-I'm in a destination that is less a city and more a tapestry of tight neighborhoods, where communities express themselves in distinct ways and give a traveler an exceptional diversity of experiences.

A place that is filled with a do-it-yourself spirit that infuses itself in everything you do and everyone you meet.

-Whoo!

-A city that has overcome incredible challenges and is known for its unique brand of passion and urban hospitality.

I'm in Baltimore, Maryland.

-Whoo!

I'm Samantha Brown, and I've traveled all over this world.

And I'm always looking to find the destinations, the experiences, and, most importantly, the people who make us feel like we're really a part of a place.

That's why I have a love of travel and why these are my places to love.

Samantha Brown's "Places to Love" is made possible by... -We believe watching the world go by isn't enough.

That's why we climb... ♪♪ ...pedal... ♪♪ ...and journey beyond the beaten path on storied rivers with a goal of making sure that every mile traveled turns into another memory.

You can find out more at amawaterways.com.

-To travel is to live, and at AAA, we've been passionate about travel for over 100 years.

That's why we created AAA Vacations -- member travel experiences around the world.

Learn more at aaa.com/livetv.

-I'm starting my time in Baltimore in a neighborhood that, well, started Baltimore.

So, Lou, I feel like Baltimore doesn't get the credit for being the historic city that it is.

-Yes, it's a gem just waiting to be discovered.

-So, what do you feel like we miss out on?

-Baltimore has so much history in terms of it being a point of entry for immigrants.

Also, it had the maritime community.

And then, of course, it had the African-American community.

But not only African Americans, but also, Baltimore itself started in terms of Baltimore being a port city.

But then you had to have people to do work.

And so Africans first came as indentured servants.

-Indentured servants.

-Yeah.

They didn't come in as slaves.

-That's different as a slave.

-But there were also the Irish, the Germans, the Scots.

-Is that right?

-You have everybody here.

But the history of Baltimore, unfortunately, sometimes does get overlooked.

Like, over 600 ships was built right here.

Every street in Baltimore ended in a shipyard.

-Mm-hmm.

Even if Fell's Point history gets overlooked, it's certainly felt, especially in its heart, the 105-year-old Recreation Pier.

It was considered the Ellis Island of Baltimore, then a location for the acclaimed TV series "Homicide."

Abandoned and set for demolition, it is now the home of the Sagamore Pendry, a hotel that celebrates the working harbor and shipbuilding grit.

But Lou had a friend he wanted me to meet.

This is your friend?

-Yes This is Mr. Frederick Douglass.

-[ Chuckling ] Oh!

I want to just touch him.

-Yeah, they touch him.

They take pictures here.

Celebrating his bicentennial year.

He comes to Baltimore in 1826.

-1826?

To do what?

-Well, he's sent here by his master.

He's an 8-year-old slave boy, and he stays here till 1838.

Then on September 3rd, he escapes.

And that starts a whole new life for America.

-How so?

-Because three years later, he's hired by the Massachusetts Anti-Slave Society.

Then he becomes a spokesperson, having been enslaved -- So now he's speaking from first-person narrative of his life of a slave in Maryland.

Anywhere they would have him, he's speaking about the evils that he saw in Maryland as it relates to human beings treating other human beings.

Frederick Douglass becomes the first African-American to speak one-on-one with a president.

He meets with Abraham Lincoln, President Lincoln, about three to four times.

-So, he left Baltimore.

Does he ever come back?

-Oh, yeah.

He stated that if he hadn't came to Baltimore, he might have remained a slave forever.

-Still standing in Fell's Point are the five houses Frederick Douglass built as rental properties for African Americans in 1890.

-Yeah, so, he had a profound love for Baltimore.

Douglass and Tubman are not great, simply, African Americans.

They're truly American patriots.

We have to remove away from the point of saying, "You're the first African-American."

No, this fella, Mr. Frederick Douglass, is a true American hero.

♪♪ -Is this farmers' market every day?

-No, only on Sundays.

-Sundays.

-Yeah.

-I love its location.

I've never been to a farmers' market under an overpass of a highway.

-It kind of is perfect.

We're right in the center of everything here in Baltimore.

City Hall is right there.

