Italian young couple moving to Baltimore (Greenbelt, Mount Vernon: crime, houses, neighborhoods)

[europe_78]

Hello all.

I'm a 30 years old scientific researcher from Italy. I have an important job
opportunity in a famous research center in Maryland, and simultaneously
my wife is negotiating a job at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
So, we are seriously thinking to move to Baltimore. And here I am to
ask for some information about the city and a couple of other things.

I heard a lot of bad things about Baltimore (also in this forum!), and
now I'm wondering if it is as bad as it seems. I wish to specify that
I've been living in DC for 6 months in 2008 and I didn't like it. I'm aware
that I must not search for a european city in the US, but I found it hard
to find any "city feeling" at all in DC. I lived close to Adams Morgan
and I must admit that I didn't found 18st St nightlife as interesting
as people said to me. I found it more a nightlife for 20 years old people
or so. I also found it hard to know people, as they appeared me as
very cold, not very friendly and sometimes arrogant. Now I simply
don't want to have another experience like that! So, I thought that
Baltimore could be better, both for people and for city life. But: is it
actually so unsafe? I was thinking about Charles Village as a neighborhood,
also because it is close to JHU where my wife is going to work.
Do you think that there I may found what I didn't found in DC?
I'm talking about: city life, decent live music, friendly neighbors,
a place where we can occasionally have a walk (not a series of
houses on the border of a highway) and without being robbed daily?

I'm sure that we will miss Europe in any case, but I hope that Baltimore
is a city were we will have a decent life! Any suggestions or comments
are welcome!

Thank you very much!

[Zea mays]

There are few American cities that resemble European cities — Boston, San Francisco and Seattle are the few that come to mind. Americans don't like to walk or stroll; our cities are very car oriented.

If you did not like Washington, you probably will not like Baltimore, at first. The ambiance is pretty much the same in both cities. There are more cultural activities in Washington.

If you move to Charles Village you would have the opportunity to mesh socially with faculty life at Homewood. By all means join the Hopkins Club on campus and have your dinners there once a week. They have an excellent chef. Shoot some billiards (don't be too good!) on the second floor and make friends. The Hopkins Club has outings to local attractions like Oriole baseball games and theater where you would be certain to meet people.

Baltimoreans are generally very friendly, much more so then the denizens of Boston and New York. (Only Chicagoens are friendlier. )

Give Baltimore a try. It may surprise you.

Buona fortuna !

[vivo]

out of curiosity what part of Italy?
be more specific in what you want out of a neighborhood?

[vivo]

oh I reread your post. I guess try Mt Vernon.

it seems like dc would give you more in the way of city life but not friendliness.
explore charles village.

hampden anybody?


here's information from JHU dept of housing about off campus housing

Offcampus: Area Neighborhoods

[KennyP]

Let me preface: Been to DC a lot, and I don't care for life in DC as an outsider. Below is my experience so far, and I'm sure it differs for everyone, so please understand that I know I'm unfairly generalizing.

Baltimore and DC are about as far apart as two geographically close cities can be.

DC people can be aloof, snobby, and the nicer places definitely have hardened cliques that do not like outsiders. It can be hard to get around, and the hard partying social scene reminds me a lot of a rich-boy frat party no matter the venue. Everyone I've really gotten to know from DC were just a bunch of fakes who put on personalities like clothes. Really weird.

Baltimore people are tough, so it can take a bit, but they are talkative, accepting, and normally pretty cool. I've never gotten the walk-by elbow like I get from the suit wearers in DC. Way more like my personality in Baltimore. People really just don't give a s**t, and if you're polite and friendly, you'll get it back.

I can't say enough good things about Canton where I live. It's not really posh by any stretch, but there's plenty of nice things to do, and it really is a neighborhood. You can do damn near everything on foot, and easily get to transportation that takes you further out.

[driverA]

In North America, you only get a true European feel in Montreal and the rest of Quebec such as Quebec city. Baltimore definitely doesn't have it. However, there are many nice areas here that you have to discover. I would recommend Federal Hill as a good place to live. If you like the European feel, you might appreciate the bars, restaurants and cafes in Fed Hill. Also, the park there is nice with a nice view of the harbor. If you are into nightlife, the nightlife in Federal Hill is probably the most happening there is in Baltimore.

[europe_78]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions and comments!

@Zea mays: as said, I'm not searching a European city in America, I'm sure I'll not find it! I just wish to live in a place with character, and for my taste DC haven't. Just an impression. I hope Baltimore is better regarding to this! If you say that people from Baltimore are more friendly than people from DC, well, this is what I and my wife are searching for! Definitely we want to give Baltimore a try! Grazie!

@Vivo: we're from Rome and we live quite close to the city center. There isn't a city like Rome all over the world, so we will miss Rome anyway. What we want from a neighborhood is mainly friendliness of the neighbors, a little bit of city life (I know areas like Greenbelt and so, and that's what I want to avoid!) and character (not necessarily a Europe feel); secondarily we like live music, going out for dinner (even if italian food is impossible to replicate in the USA!, but maybe you also have good food! :P), and, if it is possible, avoiding risks of being shot by urban cowboys or needing a car to cross the road! May Charles Village match these expectations?

@KennyP: your description of people from DC fits nicely with my impressions regarding my 6 months stay there. And if Baltimoreans are like you say, we will enjoy the city. And the way you talk is very funny! We will consider Canton.

