Arrive late on
Sunday night and check into my pet-friendly Inner-Harbor hotel. Staff was awful for the entire stay. Not really a slight on the city. I'll save my commentary on details of the hotel b/c my wife works for a competitor.
Really excited at this point b/c I'm finally here and the truck w/ my stuff is coming on Wednesday.
Monday: A much needed rest after the packing, and loading from the previous week. I did very little but walk the inner harbor and sleep. Drove through downtown to my house in Canton to pick up keys and do a walkthrough. Drove/walked around Canton. Really nice neighborhood. Parking is a real mess though.
Traffic was about the same as any other big city but the construction in places was just stupid. Surprised to see so few ways and alternate routes in and out of downtown. The walking was nice, and that night I saw my first city-bunnies (giant rats). Got a fish sandwich across from my hotel, and was really surprised at the quality of service and the sandwich.
Late on Monday I find out my stuff isn't coming until Friday.
Tuesday: Worked remote most of the day. Shipped some stuff. Walked inner-harbor and downtown a lot. Daytime there is really nice. Lots of nice people walking to the game. That was great to see, and reminded me a lot of the time I spent near stadiums in other cities. In Dallas you have to drive everywhere, and the city doesn't get that gameday buzz.
Wednesday: Wake up early, hotel is a total pain in the *** to get checked out. Finally get my first day in the house. Need a place to keep the cats until stuff shows up so I take them to the new house. Cats head right for a hidey-hole in the basement behind the furnace. Finally drag them out, and decide the basement is not for cats until I can secure it... more to come on this.
Meet all my neighbors. This is something else I'm totally not used to. Baltimore people hang out in front of their houses. To me, this is totally odd. But, everyone was super friendly, eager to talk and offer help. A neighbor popped out w/ a package that had been left for me (my DSL modem) and let me know all about her. Fantastic experience. Really fits w/ what I've experienced so far. Baltimoreans love to talk, and love to get to know the people around them. Go to Locust Point Wal-Mart for cleaning supplies. Wow, that was an adventure. What a crowd.
First night out in the city. Ate at Sullivan's. It's just like everywhere else, right down to the art on the walls. Quality meal and service. Should have picked something local.
Thursday... The day from hell.
Show up at the house to do some cleaning. Find mouse crap under the sink. Thank goodness it's empty. Set some traps, and get a hit. No more mouse. Closed up the gap that was letting the bugger in. Haven't seen/heard anymore since. Hear the cats whining. They've managed their way into the basement again despite me securing the door. Dear lord, they're stuck behind a concrete wall in a 5 foot deep pit separating us from the neighbors. It's all bricked over but a 4 inch gap at the top between the wall and the subflooring for the ground floor. After 12 hours of trying to rig something to get them out it's time to call for help. Got the worst run-around ever from 311, 911, direct calls to the fire department, animal control... everyone I talked to. "That's not my job, and I don't care about some stupid cat" was the direct quote from the first call to animal control. Totally disorganized and sad. The city phone numbers, and web sites are worthless. 30 hours later I coax the cats up a ramp I had managed to build from a trip to Home Depot. Finally get a call from Animal Control "We'll be there in an hour"...Got a call from their supervisor >yesterday< asking us when he could send a crew out. An hour turned into almost 6 days.
Take the wife to O'donnell street after picking her up from work. Cats still in wall. Note to self... avoid President's Circle at all costs. Who the hell designed this? Got home.. no parking anywhere. Finally find someone leaving and snag their spot. My truck fit with about an inch on either side. Probably pissed off someone bad when they had to get out. Turn in the mirrors so they don't get snapped off, and empty the vehicle so it doesn't get jacked.
She had no idea we were so close to the square. Got great food, great drinks and a great time. Came home to cats eating wet food at the top of the ramp I built. Night saved. Cats get rehydrated, etc.
Friday: The movers show up. Couches won't fit. Take the doors off. Couches won't fit... not through a window, not through a door. Take the sliding door off, and thank you FSM, they fit in the house. Now the stairs. Despite careful pre-measuring, they don't fit. I'm an inch off and it's just not happening. Finally wedge one upstairs. Now I have a couch in my living room half of one in the dining room, and half upstairs in the den. Not the end of the world. Get drunk off my *** sitting on the roof and looking at the water.