This is the Jones Falls Expressway, which is the main route to get in downtown from the counties.

So it's perfectly situated.

-This is Chef David Thomas.

He and his wife, Tonya, own Ida B's Table, just across from the farmers' market.

Ida B's Table serves modern soul food using fresh, organic ingredients mostly sourced from Maryland and even Baltimore farms.

-This is a sweet-potato waffle.

But this is, you know, free-range, pasture-raised chicken.

The shrimp is sustainably sourced from out of the Gulf.

This brisket is grass-fed, local from Liberty Delight Farms.

So that's what it's about.

-Soul food is a working-class cuisine.

Was there an overall goal in mind to really elevate the soul-food experience?

-Whether you call it Southern, soul food, barbecue, Creole, it was all derived from the hands of slaves.

Thomas Jefferson's chef was an African slave.

In the South, all the people that were cooking in these homes were Africans, or African slaves.

And we need to be proud of that.

We use the same techniques as the French do, or the Italian do.

We're cooking like professional cooks do.

This food should be revered in the same way.

-A part of your narrative of this restaurant, Tonya, is that you have Ida B. not only as your namesake, but her portrait is right behind you.

What did you want to accomplish by putting her as your namesake?

-A lot of people don't know about her.

And I noticed that when we have a lot of guests that come in, and they'll say, "Who's Ida B?"

"Are you Ida B?"

A lot of people don't even know that she was one of the founding members of the NAACP.

-Everything that she did to expose the lynchings back in the day, they just -- that's because of the color of their skin.

But she made sure she listened and she noted and she recorded it.

She was the first investigative journalist.

There was a lot of things that she started, even knowing it was risking her life.

-So it sounds like Tonya's the one who said, "We should name this restaurant."

-I think it's the perfect name because what we want is to bring everybody to the table here anyway.

Everyone is welcome here.

It doesn't matter who you are, where you're from.

So that's why we say, "Ida B's Table, where there's a seat for everyone."

-So, Ida B. spoke the truth, and through food, you're reaching back to the truth.

And when we're at a table, we can speak the truth.

-That's right.

[ Indistinct talking ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -How do I pronounce "hon" in the Baltimore-ese accent?

-"How you doin', hon?"

-"Hon."

-It's not H-U-N.

It's H-O-N, which is short for "honey."

-Okay, so, think about "honey," and then just go for the "hon."

-'Cause that's where it -- -There it is!

There you go!

Yay!

-Just add a wave every once in a while.

Hey, hon!

-Hey, hon!

And this is the 25th HonFest.

-Yes.

-How did you guys get involved in this?

Why did you want to be a part of this?

-Well, we like to celebrate the women in the 1950s and 1960s who were working-class women, and we had to learn how to do stuff like work in factories 'cause our husbands went to the war and left us with the mortgage and the kids.

So, we had to figure out what to do about that.

So we all went to work.

-So, the original Hons were, in a sense, single mothers while their husbands were away at the war.

-They worked in the steel mills and they worked in the factories, hotels.

They made beds.

They did ironing on the side...

-"Arnin'."

-...to get some extra money.

And when their husbands came back from the war, they said, "Well, you can quit your job now 'cause I'm back, and I'll take over all the bills."

And they said, "Nuh-unh, hon.

We got money now.

And we're gonna use it."

-And use it they did.

By buying close, shoes, jewelry, anything that would get her noticed after a week of hard work and feeling invisible.

The conversation was going well until I stepped on a beehive.

-Is this the only time, at HonFest, that all of you come together?

-Oh!

-Oh, no, no!

-Oh, all right.

-We do charitable.

We do Baltimore Station.

We volunteer with the vets and dress up and feed them dinner, hon.

-We've gone to hospitals and seen children that are going through difficult times.

-We even did some conventions.

-Oh, yeah.

We're kind of famous, you know?

-And today, they were going to do a makeover.

-Okay, you ready?

-The classic beehive hair.

-Whoo-hoo!

-The higher the hair, the more decorations you can have.

Scarves, crabs, flowers... -It's gotta be a little... ...gloves add a classy touch, especially in a Hon's favorite color -- leopard.

-It's the new neutral.

-It's the new neutral!

