Life in the Charm City

Favorite things about Bawlmer, Merlin

When we first drove into town last June, our GPS wanted to show us the scenic route, so it took us on a winding road through a lovely forest full of bicyclists and joggers before leading us into one of Baltimore's grittier neighborhoods. (Prior to moving here, my knowledge of the city was drawn from a vague memory of a visit to the National Aquarium when I was six...and from what people told me about some HBO series.) After we drove through several blocks of boarded up houses and apparent drug deals, the GPS told me that I was less than a mile away from my soon-to-be home--and I began to wonder whether I should have enrolled in public health school in a different city.

Once we got settled in, my perspectives of Baltimore began to change...and I have actually found the city to be quite charming after all. There are certainly more sirens and police helicopters than I had seen previously, and the juxtapositions between extreme wealth and abject poverty are stark--but Baltimore is full of interesting people and fun things to do!

(And the crime is a result of decades of injustice and institutional racism--but that's a story for another day.)

{our neighborhood: Charles Village}

My top 10 favorite things in Baltimore:

10. pretty row houses in Charles Village

9. free art museums

{Baltimore Museum of Art and The Walters Art Museum}

8. Fort McHenry

{and other historic sites}

7. proximity to D.C. and Philly

6. 36th Street in Hampden (HAM-den)

{especially Holy Frijoles and Trohv}

5. cute coffee shops

{Daily Grind and Carma's...and Teavolve, a tea shop--obviously}

4. summer street fairs

{Artscape and Honfest}

3. "Miracle" on 34th Street at Christmas

{just can't think too much about the electricity use!}

2. a year-round farmers' market

{32nd Street Market}

1. the diverse mix of people

{native Baltimoreans, plus people from all over the world brought here by Johns Hopkins}

{and how could I forget...crabs! have a nice bay!}

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For my dad

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From Valentine's Day to International Women's Day

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Go together well

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