When did Baltimore become so chic?

[Yeadon718]

Originally Posted by tcave360

Weirder than LA, New York, Portland, San Francisco, Oakland, New Orleans, Santa Cruz, Austin, Savannah, etc.? It's weirder than Philly or DC I'll give it that, but it's got some competition from the aforementioned cities on that factor.

I'll agree that those cities give Baltimore a run for it's money but Baltimore is just flatout different. It's very urban and gritty but country at the same time. I don't think any other city is like that and that accent.... wow.

[Infinite_heights77]

"It's very urban and gritty but country at the same time. "

"Baltimore is a ghetto over a country town" - Carl Rhodes

Originally Posted by nonsence

I'll agree that those cities give Baltimore a run for it's money but Baltimore is just flatout different. It's very urban and gritty but country at the same time. I don't think any other city is like that and that accent.... wow.

[Infinite_heights77]

When people say Baltimore is weird! What do they mean by this?

[Infinite_heights77]

Trending up in popularity due to The Wire?

Originally Posted by Mvmdmd

I'm not sure chic is the word I would use, but it's definitely trending up in popularity lately

[tcave360]

Originally Posted by nonsence

I'll agree that those cities give Baltimore a run for it's money but Baltimore is just flatout different. It's very urban and gritty but country at the same time. I don't think any other city is like that and that accent.... wow.

Definitely agree with you on that no doubt.

[ktaadin]

I don't agree w people who call DC sterile or boring, and I don't even particularly like DC (personally). First of all, there are many different parts of the city that do not have that glorified shopping-mall character of parts of Georgetown and NW. There actually are multiple strong local communities and have been for years, it's just that transplants may not be aware of or exposed to them. Secondly, DC's status as the political meeting place for the nation is unique. There is no other city even close. It has countless people from literally all over the nation and world working there with a vast array of groups, agencies, etc etc. To call that 'boring' shows a lack of curiosity more than anything else IMO.

Regarding Baltimore and its weirdness/uniqueness. I think that this aspect of the city is often exaggerated. I mean of course every city has local icons etc as does Baltimore. The arguments touted for weirdness though: hipsters, funny accent, fixation on a particular crustacean are kinda thin IMO. John Waters and his work is certainly weird I'll grant you, but come on, LA and NY have also produced plenty of weird-as-hell movie makers too. I think of Baltimore, fundamentally, as more in line w cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, possibly Cincinnatti, Charleston WV, maybe Philly (although I think Philly is a stretch). Definitely urban, but with shared economy and history involving steel, blue-collar work, shipping & transit of goods, recently reinvented to a more Eds & Meds type economy, heavy focus on sports in social events, comfort food more than international/ethnic foods etc. It's just honestly not that different from these others (which also have plenty of hipsters and, in some cases, crime). There's really nothing 'chic' about any of this stuff-the presence of a couple pockets of white yuppies does not a 'chic' city make.

Truly weird/unique places in USA (IMO, and understood as dramatically different from any other parts of the country):

-New Orleans, LA
-Las Vegas, NV
-any cities/towns in Hawaii or Alaska
-SF Bay area
-Salt Lake City
-NYC
-Miami/south Florida
-Boston up through New England coast (esp rural Maine)
-Washington DC

Places like Boulder, Austin, Portland are lovely cities, but fall too closely into the hipster mold, as opposed to a definite historic local culture, to really quality as "unique" in the way that these above do. I don't necessarily intend to start a debate about this because such a list is so inherently subjective, but it's at least another perspective on what constitutes a "unique" city.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by ktaadin

Regarding Baltimore and its weirdness/uniqueness. I think that this aspect of the city is often exaggerated. I mean of course every city has local icons etc as does Baltimore. The arguments touted for weirdness though: hipsters, funny accent, fixation on a particular crustacean are kinda thin IMO. John Waters and his work is certainly weird I'll grant you, but come on, LA and NY have also produced plenty of weird-as-hell movie makers too. I think of Baltimore, fundamentally, as more in line w cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, possibly Cincinnatti, Charleston WV, maybe Philly (although I think Philly is a stretch). Definitely urban, but with shared economy and history involving steel, blue-collar work, shipping & transit of goods, recently reinvented to a more Eds & Meds type economy, heavy focus on sports in social events, comfort food more than international/ethnic foods etc. It's just honestly not that different from these others (which also have plenty of hipsters and, in some cases, crime). There's really nothing 'chic' about any of this stuff-the presence of a couple pockets of white yuppies does not a 'chic' city make.

