Baltimore Summer 2010 - Loyola Campus (home, dorm, neighborhoods)

[cacw12]

Hi! I'm moving to Baltimore in a few days for a six week internship. I'm being housed at Loyola Campus and my place of work is near the Gilman School. Obviously I've heard the tall tales about Baltimore but I live in the 'burbs of Philadelphia/am frequently in the city, including the "bad" parts around North Philly.

I was just wondering a few things:

-Is the area around Loyola Campus safe? I'll be staying along Notre Dame Lane.
-I anticipate taking public transportation, ie buses to the my job, so is this a safe option as well? Do all kinds of people take public transport through the city?
- I just turned 21 and I'd love to experience Baltimore nightlife. Is Loyola Campus near young, "hip", exciting places.
-What's the concert scene like? I'd love to go to as many shows as I can.

A few things. I'm a smart, African-American girl, never drink myself silly especially if I know I have to go home alone, good with public transportation, and I keep my head down.

I realize these a very "newbie" questions but I'm just trying to get a handle on things before I make the drive down there. I'm actually really excited to experience Baltimore! Yes, I know there's heavy crime, but it all seems drug-related and I'll have already brought down a few grams of my leafy drug of choice so I don't anticipate buying **** from shady people while I'm there.

Any help is appreciated! Thank you!

[Tallybalt]

The area around the Loyola campus and between Loyola and Gilman is the Baltimore equivalent of Chestnut Hill and the Mainline.

you will be fine.

Regular buses go down Charles Street from Loyola to downtown and there is some type of Collegetown connector bus, but it may not be in operation during the summer months. Find out from your dorm manager at Loyola.

Only a few bars exist around Loyola. The closest is probably Alonzos on Cold Spring Lane about a quarter mile from main campus. Most people will head downtown to Fell's Point or Federal Hill to drink. These are waterfront neighborhoods with a similar feel to Queens Village, Society Hill or the other areas of Center City near Penn's Landing.

Originally Posted by cacw12

Hi! I'm moving to Baltimore in a few days for a six week internship. I'm being housed at Loyola Campus and my place of work is near the Gilman School. Obviously I've heard the tall tales about Baltimore but I live in the 'burbs of Philadelphia/am frequently in the city, including the "bad" parts around North Philly.

I was just wondering a few things:

-Is the area around Loyola Campus safe? I'll be staying along Notre Dame Lane.
-I anticipate taking public transportation, ie buses to the my job, so is this a safe option as well? Do all kinds of people take public transport through the city?
- I just turned 21 and I'd love to experience Baltimore nightlife. Is Loyola Campus near young, "hip", exciting places.
-What's the concert scene like? I'd love to go to as many shows as I can.

A few things. I'm a smart, African-American girl, never drink myself silly especially if I know I have to go home alone, good with public transportation, and I keep my head down.

I realize these a very "newbie" questions but I'm just trying to get a handle on things before I make the drive down there. I'm actually really excited to experience Baltimore! Yes, I know there's heavy crime, but it all seems drug-related and I'll have already brought down a few grams of my leafy drug of choice so I don't anticipate buying **** from shady people while I'm there.

Any help is appreciated! Thank you!

[mass_biker]

If you're housed at the Loyola Campuses you're pretty close to three very lovely neighborhoods - Roland Park, Homeland, and Guilford. Don't know about public transportation, but if you were to walk to Gilman School from Loyola, it's about 1.5+ miles, but a very nice (albeit hilly) walk. Between your accomodations and Gilman, there's a lot of neat stuff, including the Stoney Run, which is a trail that runs along the gully at the bottom of Wyndhurst Road. In terms of bars etc., there are some watering holes further up Coldspring heading towards Roland Ave (Alonsos?). I would also encourage you to check out Belvedere Square. There's a great little restaurant/bar there called "Crush" and a wine bar across the street in the Belvedere Market called "Grand Cru" - both are lively and good places for a drink. And the stroll through Homeland from Loyola to get to Belvedere Square is just lovely.

[rudy_d]

That's one of the nicest areas in Baltimore. York Road, several blocks east of Loyola, gets a little dicier, but I wouldn't call it bad -- certainly no worse than N. Philly. To get to Gilman, you could take the #11 bus, which is probably one of the most diverse bus lines in the city but unfortunately only runs about every 1/2 hour. Biking or walking would be an option -- it's not that far away.

The neighborhood around Loyola is pretty upscale and residential. If you want exciting nightlife, taking a cab to downtown, Fells Point, Mt. Vernon, or Federal Hill are going to be your best options. There are several bars that are Loyola hangouts on York Road near Northern Parkway as well as the previously mentioned Alonso's on Cold Spring, but I don't know what kind of crowd they'd attract in the summer.

For music, check out Ram's Head Live, Sonar, 8x10, and the Ottobar.