Mount Vernon (Baltimore: apartment, to rent, crime)

[mkjohn1]

Hi,
I'm moving to the Mount Vernon area later this month (to rent) and had some questions. I'll be living on N. Calvert St. 1000 block. The area felt good to me when I've visited, and I love being so close to the opera, museums, bars (Brewers Art esp.!), but I was wondering if there need be any warnings about safety (I know it's a city and I'm not concerned about that, but I'd like to know if there'll be crackdealers on my doorstep! , or parking etc. The realter said I could get a parking spot in back for fifty buck/mnth. Is this necessary? I do know that when I come down for a weekend parking is nuts. Is it like that all week at night?
Also, I know Central booking is a few streets over. Any problems with wanderers?

Really can't wait to move in, all said. This board just seems extrememly negative on the crime etc., and I was surprised. I've always assumed the city is more dangerous than the county (and Baltimore being maybe worse than other cities) but figure there are certain tradeoffs.
I'll take the museums, the theatre and all the other cultural gains and hope for the best.

thanks,

[barante]

The 1000 block of North Calvert is not for everybody. But I know an artist who lives in a magnificent restored Victorian on that block and is very happy. He even has a nice patio in the back, with a great view of the Maryland Penitentiary.
In 1969, I moved to the next block because it was just four blocks from my employer. The overall situation has greatly improved since, but certain things never change.
(1) Never leave anything inside your car. Nothing at all. Trust me. If you do, someone is going to bust your window and steal it. Lock everything in the trunk (or boot, if you are a Brit). Run, don't walk to get that $50 parking space. If it exists, it is dirt cheap. Living without a dedicated parking spot is a PIA. You will collect parking tickets every month that much exceed the cost of a parking space.
(2) Walk, walk, walk. But don't forget that you are still in a combat zone which transients travel. On regular walks, I never take more cash with me that necessary. Will you need all your credit cards? I once knew a guy who walked all the way from Charles Village to the 500 block of North Calvert every work day. He always carried an empty wine bottle with him and never had any trouble. But he was a big guy.
I hope your new apartment will be all that you expect to be. You are in a great location for culture. In fact, I must make a note for myself to inquire about tickets to the Peabody Symphony. It's no Baltimore Symphony, of course, but youth and enthusiasm compensate nicely. And the Peabody hall is a very intimate (and somewhat creaky) place.
Now that Walters is free, you should stop by regularly. A great place. Another wonderful, wonderful resource is the Enoch Pratt Free Library. Through their webssite, using your library card number, you can access lots of stuff free that would otherwise cost you plenty.
As to the Charles Street corridor it's always struggling. Its long-gone food and furniture stores once used to be the top destination for the carriage trade, but all that was gone by 1960. Despite this, Charles Street seems to have reached a stability of sorts. There is a good Thai restaurant (best recommendation is to orderPadthai) near Mulberry, and Helmand (Afghan cuisine) is consistently satisfying and very reasonable. You should also visit Red Emma's on St. Paul.
Named after a 1920s anarchist and a feminist, it attracts the weirdest group of people. It's also is a agitpunkt, offering an amazing variety of leftist journals and books. Good t-shirts.
That's all for now. Enjoy.

[mkjohn1]

thanks barante, I can't wait to move in.

And as for Pratt, I'm starting work there pretty soon, actually. I'm thinking of walking to and from work. I know it's not super close but the distance doesn't seem out of the question. But we'll see.

As far as transients, is that block of Calvert much different than, say, St. Paul in the evenings? I've been around that area a bit and never felt too worried.
Also, any grocery stores in the area (I think I'll have to drive) or laudromats...god, I'm not looking forward to that!

[barante]

mkjohn1 -- It's not a bad walk at all from your new place to the Pratt Library.
One laundromat I know is just down from Red Emma's on St. Paul Street, before Mount Vernon Square. As to food, there is Eddie's IGA at 7 West Read Street (near City Cafe). It isn't much but will do in a pinch.
You'll need a car for this if you are carrying anything, but Trinacria's is not far, on Paca, between Mulberry and Franklin. It's an old family-operated Sicilian food market. Wonderful breads, excellent cold cuts, tasty store-made lasagnas you can fill your freezer with, all manner of pasta and so on at unbelievably low prices. A good wine selection, too. But you have to go either very early or late because it is mobbed at lunch time and on Saturdays when people come from as far as Northern Virginia. (Trinacria's is closed on Mondays).
Another resource is Lexington Market. For bread, nothing in price beats the H&S Bakery factory store on Fleet Street, near Broadway, in East Baltimore For $1 you can get three loaves of supermarket bread. You soon realize that H&S bakes everything, from donuts to cakes to cookies, and the store carries all of those. It is the nation's largest private baker. John Paterakis, the owner, is a behind-the-scenes man in Maryland politics. He is also the developer of Harbor East and much of Fells Point (with Struever Bros.).
You'll soon learn the rhythms and rituals of living in Mount Vernon. The first Thursday (of each month) is always fun, with special events and promotions. Life is good.

[mkjohn1]

barante, you've already been a wealth of information. Much appreciated.

[carolott]

Lucky you, moving to Mt. Vernon! It's a lovely neighborhood and close to all the great things that make Baltimore a wonderful city to live in.

As Barante said, you'll definitely want to drive for things like supermarket shopping. There's a nice Whole Foods downtown (stay away on weekends and weekday lunch hour) and you're a short hop to the Safeway in Canton. If you feel like going for a long drive, you can hop on 83 and drive out to Graul's in Ruxton -- if you go in the spring/summer, there's a woman who sells farm produce out of the back of a large truck on the side of the road right by the on/off ramp at the Ruxton exit. I still have dreams about her fresh strawberries and peaches. There's also a farmer's market downtown, under the JFX overpass.

Welcome to Baltimore!

[dfredward]

1000 calvert is fine. the jail is on the other side of the jones falls expressway and is a physical and mental barrier from one neighborhood to another. there's a local market called eddie's on eager street just west of charles, and a 7-11 just up your block. parking can be a pain at times in mt vernon but not nearly as bad as federal hill. barante is right about that $50 parking space. you'd be foolish not to snap it up. good luck and enjoy!