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I have to admit that after having read so many negative reviews of the city on this site prior to my trip, I was a bit apprehensive about my decision to spend a few days in Baltimore. However, what I found during my stay was a city bursting with charm, life, and seemingly endless possibilities. Now granted, I am coming from the perspective of a short-term visitor who was able to mostly avoid the ugly parts of the city as well as the hassles that accompany day-to-day living in any locale, but purely from a tourism stadpoint, I am now of the opinion that Baltimore is one of the true hidden gems in the U.S.
For the most part, my explorations were limited to the neighborhoods of Harbor East, Inner Harbor, Mount Vernon, Little Italy, Federal Hill, and Fells Point. Every single one of these neighborhoods offered a unique but charming vibe. I come from out West where neighborhoods generally lack any true sense of character or identity--in essence, they all sort of mesh into one another in an endless, faceless sprawl. This was certainly not the case in Baltimore, and I genuinely appreciated the diverse array of communities I found within the city. Every time I moved on from one neighborhood to another I did so with a twinge of regret, knowing that there was so much I still had yet to explore.
As for safety, never once did I feel particularly unsafe in the city, but again, I was experiencing the insulated, disney-fied version (so-to-speak) of Baltimore. That said, if I have any complaints about my visit to the city they are with the people themselves. While in Baltimore:
-I was the victim of a hit and run (in my car).
-I witnessed a man on Charles Street shout profanities at and punch the window of a car occupied by a young family (including two small children in the backseat) before storming off. I don't know what prompted the outburst, but it hardly seemed appropriate regardless.
-I saw a young boy, accompanied by his father, ask a waitress outside a restaurant in Little Italy if the place served pizza. She scoffed, said "no one in Little Italy serves pizza for dinner" and walked away. Not only was her behavior completely rude, especially given that this was a small child who was simply asking an honest question, but I also later saw pizza on the kids menu at another Little Italy establishment.
There were numerous other incidents along these lines that left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, but overall I loved my visit to Baltimore. It is clear that the city still has many issues and problems to overcome, but at least from the perspective of tourism, I found many of the warnings and concerns expressed on this forum to be a bit overblown.
I have to admit that after having read so many negative reviews of the city on this site prior to my trip, I was a bit apprehensive about my decision to spend a few days in Baltimore. However, what I found during my stay was a city bursting with charm, life, and seemingly endless possibilities. Now granted, I am coming from the perspective of a short-term visitor who was able to mostly avoid the ugly parts of the city as well as the hassles that accompany day-to-day living in any locale, but purely from a tourism stadpoint, I am now of the opinion that Baltimore is one of the true hidden gems in the U.S.
For the most part, my explorations were limited to the neighborhoods of Harbor East, Inner Harbor, Mount Vernon, Little Italy, Federal Hill, and Fells Point. Every single one of these neighborhoods offered a unique but charming vibe. I come from out West where neighborhoods generally lack any true sense of character or identity--in essence, they all sort of mesh into one another in an endless, faceless sprawl. This was certainly not the case in Baltimore, and I genuinely appreciated the diverse array of communities I found within the city. Every time I moved on from one neighborhood to another I did so with a twinge of regret, knowing that there was so much I still had yet to explore.
As for safety, never once did I feel particularly unsafe in the city, but again, I was experiencing the insulated, disney-fied version (so-to-speak) of Baltimore. That said, if I have any complaints about my visit to the city they are with the people themselves. While in Baltimore:
-I was the victim of a hit and run (in my car).
-I witnessed a man on Charles Street shout profanities at and punch the window of a car occupied by a young family (including two small children in the backseat) before storming off. I don't know what prompted the outburst, but it hardly seemed appropriate regardless.
-I saw a young boy, accompanied by his father, ask a waitress outside a restaurant in Little Italy if the place served pizza. She scoffed, said "no one in Little Italy serves pizza for dinner" and walked away. Not only was her behavior completely rude, especially given that this was a small child who was simply asking an honest question, but I also later saw pizza on the kids menu at another Little Italy establishment.
There were numerous other incidents along these lines that left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, but overall I loved my visit to Baltimore. It is clear that the city still has many issues and problems to overcome, but at least from the perspective of tourism, I found many of the warnings and concerns expressed on this forum to be a bit overblown.
Just wanted other potential visitors to know that the majority of areas they would likely encounter as tourists are far from the wild ganglands they are sometimes portrayed as. I mostly just came across a lot of history, cool and diverse architecture, and a wide array of things to do at all pricepoints (I especially loved the free collection at the Walters).
I found many of the warnings and concerns expressed on this forum to be a bit overblown.
...Story of this forum...
