Baltimore?
Out of context: Reply #17
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- gramme0
I lived in B'more for 15 years. It has its rough aspects like any other city. But overall I loved it. I lived in Ellicott City, about 25 minutes west of the city. Old Ellicott City is a really cool little neighborhood if you don't mind having a 30ish-minute commute. Plenty of shops, great restaurants, little galleries, etc.
The art scene in B'more isn't great, but there are some interesting enclaves. MICA has helped to raise the bar. They have interesting events on a regular basis. The AIGA chapter there is OK, not the best but there are a lot of members.
Great places to live in the city:
1. Canton. Yuppieville but nice brownstones/condos. Close to Fells Point restaurants and bars.
2. Any part of the central corridor, from Towson in the north down to
the downtown area. There's a stripe of old money and historic neighborhoods that cluster around Charles Street, which runs N–S down to the harbor.
3. Federal Hill (but don't go anywhere near Brooklyn).
4. Locust Point (lots of nice brownstones, area has recently been on the make).Areas of Baltimore you should never, ever visit:
1. Neighborhoods off Cold Spring Lane that are further than a mile west of Loyola College. The badness flows out to Mondawmin and out of the city via Liberty Road. Goes all the way to Randallstown, which has become a ghettofied suburb.
2. Southeast city, north and east of Canton. There's a park in the area, can't remember the name but it's a well-used unofficial cemetery.
3. A small corridor of southwest city, east of Catonsville and west of the historic S. Charles Street neighborhoods. You'll quickly go from stately historic homes and manicured lawns to projects.
4. Brooklyn. It's the most depressing white ghetto you'll ever see. The air is so toxic people have to paint their houses every 12–18 mos.Baltimore is still a fairly segregated city, but it's also a cultural melting pot. Fantastic Indian food (the best is the Ambassador Dining Room near JHU) and a couple choice Irish pubs. My favorite is J. Patrick's in Locust Point. Green door, no sign. Old Irish Jay himself still tends bar well into his 70s, maybe 80s. Never forgets a name. The shillelagh is not just for show.