Best Ways to get to and from Bars in Baltimore

If your group of friends is anything like mine the biggest question involved in any night out is always "How are we getting there?" Figuring out rides to the bar and back tends to be pretty stressful and is often the worst part of the night, especially if you live a good distance outside of the city. Even worse than spending two hours trying to pick out an outfit because you don't have *anything* to wear. Dealing with the travel aspect is never gonna be fun, but it doesn't have to ruin the night either. Here are some tips that my friends and I have come across from all of our experience going out:

1. Use a Designated Driver.

This is the most obvious solution, but it's usually pretty hard to find a friend willing to DD (driving and parking in Baltimore is not fun at all. Maybe consider rotating who DDs each time you go out, or just offer to pay the parking fee for whoever drives. Most importantly, if someone is nice enough to offer to DD make sure you THANK them!


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2. Check Uber AND Lyft.

Prices on Uber and Lyft vary depending on how many other people near you are requesting rides, how many drivers are nearby and available, and what time of the day it is. This means that there can be a HUGE difference in prices on both apps. Always check both and pick the cheapest one!

3. Avoid the surge at the end of the night.

Uber/Lyft prices always skyrocket between 1 and 2 AM, because all of the bars close and everyone is trying to order rides home. If you can, either leave before the bars close or wait around 30 minutes after. A lot of the time my friends and I will walk somewhere close to get food (&pizza and Grilled Cheese Company are our favorites in Fed Hill), and by the time we are done eating the price for an Uber or Lyft has gone way down.

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4. Use public transportation when possible.

If you're heading to the bars in Baltimore from somewhere kind of far away, consider taking the metro or lightrail. It can get you most of the way to where you're going for pretty cheap. You can either walk the rest of the way if it isn't too far, or Uber from whatever stop you get off at. Coming from Stevenson, my friends and I often take the metro when going to Powerplant, since there's a stop right near campus and a stop basically right next to Powerplant!

5. Take advantage of the "split" feature on Uber and Lyft.

Both Uber and Lyft allow you to "split" the ride with other users of the app. You just add whoever you're riding with by phone number, and the app will automatically divide your ride fare evenly between you all! Super easy, you don't have to figure out how much everyone owes, and then no one gets stuck paying for the whole ride and not getting paid back.

There are a lot of other things to consider when figuring out how to get to and from the bars and a lot of other ways to save money, but these tips are a good place to start. They've definitely helped me save some cash on rides, which means more money for drinks at the bar!