I'm also having a hard time identifying that 'quirky Baltimore'. I understand 'Hon culture' is the highlight of the quirkiness, along with John Waters. I don't find either of that quirky. It just seems like anything else produced in Hollywood at that time.

I do find it more quirky that those are the two things that defines Baltimore as quirky though.

[tcave360]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

I'm also having a hard time identifying that 'quirky Baltimore'. I understand 'Hon culture' is the highlight of the quirkiness, along with John Waters. I don't find either of that quirky. It just seems like anything else produced in Hollywood at that time.

I do find it more quirky that those are the two things that defines Baltimore as quirky though.

Could be the random weirdness. New York is practically known for it and I've definitely encountered it in DC as well, but Baltimore seems to do a pretty good job in projecting random weirdness East Coast-style.

[tcave360]

Originally Posted by ktaadin

I don't agree w people who call DC sterile or boring, and I don't even particularly like DC (personally). First of all, there are many different parts of the city that do not have that glorified shopping-mall character of parts of Georgetown and NW. There actually are multiple strong local communities and have been for years, it's just that transplants may not be aware of or exposed to them. Secondly, DC's status as the political meeting place for the nation is unique. There is no other city even close. It has countless people from literally all over the nation and world working there with a vast array of groups, agencies, etc etc. To call that 'boring' shows a lack of curiosity more than anything else IMO.

Regarding Baltimore and its weirdness/uniqueness. I think that this aspect of the city is often exaggerated. I mean of course every city has local icons etc as does Baltimore. The arguments touted for weirdness though: hipsters, funny accent, fixation on a particular crustacean are kinda thin IMO. John Waters and his work is certainly weird I'll grant you, but come on, LA and NY have also produced plenty of weird-as-hell movie makers too. I think of Baltimore, fundamentally, as more in line w cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, possibly Cincinnatti, Charleston WV, maybe Philly (although I think Philly is a stretch). Definitely urban, but with shared economy and history involving steel, blue-collar work, shipping & transit of goods, recently reinvented to a more Eds & Meds type economy, heavy focus on sports in social events, comfort food more than international/ethnic foods etc. It's just honestly not that different from these others (which also have plenty of hipsters and, in some cases, crime). There's really nothing 'chic' about any of this stuff-the presence of a couple pockets of white yuppies does not a 'chic' city make.

Truly weird/unique places in USA (IMO, and understood as dramatically different from any other parts of the country):

-New Orleans, LA
-Las Vegas, NV
-any cities/towns in Hawaii or Alaska
-SF Bay area
-Salt Lake City
-NYC
-Miami/south Florida
-Boston up through New England coast (esp rural Maine)
-Washington DC

Places like Boulder, Austin, Portland are lovely cities, but fall too closely into the hipster mold, as opposed to a definite historic local culture, to really quality as "unique" in the way that these above do. I don't necessarily intend to start a debate about this because such a list is so inherently subjective, but it's at least another perspective on what constitutes a "unique" city.

Agreed. But I wouldn't call all of Midcity and Uptown DC (NW) to be of a shopping mall character. The U Street, LeDroit Park, Truxton Circle, Shaw, Columbia Heights (even with DC USA which looks nice btw), Park View, Petworth, Logan Circle, Takoma, 16th Street Heights, Woodley Park, etc., etc. But I do see your point nonetheless. Parts of G-Town, Dupont Circle, and Friendship Heights do seem kinda shopping mall-esque in a way.

As for that Florida pick, how about ALL of Florida? Lol