Anyways, having worked Baltimore the past two summers, I really came on to the city, as a kid I would always visit the inner harbor and attend the occasional Orioles game but I had never really been anywhere but that small area. The last two summer changed that, I too came with the same apprehensiveness but day in and day out I learned to love that city a little more each day. I especially love the Mount Vernon and the Charles st. Corridor up to JHU Homewood, there's something inexplicably authentic and charming about it. No wonder they call it "Charm City"
I just returned from a one-week visit to Baltimore and never once went to the harbor area. I find that area much too touristy.
I did get off the light rail at Howard and Lexington and walked up Lexington to the market where I had a Polish. A jazz band was playing inside the market (it was a Friday afternoon) and some of the older folks were dancing and grooving; I just stood and watched and ate my Polish. The neighborhood and market have changed since I remembered them, and not for the better. The silent hulks of Stewarts, Hutzler Brothers and the May Company, where my mom and I did most of our downtown shopping, still stand guard at three corners of Howard and Lexington. And the massive stone Provident Bank is still planted as stolid as ever at Howard and Saratoga, but it now sports a hand-painted sign in Arabic and may have become a mosque. O tempora! O mores! I walked over to Paca and Saratoga and was heartened to see that St. John the Baptist Church (now called the Shrine of St. Jude) remains unchanged. I lit many a candle there during my teen years, praying for things I was fortunate not to get. I lit another candle and said a prayer for old time's sake.
Walking down Howard St. from Saratoga to Lexington and then up Lexington to Eutaw and into the market on a weekday afternoon should be a litmus test for anyone considering moving to Baltimore. It's not for everyone.
One interesting story which I must polish and work into my repertoire concerns my buying a subway ticket. I had previously bought a light-rail ticket at a machine that gave exact change for a dollar bill. (I paid the senior fare of 55¢; when the conductor came through the car I offered to show her my Medicare card and my Illinois driver's license. She just laughed and thought that was hilarious.)
So when I went to buy the subway ticket at the Lexington market station, I thought the machines would give change. Not so. They also do not sell the 55¢ senior ticket. For that one must go to a small special machine by the attendant's booth and use exact change. But I did not have exact change — all I had were a quarter, two dines and a penny left over from buying the Polish at the market. I explained this to the attendant in the booth and his exact words were: "Well, just pay what you can." I dropped the 46¢ into the machine, and he opened the door to the booth and handed me a ticket. I knew then that I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Baltimore.
I was impressed with the subway system. The cars are massive and solidly built, and the ride was smooth. The six-door cars are 50% longer than Chicago subway cars, which only have four doors. It's a shame there is only one subway line and that it does not go anywhere useful except to Hopkins Hospital. The cars were mostly empty, but it wasn't rush hour.
One final observation on race relations:
I normally strike up conversations with service people in stores, restaurants, etc. It's a mid-western thing. I found it easier in Baltimore to talk to blacks who were strangers than to whites. In Chicago it's the opposite. For the record I am white. It would make an interesting sociological study, if it has not already been done many times over.
One really, really final observation:
Restaurant b was disappointing. Le Petit Louis was excellent. And the Polish kielbasa in the Lexington market was pretty good too — but it could use a little more garlic.
Stewarts is now home to the headquarters for Catholic Relief Services. They have about 300 employees working in there. They completely renovated it. I was given a tour of the facility. It's quite remarkable. There are two major projects planned for that area which were off to a good start until the economy tanked. They are however still in the offering. Once that gets going, Catholic Relief will use the first floor of Stewarts for retail.
The former Hechts now has condos on the upper floors and Hutzlers was converted to offices. It seems retail that once existed on Howard Street will never return to what it once was as more and more options become available in other parts of the downtown area. For more information on the area: Department Stores and Downtown Retail - B'More Ghosts (http://www.btco.net/ghosts/Buildings/deptstores/deptstores.html - broken link)
West Side of Downtown Baltimore (http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/southern-region/west-side-of-downtown-baltimore.html - broken link)
Also, some information on the "Superblock" in that area:
$60 million superblock project proposed: 152 apartments, shops, garage sought | Society, Social Assistance & Lifestyle > Social Assistance & Welfare from AllBusiness.com (http://www.allbusiness.com/real-estate/commercial-residential-property/12047120-1.html - broken link)
You were the victim of a hit and run and you witnessed a man on Charles Street shout profanities at and punch the window of a car. And you still think Balto is fine? Are you a saint?
Just trying to be fair. It's basically impossible after only one visit to determine whether those incidents were signs of a larger problem or just a random series of unfortunate events that could have happened anywhere. And since I know for a fact those kinds of things occur fairly frequently in just about every city of any significance, I feel okay about giving Batlimore the benefit of the doubt.
The only thing that I found especially troubling was turning on the news one night (the only time I watched the news on the trip) and finding out that there had been two separate, unrelated homicides in Baltimore that day alone. That was the one very unfortunate example of Baltimore living up to its reputation that I encountered.
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I'm in the same boat
