Comments on: Oh say, can you extend the Inner Harbor promenade to Fort McHenry?

By: Mbrassert

Mbrassert — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 12:06:00 +0000

Great idea!

By: Julia May

Julia May — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:10:33 +0000

I’m sitting here in my hotel room laughing as I read this. This morning my husband, 58, and I, 56, became two of Baltimore’s “befuddled tourists” as we began a walking tour from the Tremont Plaza Hotel to Fort McHenry via the Inner Harbor Promenade. Well….at least partially on the promade. We, too, ended up in the middle of condos, and thinking we had just made a wrong turn, proceeded on to Fort McHenry on foot, courtesy of one of the Water Taxi maps, which by the way, doesn’t indicate the distance, nor do they point out that Fort McHenry isn’t really an Inner Harbor destination. We finally made it to the Fort, realizing too late to turn back that we were no longer anywhere near a pedestrian route. We toured the Fort and got a patriotic surge, but we knew there was no way we could make it back to the Inner Harbor, much less to our hotel, on foot. We were that the Water Taxi wouldn’t take us back because we had not gotten on it at the Inner Harbor, so we called a cab and two phone calls and a hour and a half later, no cab. So we walked back to the entrance of the park, and mercifully, caught a city bus back to the Inner Harbor where we ate lunch at 4 p.m. at a beautiful setting outdoors. Somewhat revitalized, we walked back to the hotel. We were naive and should have asked questions before we started our tour, but in my opinion the inclusion of Fort McHenry in any promotion of the Inner Harbor is misleading.

By: Greg Hinchliffe

Greg Hinchliffe — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:45:50 +0000

Ive been nudging the city to consider the Ft McH Trail on a slightly different alignment: from the end of the Waterfront Promenade, newly extended through the Museum of Industry (and fully open to bicycles, as long as I’m dreaming) along the wide sidewalk on the east side of Key Highway to the new sidewalk along New Key Highway past Domino to Tide Point, between the Tide Point parking lots and CSX RR to an existing (but short) trail in front of Silo Point, finally between the railroad and the new housing to Fort Avenue, just across the bridge from the Fort. Not exactly waterfront either (except for a spur through Tide Point) but like Gerry’s proposal, cheap and easy to do: mostly just some widening and way-finding signs. Ultimately it could be extended along Gerry’s route, then to Riverside Park and the Gwynns Falls Trail at M&T Stadium. Dream on!

By: Monday Morning Links Round-Up — June 8th Edition « Urban Discoveries Living Blog

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:27:33 +0000

[...] to get federal funding for the Red Line as it is for new trails. And Baltimore Brew comes up with a completely different plan to revitalize the South [...]

By: Peter Tocco

Peter Tocco — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:46:59 +0000

Gerry, I like your idea a lot. However, it’s probably too long for most people to walk. It therefore could be called the Star Spangled Banner Trail or something like that. National Historic Walkway. A promenade suggests a leiesurely stroll. Now, if this path could accommodate a very light-duty trolley or better yet, a circulator, that would be unbelievably excellent.

By: geraldneily

geraldneily — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:18:02 +0000

A Fort McHenry promenade can work regardless of the waterfront access configuration between Harborview and the Museum of Industry. No industrial area water access would need to be taken. Fort Avenue would only need to be narrowed in several non-critical places, if at all, which would not affect traffic capacity. The City spent big bucks to build a loop road for Locust Point which greatly increased traffic capacity. Yes, Lori, there is water taxi service to Fort McHenry. The City’s strategy is to get tourists to see as much of the rest of Baltimore as possible beyond Harborplace and the Cheesecake Factory.

By: Jim Keat

Jim Keat — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 19:31:12 +0000

Gerald Neily has a great concept, but it’s totally impractical. First of all, I doubt many of us hardened in the South Baltimore land use wars would think they’re settled. The waterfront from the Harborview marina to the Baltimore Museum of Industry is still unresolved.
As for diverting the promenade to Fort Avenue, it has major problems. First, the promenade was supposed to ring the Inner Harbor, not detour into built up areas. The property owners in the maritime industrial area are not going to give up their water access without a bitter fight.
I can’t believe anyone familiar with Fort Avenue would advocate narrowing it. It’s the primary route into and out of booming Locust Point and is already highly congested.
Yes, tourist access to Fort McHenry should be improved. A Planning Department that truly acted in the public interest would have dealt with that years ago. I hope it’s not too late.

By: jamie hunt

jamie hunt — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:26:27 +0000

Good point, Lori.

This is a good idea that should probably initially be sold as a benefit for locals. If they use it regularly, it’s not a stretch to think that tourists riding a shuttle to Ft. McHenry will take notice. Some will choose to walk back, perhaps stopping at the forthcoming McHenry Row development on the way. At a minimum, Lawrence St. and the Fort Avenue bridge should be rebuilt with Gerry’s concept in mind.

By: Art Cohen - b'more mobile

Art Cohen - b'more mobile — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:39:11 +0000

Great idea – and could easily be coordinated with a needed extension of any Charles Street trolley to points south of the Inner Harbor along Light Street (or some other street) to Fort Avenue, so as to better serve the residents of South Baltimore – one of the last places around the harbor which has preserved some of the human scale in the built environment.

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:14:54 +0000

Is there a water taxi stop to Ft. McHenry? I only ask this because, if you check out the average age of tourists on the Baltimore Tourism site, I doubt that, even with accessibility, those in their 40s-50s and/or families with small children will want to walk that far. I personally love the idea and currently jog this path frequently but I question the investment for the sake of tourism if tourists have no other reason to walk that far (i.e. no Cheesecake Factory in Locust Point).