Saturday: Life is good, I have my stuff, I drive my wife's car. What the hell is that noise? It's terrible. Take it to Firestone on York expecting to replace bearings in the hubs. Nope, she's let the brakes go so bad since she's been here w/o me that I now I have to put on new rotors. So much for unpacking. Nothing but good things to say about Firestone. The drive was exciting too. The numbered streets through Greenmount really show you some Baltimore
Got some Kung Pao chicken from a take out place while waiting for the car. Disgusting.
Saturday night I go to Claddagh's to watch my Longhorns. This place is great, but shots in plastic dixie cups? Seemed odd considering the Stella came in real Stella glasses, with a perfect pour. Whatever though. It put the whiskey in my stomach. Great food, and great crowd. Polite drunks shouting at the top of their lungs. My kind of place. Head to Cosmopolitan, and it's a little laid back for my mood. I'll be back there on a weekday. We decide to go home and sleep.
Sunday: We tour East of home. The drive down Eastern through Greektown is nice. We needed some storage stuff, so it was Sears, IKEA and Bed Bath and Beyond. More unpacking, and life is good. Getting ready to head back out of town on a contract. Suitcase is MIA. Seems to have not made it on the truck. Joy. Try to find a car service, and there's a surprising lack of sedan/towncar service. Guess I'm cabbing it.
Ravens fans are an inspiration. Never seen such rabid fans. I can hear them from my house and they are several blocks away. More into the game than any other city, including Philly. Ravens fans are awesome, and I'm on the verge of converting
Monday morning.. cab service doesn't show. Manage to actually flag one down from a rival co. Don't know why they were out at 5 AM, but they were great. Got their card, and he'll be my regular driver. BWI on Monday is great. Not a complaint here. Decent enough staff for a major airport on a commuter morning.
Overall thoughts:
If you've never lived in a city, Baltimore could be scary. People dart across the street, hang out in packs, and look generally menacing. It's a hard, East Coast city. The homeless isn't as bad as I thought, and the bums aren't either. To me, cities like Vancouver are way, way worse. They shoot up right on the street there. The beggars aren't nearly as aggressive as they are in Dallas. Some dude threw a rock at my car driving down Greenmount and ran when he noticed I saw it was him.
The city really is charming. I hate to use the cliches but it's like Austin's crabby grandfather. Lots of partying Ravens fans shouting as loud as they can and high-fiving the strangers next to them. People say excuse me, allow ladies to go first, hold doors, and say thank-you. I'm very impressed with everyone I met in Baltimore save my hotel staff, and the rock throwing coward
City staff was crap, but they are city workers. I had low expectations. The drinkers and mixers are in squares where there's nice sidewalks, and places to sit. Grass and trees are great to see. Don't get a lot of that in my old neighborhood besides the park. Baltimore parks make Dallas parks look bad. I didn't know trees could be so pretty. Can't wait for the color change. I've got my camera ready.
Very, very walkable city if you don't do something stupid and be out later alone than you should. If you're walking alone, along a bar strip, after close in any city, you're asking for trouble.
I did notice that there's a lack of 30-somethings. Seems you're going to school, or lived there your whole life. Not a lot of professionals seem to be living in the city. Guess that's what Towson and Catonsville are for.
Streets and traffic aren't bad if you don't set yourself on a route. Know you have to dart directionally to avoid traffic. "I know I need to get NW, that street's open, let's try it." If you're printing google maps at home, and trying to read and drive, you're going to get in a wreck. Also, people in Baltimore, for the love of FSM, "No Red Turn 7am to 7pm school days" means you can turn all the other hours and days. One more thing drivers, if you let the bus out of its stop, it won't block the intersection or both lanes when it's time to pull away. That 3 seconds of your time will save everyone behind you two light cycles. Quit cutting them off.
Probably TL/DR for most, but I needed to vent.
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My first week in Baltimore as a resident (long and rambling)
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