-Turn around.

-Oh, nice!

[ Laughter ] Oh, my gosh!

-Yes!

-With my new look somewhat in place...

I got to walk with Hon royalty.

-I'm Nikki Bass, and I was born and raised in Baltimore to many generations of Baltimorians.

-So, how many HonFests is this for you?

-I would say well over 10, going on 15 years for me.

-That's incredible!

-By day, I'm a chemist, but in my free time, I love being a Hon.

And in 2015, I was crowned Baltimore's Best Hon.

The thing I love most about HonFest is seeing all the beautiful women in the city showing their creativity and their support for each other.

-Hey, Hon!

You look beautiful!

-You look gorgeous!

-Thank you, Hon!

-You're welcome, Hon!

-Thanks, Hon!

It's official.

I'm a Hon!

So, you are officially a Miss Hon of 2015.

You won the contest.

-I did, yes.

-is there a talent portion of the Miss Hon Contest?

-There is, and so I'm a chemist, and my talent was taking elements from the periodic table and turning them into Baltimore-ese.

And so the first one was, B-A for barium.

And I said, "Ya know, if you want your flowers to grow good, your mother always says 'barium' after Mother's Day."

And then for "W," which is tungsten, I said, "If you wanna keep yer beehive up in place, you gotta make sure every single bobby pin is 'tungsten.'"

-[ Chuckles ] Just to make sure there is another generation of strong, resilient women, there's a Miss Hon-ettes Show.

[ Women cheer ] -Take a little jump front.

Take a little jump back.

And shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it.

♪♪ -Whoo!

-Don't laugh.

It's harder than it looks.

I lost a crab!

Oh, no!

♪♪ -[ Scatting ] ♪ Because ♪ ♪ I'm Joyce J Scott ♪ ♪ A visual and performing artist ♪ -Hello, Samantha.

I'm glad you're here.

-Thank you very much.

-The queen is here.

I must genuflect.

-[ Laughs ] -She makes me do that.

She forces me to do that.

-I'm joining Joyce Scott, along with Kevin Brown, owner of a neighborhood favorite Nancy's Café, a café dedicated to the arts, strong coffee, and even stronger conversation.

-So, I was asked, and I don't know if they were joking, if I could list where my artwork is, like I'm not arrogant enough to do that.

So, it's at the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Craig House Museum.

There's a museum in Canada.

You name it -- Houston Museum -- I'm everywhere.

I'm also a MacArthur Fellow.

Some people say "Genius."

I'm too humble.

-What is it about Baltimore that just seems to pump out the most creative thinkers, people in the arts?

-Yeah, I think it's the city that continues to re-brand itself, to rename itself, to fix itself, to patch itself.

-And the artists, in many ways, through their artwork and their tenacity, represent what should be happening and what does happen sometimes in the city.

Because it is a city that's laden and throttled by a lot of social and political problems -- a city with these many institutions -- educational institutions, medical institutions -- with that much money running through this city... -Mm-hmm, and yet... -And yet we have pockets of desperation.

-Your work is always described as really creating this conversation about racial injustices, social injustice -- just what you were talking about right now.

How did you choose the ancient art form of beadwork to create that conversation?

-My mother taught me, because she was a nationally-known fiber artist, a textile artist.

So, I have a long history of craftspeople in my family who did what I am doing now.

So I am not only extending a family tradition, and some people think, "a woman's work," using a needle and thread.

For me, a young person with no money and very little disposable income, I could use a needle, thread, and beads, and make things that were of great beauty, color, flat, sculptural with, "a humble material."

It's really math.

Beadwork is really math.

And so, once again, we're debunking one more thing about women not being able to count.

You know, I'm actually very proud to debunk those people who want to call it an ethnic handycraft, you know, something that's lower in the realm of fine arts.

I'm here to show that that is untrue.

-Ms. Scott was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2016, a $625,000 no-strings-attached prize that goes to extraordinarily creative individuals.

To me, really fascinating about the MacArthur Award is that it is to reward the future.

-Yes.

-And yet you've been an artist for almost seven decades.

What is it like to have worked your entire life and still be considered the future?

-It's, to me, the right thing to do.

