Hampden is THE hip neighborhood in Baltimore right now and is often overlooked by tourists because it's not on the waterfront. The main shopping street is W. 36th St. It stretches about a half a mile and is packed with cool, independent shops and restaurants down its entire length on both sides of the street. This is basically where all the cool shops went when Fells Point got too expensive!
THE event of the year in Hampden is Honfest. In 2008 it is on June 14th and 15th!
Food/ Bars: These are some local favorites To see a complete list of places to eat go here.
- Dogwood Deli- This is a new place that serves only locally produced and often organic food.
- Cafe Hon: A Baltimore Institution. Quirky surroundings- good brunch.
- Golden West Cafe: Famous for its breakfasts: another quirky spot packed with locals. Lots of vegetarian options.
- Rocket to Venus: owned by the same folks who own Holy Frijoles (on 36th St). This is THE place to be in Baltimore right now.
- Frazier's on the Avenue: Great dive bar.
Shopping: The great thing about shopping in Hampden is that ALL of the businesses are unique and locally owned. No chains here! Lots of handmade/artisan items. To see a complete list of Hampden merchants go here. Here are some local favorites that must not be missed:
- Atomic Books. This is a favorite bookstore in Baltimore. They have a great handpicked selection of literary works as well as graphic novels, CDs, and weird toys.
- Atomic Pop: speaking of weird toys. Lots of cool lowbrow art stuff like smoking bunny lamps and Sublime Stitching embroidery patterns.
- Doubledutch Boutique: Hand made clothing by independent designers.
- Breathe Books: New age book store.
- Ma Petitie Shoe: they carry shoes like Fluevogs. Also chocolate!
- Milagro (they have no web site): Mexican folk art type stuff. It's a really bright and colorful shop.
- Have Fun Be Lucky: tattoo shop that has their own clothing line.
- Mud and Metal: Pottery and crafts by artists. Lot of handmade jewelry.
- Lovely Yarns: Every good neighborhood needs a good yarn shop.
- True Vine: Vinyl!
- Red Tree: Love, love, love this place. Fantastic artisan-made items. Baby stuff, T-shirts by Squidfire (a local Baltimore t-shirt design company), handmade purses, etc.
- 9th Life: Hipster clothes and accessories. A lot of hand made punk rock stuff.
