Lancaster House

If I could give it more than 5 stars I would. Beautiful, quirky house, nicely restored, within walking distance of tons of fun stuff. We had a great couple of days there. Would definitely recommend.

The location of Lancaster House makes it a great base of operations for a weekend in Baltimore. Probably its greatest attraction is that it’s stumbling distance to all the bars and restaurants in Fell’s Point, so you don’t have to worry about saddling someone with designated driver duties for climbing into the back of a cab that looks like it was just on one of the more… interesting… episodes of Taxicab Confessions. Should boozing for hours on end not be your thing, you can easily make use of the water taxis two blocks away to see all the touristy parts around Inner Harbor. The owners were nice enough to provide two passes for the taxis, so the $ 10/​day fare becomes a non-​issue.
The house is a typical period row home, with narrow hallways, slanted floors (even when you’re sober) and very steep winding staircases. The kitchen was fully equipped and the back patio with gas grill makes for a good way to spend a cool evening with a half dozen friends. All the rooms were well furnished and functional, making decent use of some of the smaller spaces. Bonus points to the owners for plastering the walls with numerous alcohol themed prints from around the start of the 20^th century.
There are a few annoying bits worth noting.
The parking situation isn’t great. They provide a pass that allows parking on the non-​metered street, but a second car means finding a parking garage 4 (?) blocks away or getting $ 52 parking tickets as souvenirs. I have two I’m going to frame. I understand protecting the residents right to park from the Fell’s Point masses, but I would have liked to see two passes for a three bedroom house instead of just the one. Oh, and I got another memento in the form of a license plate screw hole punched in my bumper. (Who drives an Xterra in the city anyway?)
The A/​C doesn’t work that well. The lower level was cool, but even with it set at 68° the bedroom on the second floor was very warm in the night. The windows looked somewhat original, so I suspect it’s an insulation issue. Not a huge deal, but something to consider during the hotter months.
There is internet advertised, but it’s useless. We tried both wireless and wired connections on two different devices and it barely worked. Webpages would load, but only after hitting refresh a half dozen times and at a 1992 modem speeds. Piggy backing off a neighbor with an open wireless network was far less aggravating.
The third bedroom is a bed in an open loft over the kitchen, so make sure your third couple (or amorous single) likes very late night or early morning nookie. I guess you could also have people who don’t mind an audience there, but I suggest you discuss it PRIOR to being surprised while enjoying your morning coffee in the breakfast nook.
Despite these annoyances, the general consensus among the guests was «I could live here for a year.» Take that as you will.
P. S. — Did you know your draft isn’t auto-​saved when you’re adding a new business? Awesome.