You know, if I'm doing creepy work -- I shouldn't say "creepy" 'cause I'm pro-creepy.

But if I'm doing bad work... -[ Laughs ] -If I've lost the vim, the vigor, the ability to create, I can understand why someone might say, "She old."

And I don't even think that should be it.

As long as I'm in the struggle, on the quest, then that should be it.

And people ask me what do I hope people get from my artwork -- I just hope it's the ability to see, to feel, to investigate, to bemuse.

I don't want to tell people what they should think.

I just want them to think.

♪♪ -Baltimore is America's supreme cauldron for creativity.

Whether you're a writer or a filmmaker or a dancer or Frank Zappa or Edgar Allan Poe, Billie Holiday, it's these oppositional forces that give way to fantastic creative production.

I'm Rebecca Hoffberger, and I'm a founder, director, and principal curator here at the American Visionary Art Museum.

-Visionary art, as defined by the museum, is art produced by self-taught individuals, usually without formal training.

But it goes deeper than that.

-What we're looking for is that people not trying to get into a museum -- you know, people who are making art because something in their life was such a -- either a devastation or an ecstasy that there are no words for it, so it comes out as art.

-The museum's mission is to engage you with artists, who, through their own pioneer spirit, might create sculpture using only matchsticks, while another makes a throne out of bottle tops.

Right now displayed along the grand staircase is the work of a person who could be described as the ultimate visionary.

-The most-famed remote viewer, or super psychic, of our government was a man named Ingo Swann, and we were given all of his masterpieces.

So, people from defense and industries come to pay homage to him here.

-What's a remote viewer?

-It's a person who has the ability to project their consciousness to a target and be able to report on, as if he was there, bodily, everything in the room, who's saying what, et cetera.

-U.S. government has a psychic?

-Mm-hmm.

♪♪ -At the American Visionary Art Museum, you are surrounded by art created by outsiders.

And its facade constitutes the largest program in the United States for apprenticing incarcerated teenagers.

-You know, when you come out of being in a juvenile program, you can't get work with that on your record easily.

So, what we wanted to do is give them the precise skills to be able to do commercial and residential tiling for the rest of their lives, or make their own art, if they want.

But even just the process of working together to make something so transcendently beautiful, you know, was something that they deserve.

What reveals a part of what it is to be a human being -- warts, glory, and hubris, you know?

And that's what the museum always weaves together.

-When I travel, I always like to find the people who are changing, challenging, and strengthening a destination.

Baltimore is resilient.

-All right.

Again.

-Its people use their own do-it-yourself strength to create their own story.

Let's start out with a person who's changing Baltimore.

A food hall might be the last place you'd expect to find a farmer.

-We started out as farmers, and ultimately, we wanted to look at how we could connect with consumers more in depth and create more jobs and add value to our produce.

-So JJ Reedy and his partners opened Stall 11 -- good honest food to do just that.

-Our farm looks a little bit different than most farms.

We're not soil farmers, you know, out there in the field.

We actually use hydroponic growing facilities and use a lot of computers and technology to grow our food in areas where you, you know, usually can't grow agriculture.

So we're in kind of deep in the heart of the city in West Baltimore, at a charter school.

We work with kids, and we grow leafy greens, herbs all year long.

-You're really changing the look of the farmer and our perception of what a farmer is.

-Cities are the future of the planet, so we have to look at how we can redesign our cities to connect with food and agriculture in that way.

-JJ believes that food is the catalyst for urban regeneration.

-We can just start with good, honest food, which is kind of our slogan.

We'll just leave it at that.

It's just really good food.

-Next up, strengthening.

♪♪ -I'm Aaron Jones.

-I'm Jason Bass.

-And we design and build bags right here in Baltimore City.

-We feel like our bags represent the city and represent the people.

-This is your baby right here.

This is the number one.

-Yes.

That's the Charles.

-The Charles.

-Yep.

Named after -- We named all of our bags after streets in Baltimore.

So, just like Charles Street.

-So this, to me, looks like a worker's bag with a canvas, where you put a tool belt.

Did you always want to use this material, like canvas?

-Baltimore's such a utilitarian city.

And a lot of canvas -- canvas is, like, the rawest form of material you can buy.

