souf by air Merkin capital, Warshnin, Deecee. You better bleeve it, hon.

Deford goes some way to digging himself out of the hole by paying this somewhat backhanded compliment to his home town:

The three best-known Baltimore writers contemporaneous with me are the novelist Anne Tyler and the film director-screenwriters Barry Levinson and John Waters. Tyler and Waters concentrate their work virtually exclusively on Baltimore; Levinson, mostly so. (The best Bawlmer accent ever realized by an outsider was by Danny DeVito in Levinson's Tin Men.) The devotion to things Baltimore by these storytellers best illustrates, I think, what a singular and vivid place it is. Baltimore has character and nuance, and although I may not have written about it all that much myself, I know that even though I left there many years ago, Baltimore put its stamp on me in ways I'm not so sure other more standard-issue cities could impress on their expatriates.

We made it to the Blue Moon Cafe in Fells Point. It's very cute. A blue-and-purple, ivy-covered, end-of-terrace building. And there's a queue - even on a Monday. Our Russian taxi driver told us it was popular. We've put our names down and we're waiting on the pavement for a table.

We've just been to the Peabody Institute at Mount Vernon Place to try and get a look at its incredible library. Our luck was out as someone has hired it to film a commercial, but we had a little peak in the reception at its ornate spiral staircase.

Before breakfast, we're taking a wander around the neighbourhood, Mount Vernon. It's full of stunning, historical buildings. At its centre is the Washington Monument, which predates the more famous one in DC, which was built by the same guy, Robert Mills. George is looking almost like a roman emperor at the top there.

For breakfast, we’re going to follow up on a tip that came through Twitter from @suziexlee for the Blue Moon Cafe.
I’ve taken a look at the website, and it seems to be a local favourite. The main photo also makes it look as though the owner - Conceptionista Sarah Simington - might read your tarot cards or discuss horoscopes while you eat your pancakes. Intriguing.
Have you got a better suggestion for breakfast? We’re going to need a good joint tomorrow, too, before heading onward to Philly, so get in touch.

We’ve heard that Michel Phelps, who grew up on the outskirts of Baltimore, has been known to fuel up at Pete’s Grille and we all know about his breakfasts. Is that worth a look? Or anywhere else? We may need a breakfast of champions ourselves, as we have a lot of driving ahead of us in these next few days.

So, this is us – the first all-female Guardian road trip.

That’s me on the left. I’ve been working on all the other TwiTrips from the other end, on the Guardian travel desk, putting the other writers through their paces, watching the editor crack his whip. I’m not yet sure if this trip is my reward or my comeuppance.

There’s Greta, our photographer, in the middle. Originally from Idaho, she went to college in Montana, but now lives in Maine. Later in the week, we’re hoping to swing by her current hometown, Portland, which she says has lots of cool hotspots - if you know where to look. Also, Greta arrived in town last night just before midnight after attending a friend’s wedding, so we’ll be getting her an extra-large coffee to start the day.

And, finally, on the right is Kylie, who usually works as a TV producer and has just arrived from a shoot in Mexico after a 48-hour journey (so will also need a strong coffee). On this trip, she will be taking charge of the driving and navigation, as Greta and I blog and post photos. Can anyone hazard a guess as to where Kylie is from? I’ll give you a clue: she grew up on a farm where her family had a pet kangaroo.

This is the sixth and final live roadtrip in the series, and I’ll do a proper introduction of our team shortly.

The story so far: we grouped together last night at the Brexton Hotel in Mount Vernon. This historic neighbourhood was tipped by a few people in our comments section (thanks originalversion), and also our local experts in last week’s travel Q&A.
It’s a beautiful red-brick building, built in the late 1800s and with interior spiral staircases leading to turrets on the top. It was the adolescent home of Wallis Simpson and fell into complete disrepair, laying empty as a “crumbling pigeon coop”, until an ambitious 2010 makeover. A room now cost around $130 (£80) a night, which seems like a good deal having surveyed some of the other hotels in the city, including the few B&Bs (fully booked) and the pricey, big chain properties down by the regenerated harbour.
All in all, the Hotel Brexton is a decent base and well located, but the downside is the breakfast: hidden in a basement room, with coffee coming from a canteen-style machine. So, we’re going to skip that today and head out into the city. Any recommendations for a good breakfast, Baltimore-style?