Irish couple 29-27 moving to Baltimore (Columbia, California: to rent, motels, employment)

[2011KTM530]

Do not go to Baltimore, it’s a war zone. Find a safe area outside. There are sites on the net that give you where the crime is and where it isn’t. Rule of thumb for just about anywhere in the US, cities are bad, bigger the population, the worse it is, generally. There are other factors, look at the FBI crime statistics, they are on line, it will give you a good idea(description) of the kinds of people to avoid.

[island_maryland]

Originally Posted by DXBtoFL

I wasn't talking about Baltimore.

Outside the museums, DC is a quiet and very expensive town. Philadelphia would be more interesting, affordable, and has extensive public transportation. Between DC and Philadelphia as a short-term base, I'd go for Philadelphia.

Are you perhaps thinking of the DC of the 1930s or the early 50s maybe?
I can assure you there is a *lot* of "not-quiet" nightlife in DC and that has been true for decades. I know, I was part of it

[Bitey]

Originally Posted by 2011KTM530

Do not go to Baltimore, it’s a war zone. Find a safe area outside. There are sites on the net that give you where the crime is and where it isn’t. Rule of thumb for just about anywhere in the US, cities are bad, bigger the population, the worse it is, generally. There are other factors, look at the FBI crime statistics, they are on line, it will give you a good idea(description) of the kinds of people to avoid.

"The bigger the worse" doesn't hold true at all. For a long time NYC was one of the safest big city cores in the country, with LA not far behind. Crime has ticked up in both but it's done the same just about everywhere so they might still be among the safest. Some of the smaller city cores like St. Louis, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Little Rock, Memphis, and of course Baltimore, are downright rotten by comparison.

[island_maryland]

Originally Posted by Bitey

"The bigger the worse" doesn't hold true at all. For a long time NYC was one of the safest big city cores in the country, with LA not far behind. Crime has ticked up in both but it's done the same just about everywhere so they might still be among the safest. Some of the smaller city cores like St. Louis, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Little Rock, Memphis, and of course Baltimore, are downright rotten by comparison.

I was going to say that - there is no correlation.
I used to go to New York in the "bad old days" and it is Disneyland now in comparison.
Another thing is WHERE in a city is dangerous. Some cities have pretty obvious dangerous areas and some it is not so obvious.

Washington DC is pretty safe in just about any area a tourist would want to go, but you can find trouble if you go looking for it.
Philadelphia has some pretty nasty areas, but you don't have to go in them.
Wilmington Delaware seemed to not have any safe areas last time I was there.

What gives me pause about Baltimore is I get the impression that bad behaviour has moved into areas I used to consider fairly safe.

[DXBtoFL]

Originally Posted by island_maryland

Are you perhaps thinking of the DC of the 1930s or the early 50s maybe?
I can assure you there is a *lot* of "not-quiet" nightlife in DC and that has been true for decades. I know, I was part of it

I know both cities well enough.

DC is very expensive. Every city has its quota of nightlife. But so what? On the whole it's a quiet town compared to the other major cities and the high cost of living doesn't merit it over Philadelphia, which has a much bigger indie and arts scene than DC. Philadelphia also has a food scene DC doesn't, and a strong history of neighborhood and dive bars all over the city that act as meccas for the young adults. The combination of affordability, activities, young population, and public transportation in Philadelphia ranks the city higher than DC in my list.

DC is the place to go for work and a good job and networking, but the Irish couple aren't job hunting.

[John13]

Originally Posted by DXBtoFL

I know both cities well enough.

DC is very expensive. Every city has its quota of nightlife. But so what? On the whole it's a quiet town compared to the other major cities and the high cost of living doesn't merit it over Philadelphia, which has a much bigger indie and arts scene than DC. Philadelphia also has a food scene DC doesn't, and a strong history of neighborhood and dive bars all over the city that act as meccas for the young adults. The combination of affordability, activities, young population, and public transportation in Philadelphia ranks the city higher than DC in my list.

DC is the place to go for work and a good job and networking, but the Irish couple aren't job hunting.

Well that will kill any rental except extended stay motels.

I can't speak for Philadelphia but you are so correct on DC housing cost. I've been in the DC - Baltimore area my entire life. I'm paying $500.00 per month inc. utilities for my own place in a real good neighborhood. Granted it's small but this space in most places in DC would run over $2500.00 per month. But just guessing on that and it could be more. Baltimore is way more affordable and offers a lot in amenities. Can't say enough on top notch healthcare close by.

