Urban Discoveries Baltimore

Things happen daily in Baltimore, but even devout urbanites can yearn for a break from things, or at least a break from happening. And often, one’s home is the last place to offer a little calm. When you need some quiet space in which to puzzle over life’s transience and the plot of Mad Men, let the city share your burden. Suitable haunts below.

1. The Kelmscott Bookshop in Charles Village (34 W. 25th Street) has kept its current location longer than most of us at Urban Discoveries have been exercising fine motor skills. With a distinguished collection and a languorous cat, the Kelmscott can provide hours of browsing tranquility. Namely these: Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

2. The George Peabody Library in Mt. Vernon (1 E. Mt. Vernon Place) shames the corner library where you take your kids. Not in warmth, accessibility, or comfort, granted, but for sheer elegance there are few rooms in town superior to this one. A high and delicately ornamented atrium bounded on every floor by books you’re not allowed to touch, this is just the place to compose that dirty limerick for your best friend’s bachelor party. Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

3. Teavolve in Harbor East (1401 Aliceanna Street) is not exactly my cup of coffee, but the tea drinkers I’m friends with love it. It’s sweet-tempered, cozy, and charmingly appointed, so whatever you drink, drink it contemplatively, whether you’re peering into a laptop screen or the abyss. Monday through Wednesday 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Thursday and Friday 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Sunday 9:00 a.m. to  8:00 p.m.

4. Bonaparte Breads in Fells Point (903 S. Ann Street) is posh and pretty and near the water. Foodies have chewed one another to scraps over whether or not the food achieves its premise, but what’s not up for debate is the café’s peaceful air, troubled only by the tinkling of saucers and the rustle of French girls telling secrets. Sunday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

5. Green Mount Cemetery (1501 Greenmount Avenue) claims the place of honor on this list, not because we’ll all end up somewhere like it only less scenic, but because the whole concept of the place consists of being beautiful and not admitting people who can talk. Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Where in the city do you go to hear nothing?

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