New Grad Student With Questions (Baltimore, Ellicott City: apartments, crime rates, credit)

[kulit494]

Hello Everyone,

I will be starting at UMB next month and am making my transition to Baltimore. I have many things on my agenda to get settled but ran into some questions.

- What is the best cell phone carrier in Baltimore? I have read some negative reviews on T-mobile, my current provider.

- What is the popular/most reliable bank in the area? I am needing a place with convenient ATMs and branch locations.

I think those are all that I can remember right now. Thank you for any help you guys can provide!

[chippeebobippee]

Hi There and welcome to Baltimore! I don't have a cell phone and have heard bad things about all of the carriers (part of why I don't have one), but hear a lot of good about Verizon. I'd say to check out all of the pans carefully and find what works best for you.

As far as banks are concerned, Bank of America has the most ATMs of any bank I've seen/used here in Baltimore. Go for the free checking with direct deposit account if you can. M&T has some good plans from the advertsing they sent to me but I do not regularly see ATM's for them or Provident Bank, for that matter. If you can get into a credit union, that could save you over the long haul but is also difficult to find ATMs. Hope this info helps you a little.

[Local Expert]

I like AT&T/Cingular. Pretty much goes everywhere. Bank of America is as good as any.

[sobo16]

Verizon is the way to go for cell phone service. M&T has a lot of ATMs, especially around downtown; I'd look into going with them. PNC is also expanding.

Good luck!

[fittoac]

i say verizon and bank of america are the best bets. but of course i'm biased, because i use both.

[Shadozer]

i have verizon which worked very well for me in west baltimore co. however on the east side it doesnt work at all!

[Tom Lennox 70]

Hey y'all, let me also join this thread since I'll also be starting grad school at UMB. I've posted on this forum before under a different name and I admit I did not sound too enthusiatic about Baltimore or this part of the country...lets put that behind us....now that I'm starting school I also have some questions, cocnerns. Kulit actually asked 2 of my questions for me...and actually I already changed to Bank of America b/c it simply has more locations nationwide. My old bank, Chevy Chase, a small bank in the DC area has no locations elsewhere in the country.

I'll be living in on-campus housing at Fayette Square, located on the campus, near the Veterans Hospital and a few blocks west of Lexington Market. The rents supposed to be comparable to that of apartments located elsewhere in the area. They offer a parking garage with constant security also.

- Where is the nearest supermarket near the UMB campus that is located in a SAFE location? Keep in mind that where I come from, Prince George's County, Wheaton and even parts of Gaithersburg are considered "ghetto". I have friends from Frederick who say downtown Frederick is "ghetto". Yes, I know its a big adjustment, but how close is the nearest supermarket to the UMB campus that I, a 23 year old Asian American male who looks younger than my age (MANY ppl say I look like a college freshman or even a high school senior), can feel safe in? Would someone like me be targeted for crime or harassment? Especially in the city? I'm originally from Montgomery County, Potomac to be exact (no I'm not one of those yuppie snotty stuck up types), and before that from Louisiana.

- How safe is the immediate area in general? I've heard the Metro should only be taken in groups of 4 or more. I've taken it alone once and felt scared...like one the worst part of the Washington, D.C. metro. Were my feelings unfounded? Is it true the area around Lexington Market is unsafe? How is the safety in that area, and the Inner Harbor, compared to College Park and Greenbelt in PGC as a barometer? Compared to Wheaton? The stats say Bmore is the most dangerous city except Detroit, is this widely scattered throghout or just isolated to a few bad pockets or districts? Washington also has a crime-ridden reputation but the crime and gangs are all in the eastern half of town. (and gentrifcation is pushing this into PG County more and more).

- I love seafood and look forward to all the restaurants! I've been to Philips in DC and it was amazing with their buffet, though expensive. Is Philips truly the best place to get crabs in Baltimore? I've heard about Fiendlys and Rusty Rudder, are those places overrated by tourist magazines or are they worth the hype? In Montgomery COunty the best seafood is Red Lobster and I'm pretty sure in this regard Baltimore would be a pretty awesome change. Not that Red Lobster is bad at all but.....

- Despite the above, one can only eat seafood so much. Does Baltimore City itself have a large selection of restaurants or do I need to go into the suburbs to like Ellicott City or Towson? I only know Outback has a location in Canton (I am working for them now and will def. miss the employee discounts ) I'm wodnering about comforting, familiar chains as well as places that unfortunately can't be found in Montgomery County...

....does downtown Baltimore or nearby suburbs have Applebees, Carrabas, Olive Garden, Popeyes, Bojangles, Waffle House, Cracker Barrel, Sonic, Macaroni Grill, Bennigans, Houston's, TGI Fridays, Cheeburger Cheeburger, IHOP or On the Border? Is it easy to find good Chinese, Mexican, and Italian food in the city?

- How many country music stations does Baltimore have? I know there's WPOG. Are there any others? Any devoted to specific formats like New Country vs. traditional, etc? Is Bmore the kind of city where the pop/mix stations also play a lot of country, esp crossover country?

- Is Baltimore more of a Northeast city or does it like some ppl say more Southern than DC? Ever seen a Confederate flag in the region?
Are people more laid back, is the pace of life slower? Is Baltimore more the "real America" as opposed to the DC area? Do natives consider themselves Yankees or Southerners?

My next 4 years...I will also be deciding whether to stay in Maryland (if I do it will be outside of yuppie, snotty overpriced, downhill going MoCo, probably in the Bmore area, Frederick, or Southern MD) or if I'm going to move somewhere South, West or maybe even Midwest.

[jonjj]

Tom
1. There is a SuperFresh grocery store right on Charles at Saratoga near you. Also, Lexington Market is by you. Both are in fine locations.
2. If you look at the "stats" you will notice that Baltimore's homicide rate has gone down considerably this year. Use common sense and you will be fine. Also, there are quite a few cities that have higher crime rates than Baltimore so I am not quite sure where you are getting your information.
3. For good seafood or crabs in particular, I believe the Sun just published an article on the best places around town. Check that for information. Obrickys in Upper Fells Point is fine for crabs.
4. All of those chain restaurants can be found in the area. And... Baltimore has tons of restaurants downtown and in the surrounding neighborhoods for you to choose from. Try Little Italy for Italian and around Broadway and southeast Baltimore for Mexican. Chinese is all over.
5. I am not familiar with radio. When driving, which I rarely do, I listen to NPR on the radio.
6. The issue of Baltimore's leaning toward the north or south has been done to death on here. Read the other threads for that. I personally feel it is more of a northeastern city but others I am sure disagree. I don't generalize so I am not sure if Baltimore is "real America" or not. I am not sure what that term even means. And the terms Yankee and Southerner are a bit archaic in this day and age. All cities have a similar feel to them. I personally would love to live a slower pace but unfortunately that doesn't occur for me.
7. I use the Metro and have never felt unsafe on it. There is another thread on that very topic. Read that to further investigate how people feel about it.

Hope that answers some of your questions.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Jonji thanks for the info. About the crime rates it was on a special feature with MSN that mentioned the most dangerous cities in the U.S. Baltimore was second , Detroit was first and other high up places were obvious locales like Philly but also some surprising places like some cities in the South.

[jonjj]

Some cities, Detroit being one, do not report their statistics on a daily or monthly basis. I have heard through the rumer mill that their rates have also gone down. St Louis, Memphis, Birmingham, New Orleans are a few cities that are all suffering from very high rates. I am not sure where Baltimore fits in but it is lower than those.