It gets better over time.

It wears well.

-Plus it really wears in.

People build a relationship with the product because it shows, you know, the story that you're carrying.

-And the story that you wanted to carry was Baltimore.

-Yeah.

-Just a little more respect for a really great, hard-working city.

-Absolutely.

-All the bags are designed and manufactured in Baltimore and represent this city's blue-collar work ethic, along with its incredible creative side.

-From there, we started to work with other local artists, like, "Well, let's make this" -- this kind of tilted us a little bit, this "Carry Your Stories" thing, and use local artists to paint with those stories.

-How did you meet?

Were you friends in school?

-So, I walk in this bar, and here's Jason arm-wrestling one of my friends.

-You met at a bar?

-Picture that, right?

-Yeah, right?

-And you literally are arm-wrestling?

-Yeah, that's how I was making friends at the time.

I would try to find the strongest guy and arm-wrestle for drinks.

-That is such a Fell's Point Baltimore Port-City story right there.

-[ Chuckles ] Yeah, yeah.

-And finally, challenging.

This is the step team from the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women.

A 2017 documentary about a team from this school put them in the spotlight.

So, I'm not gonna be able to pick that up, Coach G. I'm just telling you right now.

-It's okay.

I got something for you.

-[ Laughs ] Okay.

Where did step originate?

-Step originated in Africa.

It was actually a way of communication in the mines in Africa.

And it started with, like, a boot dance, and then one mine wanted to be better than the other mine and then it turned into, of course, a competitive form of art.

And then it came to the Americas through the trans-Atlantic slave trade and was made popular through Black Greek fraternities and sororities.

-That's where I've seen it -- when I went to college.

-Yes, yes, yes.

Now it's all over the place.

-Would you describe it as dance?

-Like, when people started -- "You guys want to dance?"

they quickly correct you and say, "It's step."

-Step, okay.

-Because it's totally different in a sense that it's military movement, in a sense that it's gymnastics, in a sense that it's rhythmatic beat.

You make the music with your body.

-Hey!

What?!

-The goal of the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women is that every student goes to college.

-100% college acceptance three years in a row.

-Holy mackerel!

-This is our third year at 100%.

And just joining a step team, it empowers you.

And I really think that it connects you with our ancestors.

So, let's show Miss Samantha a step.

-[ Chuckles ] -Okay.

Right-foot stomp.

All right, right-foot stomp, and then a clap.

So... Five, six, seven, eight.

[ Laughter ] Okay!

-Baltimore is a surprising city of hidden gems, an incredible arts community, and also wonderful people who make an art of living.

-Now it gets tricky.

-One of my favorite things about Baltimore is that the people here are just so genuine.

You can walk down a street as a stranger and get a hello, a hug, "How you doing?"

"What are you doing here?"

And people just really care about connecting on a personal level in the city.

-Like using white-out for your French manicure.

-Let's just practice the flip-flap.

-You should come to debunk all those ideas about what Baltimore really is.

Don't be dissuaded by all these shows and TVs that show boarded-up houses.

This is one of the oldest cities in the United States, one of the first 13 colonies.

Things happened here!

You want to be part of that.

-Baltimore has phenomenal food, really kind and genuine people, great drinks, and some beautiful places to see.

-This is a town you should come to.

-When you meet people who challenge how you feel and move, when a destination allows you to celebrate the outsiders of society and its heroes, when you experience the stick-to-itiveness of people who combine hard work and creative passion...

-What?!

-L-L-O-B!

Whoo!

...that is when we share a love of travel.

And that's why the city of Baltimore, Maryland, is a place to love.

-For more information about this and other episodes, destination guides, or links to follow me on social media, log on to placestolove.com.

"Samantha Brown's Places to Love" was made possible by... -We believe watching the world go by isn't enough.

That's why we climb... ♪♪ ...pedal... ♪♪ ...and journey beyond the beaten path on storied rivers with a goal of making sure that every mile traveled turns into another memory.

You can find out more at amawaterways.com.

-To travel is to live, and at AAA, we've been passionate about travel for over 100 years.

That's why we created AAA Vacations -- member travel experiences around the world.

Learn more at aaa.com/livetv.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