Honey pig has hot pot in their name, but again I haven't been in probably 5+ years. Admittedly, I've only been to Jong Kak for their tabletop bbq but they have hot pot on their menu.

I would add south Remington/Old Goucher neighborhoods as well, especially with their proximity to Station North/Mid-town and slightly cheaper rents. Lots of artist spaces/co-ops also opening up around there.

Honey Pig in Ellicott City used to always make the list, but I haven't been there in ages not sure how they are more recently.

For somewhere within city limits there's Jong Kak.

Literally everywhere will be a good place to go, especially if they even have a passing resemblance of being an Irish pub. Double that for any sports bar type place since it's also March madness. Triple it because public school teachers have a half day.

Some places will have tents with live bands set up as well into the night if that's the vibe you're going for but they will charge a cover/entrance fee for the privilege. In Canton, El Buffalo and Claddaghs usually has a tent set up. Delia Foley's in Fed Hill/Sobo will as well.

Fells will be crowded as well for all the reasons I mentioned in the first paragraph, especially Slainte and Max's.

With that budget you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a 3bd w/parking, but depending on the neighborhood it will limit you on outdoor space save for the parking pad and maybe a roof deck.

EDIT: Wanted to clarify that I mean no trouble finding a house/rowhome for that budget. Apartments are a whole different beast and usually more expensive given the amenities they provide.

Cockeysville/Timonium is very suburban so yea you'll just be experiencing more suburban life. There are other suburbs that have "city-like" features; Catonsville and Ellicott City come to mind and the commute from there to UMMC will be easier than from up north since you get to avoid 83 and downtown traffic. There's also Mt. Washington that's within city limits but very suburban-like and has a small main street and other small strips with restaurants, bars, shops, and a Whole Foods. Mt. Washington is also easier to access downtown since there's a light rail stop and you could use that for commuting if you wanted to as well.

Otherwise, there are some places in the city that will give you some more outdoor space but it's going to be dependent on your budget. Hampden (anything north of 37th street) has some homes that have decent sized yards. Otterbein is a nice community that's really close to downtown and has a lot of shared outdoor space. Along the same vein with shared outdoor space, anything around Patterson Park might work too. You won't have much "private" outdoor space save for maybe a small patio/offstreet parking pad and maybe a roofdeck though.

Really the appeal of living in the city is being able to walk to so many things if you want so you'd have to figure out if that is something that's really going to stress you out or not. Also I know very few people that live in the city and don't drive to go get their groceries still. If you're lucky enough to live within a few blocks radius of a grocery store it's probably not a big hassle, but otherwise everyone I know that lives in the city (Canton, Fed Hill, Patterson Park, etc.) drives to their grocery store(s) to get groceries. Or there's always the option to get them delivered.

Tile is going to be the closest thing, however it might not be as accurate because it relies on saturation for tracking (meaning that there has to be enough people using the app or with tile devices within a specific distance of the tracker to accurately track it). They just announced a anti-theft mode too https://www.tile.com/blog/how-does-tile-anti-theft-mode-work

Doesn't the solid brick interior party walls that connect the homes act as a firewall?

Along with the other suggestions, upstairs at Rowhouse and Riverside Taphouse (both in Fed Hill/Sobo) will do private party events. Usually there's a minimum spend that you have to meet, but with 20 people eating/drinking that shouldn't be an issue. Otherwise it's just like having your own private bar. Food at both places is great too!

Do they still stay open late? I stopped by there sometime in October for late night food and they were fully closed up, lights off. This was at 1:30am on a Friday/Saturday night too. Pre-pandemic I went there a few times on weekend nights and they were open until like 4am so I was expecting them to be back somewhat to those hours.