@DriverA: I've been in DC, Boston and the Quebec including Montreal. Yes, I also had the feeling that only Quebec is close to the European way of life, this is true. Very different from the USA. Boston is something in the middle, and in general, I really enjoyed the city. I didn't enjoy DC.

Thank you all!
Grazie mille!

[vivo]

Originally Posted by europe_78

Thank you everyone for the suggestions and comments!

@Zea mays: as said, I'm not searching a European city in America, I'm sure I'll not find it! I just wish to live in a place with character, and for my taste DC haven't. Just an impression. I hope Baltimore is better regarding to this! If you say that people from Baltimore are more friendly than people from DC, well, this is what I and my wife are searching for! Definitely we want to give Baltimore a try! Grazie!

@Vivo: we're from Rome and we live quite close to the city center. There isn't a city like Rome all over the world, so we will miss Rome anyway. What we want from a neighborhood is mainly friendliness of the neighbors, a little bit of city life (I know areas like Greenbelt and so, and that's what I want to avoid!) and character (not necessarily a Europe feel); secondarily we like live music, going out for dinner (even if italian food is impossible to replicate in the USA!, but maybe you also have good food! :P), and, if it is possible, avoiding risks of being shot by urban cowboys or needing a car to cross the road! May Charles Village match these expectations?

@KennyP: your description of people from DC fits nicely with my impressions regarding my 6 months stay there. And if Baltimoreans are like you say, we will enjoy the city. And the way you talk is very funny! We will consider Canton.

@DriverA: I've been in DC, Boston and the Quebec including Montreal. Yes, I also had the feeling that only Quebec is close to the European way of life, this is true. Very different from the USA. Boston is something in the middle, and in general, I really enjoyed the city. I didn't enjoy DC.

Thank you all!
Grazie mille!

hmm I'm not sure about cv and hampden as far as music. i mean they are are fairly safe at least as far as murders. I believe there may be some kind of extra security for those affiliated with hopkins u.

Can someone else on the forum compare these neighborhoods crime wise. nuisance crime etc?

not sure if I'd recommend federal hill, fells pt, canton. they seem to be filled with the immature twenties drinking culture you seem to want to avoid.
Charles Village I think has a decent selection of restaurants? i think it has character. not much nightlife. it's only a couple miles from the station north arts district just north of mt vernon. im honestly not that familiar with charles village.

here's the site for the mt vernon cultural district.

Mt.Vernon Cultural District : Home

mt vernon wiki:

Mount Vernon, Baltimore - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

mt vernon has the biggest variety of ethnic restaurants of any neighborhood second to harbor east/fells point.

you possibly may want to check out harbor east which is a fairly new upscale area by fells point. fells point will have a bit of raucous drinking culture but plenty of live music and nice restaurants. it's right by the water.

fells point:
fellspoint.us - Home

harbor east:
Harbor East

[vivo]

btw do Romans consider themselves Central or Southern Italians?

also Sammy's Trattoria and Sotto Sopra have good reputations in Mt Vernon. they are both Italian restaurants, though different kinds.

sammy's

Sammy's Trattoria - Baltimore, MD

sotto:

Sotto Sopra - Baltimore, MD

lol in one review it says mt vernon looks more like Europe than U.S.
also fells may remind you of Europe. though Harbor East doesn't have character architecturally.

Located in a beautiful part of Baltimore that looks more like Europe than the United States, Sotto Soppra is my favorite Italian restaurant in Maryland.

The pastas are so amazing, the wine selection great the interior is beautiful and the service top-notch. As other have said this is not casual, but it's not business jacket dinner either.

I highly recommend this restaurant. Try a pre-dinner cocktail at Red Maple just up the street for a really nice dinner date.

[europe_78]

Vivo, thank you very much for your advices! I'm oriented towards Charles Village, also considering that my wife will probably work there. It seems a good option to live there. I'm also trying to figure out how Mt Vernon area is.

Regarding to Rome and Romans, it should be considered that actually there are just a few Romans in Rome, being the city populated by people from all over Central Italy (mainly from Abruzzo, Marche, Tuscany etc.) that are here to work. In addition you have to consider that Italy is veeeery diverse, people behaviour, food, landscape could change from mile to mile. It depends on the very tormented history of our nation: in the Middle Age every city was an independent state and doing war with cities nearby! Rome is Rome. Never say to a Roman that he is similar to people from Neaples (180 km far), Perugia (150 km far) or even Viterbo (60 km far), and so on. Every Sunday, Roma and Lazio (the two soccer teams in the city of Rome) supporters are expected to fight for hours during the soccer matches (and two hours later they're together in a bar drinking a coffee!) because they feel very different (both socially and culturally); sometimes they're just from different neighborhoods in Rome, but you can recognize them by the way they look like and behave; I understand this is strange to believe but that's the way we are! In such scenario it is quite hard to categorize Rome, as any other Italian city. In my opinion Rome is more a Central Italy city, but people is a bit more friendly (but very tough!) as a Southern Italy city. People is more creative than rational: a Southern pattern. More sun than clouds, typical of Southern Italy (actually of the overall Italian climate...). Food is worst that both in Sothern Italy (Neaples food, e.g.) and Central Italy (Tuscany food, e.g.). We drive cars as in the South (F1 driving including accidents!). The architecture, even if unique, is maybe more similar to other Central Italy cities than Southern. If you have any other question about Rome, Italy or Europe, please ask!