The Harbor these days is just empty compared to the '90s, which certainly makes it feel sketchier. As I said, I don't think it's that dangerous, but I wouldn't say it's a nice place to be, especially at night (side note: "The Block" is dangerous at night), and when friends visit I take them to different neighborhoods for dinner / drinks.
Just adding the link here because I lived in Baltimore and think it's irresponsible that so many Baltimore residents try to hand-wave away how dystopian Baltimore really is. It absolutely is a dangerous place and visitors should be extremely careful if they visit the city. It was already at over 150 murders in less than half a year this past June.
> The violence has not let up with almost 160 murders in the city so far this year.
https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/howard-county-teen-ar...
The last time I visited the aquarium was in the 1980s with my dad. I had very fond memories of both the aquarium and riding those small white electric boat things in the harbor. I didn't feel unsafe at all, but then again I was an elementary school kid so what would I have known back then?
Then again, back then I distinctly felt unsafe going into Manhattan in NYC, and recall my dad commuted into the city with a steel baton and pepper spray in his briefcase for self defense.