Baltimore is a city that never ceases to surprise — whether you live here your whole life or visit for a day — and it's a strikingly beautiful place from the soaring dome of City Hall to the panoramas of the Inner Harbor at twilight. It's a city full of history and culture, quirky and idiosyncratic with its own one-of-a-kind personality. It's a city of innovation — the birthplace of the national anthem, the railroad, and Babe Ruth — and it celebrates those achievements with monuments and museums that bring the city's story to life. The talented Alan Gilbert takes us on a photographic tour of his hometown, from the Washington Monument and Fort McHenry to museums celebrating the city's immigrants, industry, and maritime past to neighborhoods like Bolton Hill and Hampden with its very own "Bawlmer" flair. Baltimore does indeed surprise, as visitors remark who come here knowing only the Orioles, the Ravens, and "The Wire." It's an all-American city, a creative, sometimes eccentric place, and a marvelous place to visit or call home.