My first week in Baltimore as a resident (long and rambling)

[are you kidinme?]

Originally Posted by KennyP

Hey all

Muggings and break-ins still worry me. I'm getting a security system upgrade, and stronger pepper spray for our walks. We just cab it home if we're feeling too drunk to keep our wits. By my bed and in a few hidden places are the kind of protection every home should have.

Oh the minor incoveniences of life in Bmore.

[barante]

Here's hoping that you grow comfortable enough about Baltimore to live without your arsenal. I myself like AK-47s, but don't have one because I don't want siege mentality to rule my behavior.

[KennyP]

Originally Posted by barante

Here's hoping that you grow comfortable enough about Baltimore to live without your arsenal. I myself like AK-47s, but don't have one because I don't want siege mentality to rule my behavior.

/heston

... cold, dead hand, etc.

I'd retain the ability to defend my home if lived 200 miles from the nearest person in Montana.

[jay_cue]

Welcome to the neighborhood! I just moved to Canton a couple months ago myself. The Ravens fans thing completely surprised me. My wife and I were unpacking from a trip and kept hearing shouts and yells from all directions. I turned on the TV and realized it was the fans cheering every play - Then they cheered even louder when the Bengals beat the Steelers! I'm going to have to hit up a bar on game day now.

Great move-in story.

[kippocean]

Kenny P
Thanks so much for your take as a new resident. The poeple can make the world of difference. I have an interview there next week and it helps to hear about the people and area. I am in my late 30s, single and will be looking for a nice apt hopefully with some trees and such any thoughts on the areas or apts I should look at. I am also going to try and start a new thread with this ?

[KennyP]

Next Monday will be my 3rd month in Bmore as a resident. I still travel for work a lot, so weekdays are all over the map.

I've got another thread that shows I'm getting a bit bored, but we're changing our lifestyle to fit our new city.

Finally got out for a jog in the park. Great run, and what beautiful trees. Can't wait to get more pics in the Spring when everything starts blooming.

Seems jogging with your dog is really big here. I don't have a dog, so I'm jogging alone. Hopefully I can make some friends out my routes and have some running partners.

Exploring more neighborhoods. I have to say that Fells/Canton/Federal Hill all kind of merge into a mass of the same. There seems to be very little diversity among those neighborhoods. Moving on to Mt. Vernon next. After that, I don't know. Going to have to actually drive somewhere I guess.

Got into Towson just briefly, and that was to run errands. I was pretty impressed with what I saw, so we'll probably plan more chores in that neck of the woods. Been doing most of that in WhiteMarsh.

[tcave360]

Originally Posted by KennyP

Hey all

Thanks for the kind words and tips. Baltimore continues to be great.
Saturday was all chores until it was time for it to not be chores. We just do not have enough closet space, so we've been improvising. I went to Ikea again, and built one of those monstrosities of closet systems. Now we're good, but had to give up a wall. Still better than having our stuff on 3 floors of house, and my nice coats sharing a closet w/ cat boxes.

Saturday night was live music at Cat's Eye. Nice place with an older crowd. Lots of talkers that gave us the lowdown on the history


Took in the Fell's Point Festival. Went on Sunday hoping the Ravens' game would pull some of the crowd off the street. It was awesome.

Texans brag about our State Fair and the food, and I'll be the first to admit that a deep fried Twinkie has absolutely nothing on the food at the festival.

It was incredible! Crab Cakes the size of a small child, strips of deep fried bacon as thick as my wrist, and whatever those corn patties w/ mozzarella are. Man, oh man those were serious business. I loved seeing big pieces of cooked animal on the bone, and folks drinking lemonade. Another observation on Baltimore: I think the name is a derivative of "Bras are optional". Loved it, but got smacked by the wife a couple times for staring. Totally worth it.

Caught some Ravens and drank grapefruit crushes until it was time for my Cowboys to let me down. Did not enjoy seeing both my hometown teams lose close ones, but wasn't going to let it ruin my day.

This weekend is going to be Karaoke where we can find it, a trip to Mt. Vernon on Saturday Night, a little Comic Con cruising, and we'll see if my tickets for the Ravens come through. I'm super jazzed about that. I like defensive football, and Ray Lewis always delivers.

Concerning the negative:

When I first visited Baltimore, all I could see were the boarded up buildings, the roves of gang members walking the bad streets, the unemployed, the underemployed, and the homeless. If you're not from the city, it's going to freak you out. Some of the 'gang members' I saw ended up being regular school kids in uniforms. They were walking in packs b/c they were walking home, or to the bus. Now they say, "Hi!" when they walk past. Many of the boarded up homes ended being renovated on the inside by some really cool guys, and they let me use their dumpsters.

If you've lived in South Chicago, Brooklyn, Dallas, Houston, St. Louis, Detroit...it's the same. The details vary, but it's the same. If I didn't get to know my neighbors, I'd consider them semi-toothed homebodies, and miscreants. They aren't. They're awesome locals with their own customs. Just b/c they don't act like Dallasites, and put on their best clothes everyday doesn't mean they aren't good people.

Muggings and break-ins still worry me. I'm getting a security system upgrade, and stronger pepper spray for our walks. We just cab it home if we're feeling too drunk to keep our wits. By my bed and in a few hidden places are the kind of protection every home should have.

LOL Classic, simply classic. Hope everything is still good up there in Bmore for you two OP

[dcsfanatic]

Originally Posted by Augie

I put all the stuff out on my pickup truck overnight and presto! All gone in the morning.

How many places would that not happen?

[BaltItaly]

Originally Posted by dcsfanatic

How many places would that not happen?

Nothing like reviving a 5 year old post for current information!

In answer to your question: Basically any city in the world.