Any small, cool places that offer live music in Philadelphia that you could recommend? No crossing into bad neighborhoods, please. Thanks!

[island_maryland]

Originally Posted by DXBtoFL

I know both cities well enough.

DC is very expensive. Every city has its quota of nightlife. But so what? On the whole it's a quiet town compared to the other major cities and the high cost of living doesn't merit it over Philadelphia, which has a much bigger indie and arts scene than DC. Philadelphia also has a food scene DC doesn't, and a strong history of neighborhood and dive bars all over the city that act as meccas for the young adults. The combination of affordability, activities, young population, and public transportation in Philadelphia ranks the city higher than DC in my list.

DC is the place to go for work and a good job and networking, but the Irish couple aren't job hunting.

Have you looked at the U-Street corridor recently?
No food scene???? I can't help but think you haven't been to DC for a long time.


I'll agree on Philly, I have to go there for work and we always manage to have a lot of fun there. I am not too sure about public transportation around the city, we found it quite walkable for the places we wanted to go.
Philly is of course a good place to hop a train to get various places.


On to the rental issue - as a non-working foreigner, it may be difficult outside of things like VRBO and AirBnB that target vacation rentals. A "normal" residential rental is very likely to be a one year lease and involve a credit check.

One place to look is the more informal markets like Craigslist and so on.

[Buck_Mulligan]

Originally Posted by island_maryland

Have you looked at the U-Street corridor recently?
No food scene???? I can't help but think you haven't been to DC for a long time.


I'll agree on Philly, I have to go there for work and we always manage to have a lot of fun there. I am not too sure about public transportation around the city, we found it quite walkable for the places we wanted to go.
Philly is of course a good place to hop a train to get various places.


On to the rental issue - as a non-working foreigner, it may be difficult outside of things like VRBO and AirBnB that target vacation rentals. A "normal" residential rental is very likely to be a one year lease and involve a credit check.

One place to look is the more informal markets like Craigslist and so on.

I'd say he hasn't been there in 20+ years. The center of gravity of the city has been moving south and east, because that's where the available land for redevelopment is. For most of the last 20 years DC has been in the top 5 cities by crane count. Currently it's #4. NoMa, Union Market, S.E. & S.W. waterfronts, Rhode Island Ave, N.E. Mt. Vernon Triangle, to name just a few, have all developed from wasteland over the last 20 years.
Just last week the city announced plans for 33,000 housing units along a three mile stretch of the New York Ave. corridor over the next 20 years.

https://dc.urbanturf.com/neighborhoods

https://dc.urbanturf.com/pipeline

[DXBtoFL]

I go to DC *all the time*

1) while the region is exploding, the "dynamic urban area" is smaller than the comparable dynamic urban areas of Philadelphia.

2) it's much more expensive

3) it's much more expensive

4) it's much more expensive

5) Philadelphia has one of the best food scenes in the country. Outside NYC, it is probably the best on the East Coast. DC can't compare. No matter how much it tries. That doesn't mean there isn't nice food in DC, but Philadelphia really blows DC away when it comes to the range of dining options from high to low and food startups and immigrant heritage food. DC has some decent immigrant heritage food but most of it is actually scattered across the suburbs rather than the city itself. This is not something I made up but documented nicely enough and you can google it yourself.

6) U-street: overhyped, expensive, trending corporate. Which, when you get down to it, summarizes most of DC.

7) Philadelphia has a personality and soul DC doesn't. DC is a heavily gentrified, expensive, government town. Philadelphia has a whole host of problems DC doesn't, but Philadelphia has an urbanism and neighborhood personalities and variety DC does not.

8) DC has a nice subway, but Philadelphia has a subway and trams and busses and, of course, walkability. It's fine.

9) It's much more expensive.

I'd pick DC over Baltimore if money wasn't an issue, but between DC and Philadelphia, I'd go for Philadelphia. The OP isn't looking for a permanent base and jobs but somewhere to hang out for a few months and he'll get more for his money in rent and amenities in Philadelphia, plus a pretty cool American city, than DC.

[slowlane3]

Originally Posted by Eppf1992

I might start watching tonight . How big is Towson downtown wise .

Towson is arguably the most prominent close-in suburb of all Baltimore. It has a tall 4-level shopping mall, and one of the largest universities in the state, in addition to another college. It is the seat of government for all of Baltimore County, which wraps around the city on 3 (out of 4) sides. But it does not have a rapid transit line, and is not near the airport.