It looks as if I will be making the move to Baltimore at the end of June. (That is, if I get enough money saved up to actually move.)
So, tell me about Baltimore. I spoke to Eve about it briefly, but she hasn’t lived there in years. So what’s the skinny? What do I need to know? I’ll be moving in with the Boyfriend, so I’ll have a guide, but I figured I’d try to get the perspective of other people. (He’s a 24 year old comedian, if that tells you anything. His perspective mainly consists of bars and comedy clubs. :D) He’s also interested in meeting new people, so I think this will be something cool for us to do together.
I want to know about music venues (preferably ‘alternative’), theater, baseball, (yes, I know, I have to become an Orioles fan now ;)), dancing, good restaurants, thrift stores, independent music stores, local bands, and just random cool stuff to do. I’ve only spent a week in B-more before now, so I’ve only been to the inner harbor, the Improv, and a bar called Paloma’s. (If you know Paloma’s, that’s the kind of bar I dig.)
Best advice I can offer is to go to the Cat’s Eye in Fells Point and ask Terri (She’s my sister) the bartender. She’s been a bartender and waitress all over the city, and she knows lots of stuff about bands and clubs and all, I think. I haven’t lived there in eons, and even when I did, I wasn’t a partier, so I’m afraid I can’t help much.
But once you get there, when I go up to see my sweetie, we’ll hafta get together!
Paging Weirddave. Attention, new Baltimorean in IMHO, Weirddave.
I’m more an Irish pub at happy hour kind of girl, but Paloma’s is really nice. If you like Paloma’s, you’ll probably like the Brewer’s Art, which features expensive and elegant fine dining upstairs, and a frat house atmosphere with lots of dank and cozy holes downstairs. And the City Cafe, which is more a coffee shop with liquor. These are all within staggering distance of one another.
My idea of a good time is sushi takeout, a movie rental, and a six-pack, so let me know if you need help finding those. Welcome aboard.
Ok. So I see all these Baltimore area Dopefests, but no one’s replied yet? I’m saddened. [sub](No, not really. I’m tipsy right now.)[/sub]
C’mon. I know there’s more B-more Dopers than this. I do know that I may have to call upon sugaree to help me find a 6 pack of Newcastle, as NONE of the bars that I visited while I was there had it on tap. :eek: Boyfriend told me: “Ok, don’t make your decision based solely on this, but beer isn’t sold in grocery stores in Baltimore like it is in Charleston.” What? That’s insane!
And on a sidenote, sugaree, the reason I like Paloma’s is because my boyfriend used to work the open mike nights there on Mondays. That was the last thing we got to do together while I was in B-more. I don’t know how much you know about local bands, but he used to perform there with Truth West, and they used to do really good covers and medleys of pop songs. It was a blast.
peabody (mount vernon) area has a good deal of restaurants from different regions of the world in a nice artsy neighborhood. it sounds like you would like that area. water taxi and paddle boats in the harbor are fun when the weather is nice. preakness is a good time each year when the triple crown comes around. baltimore convention center is the main music venue for big acts. lexington market. little italy. http://cpscene.citypaper.com/clubs/default.asp http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/discover/baltimor/insider.htm
and if baltimore gets boring, there’s always DC … about 2hours away
We haven’t found a place yet, but more than likely we’ll be living in either Glen Burnie or Catonsville. Right now, Boyfriend lives in Catonsville, but we’re looking for something slightly less expensive. I don’t even have a job there yet, so we’re trying to get enough money saved to get a cheap place to start. I kind of want to work it out so that I have a month before I have to start working, so I can get used to the surroundings. I’ve never lived anywhere besides Charleston, but I’m excited about this move. Baltimore is a huge freakin’ city compared to Charleston.
Oh, and I don’t mind driving to find cool things/places/people. That’s the whole reason I bought this stupid car! (Besides, it takes at least 20 minutes to get to anything cool from my house in Charleston.)
Hamden is a really cool section of the city. Lots of cute shops, some decent restaurants and a couple bars. Fells Point is definitely a great place to hang out and there are so many bars there that you can generally find one that suits your personality. Canton is an up-and-coming area that has some great bars, good restaurants and relatively inexpensive housing. I have a friend who lives there and he loves it. Other areas include Federal Hill, Charles Village and a 2nd vote for Mount Vernon.
My sister lives in Canton, and while her living is cheap (she’s living in my late grandparents’ house), the rowhouses on her street are going for $130K and up… in an area where you’re lucky to be able to park within a couple of blocks of your house after 6PM. New townhomes with garages start around $300K on Boston Street. :eek: I have no idea about the rental market there.
I’ve only lived here a few years, and you and I don’t seem to share a whole lot of interests… But I’ll still say “welcome!” and “Catonsville isn’t that far from me.”
Things you need to know: The city essentially has something for everyone: a good rock scene, a world-class orchestra and conservatory; many, many hospitals, an active theater community… I could go on and on. Also, our mayor is cooler than your mayor, as he got up on stage New Year’s Eve downtown and played & sang a Green Day song on the guitar.
Cross Street Market for happy hour. (My info is dated by about 6-7 years, but it must still be good… I hope)
Aside to FCM: Your sister is a bartender at the Cat’s Eye? I used to stay at the Ann Street B&B when I was going back there and would occasionally hear what sounded like barroom brawls coming from that place around 2 am. Nice bar. (I prefer the Wharf Rat).
And for Irish Pubs, I always liked J. Patrick’s in Locust Point (near Fort McHenry). Very authentic style pub, nothing like these prepackaged “McGuiness” kind of places.
Any mayor is cooler than our mayor. Our mayor just fought tooth and nail with the city to close the bars at 2 AM. He won the fight yesterday. I hate our mayor. (Oh, and he said the reason he wanted to close the bars was to improve the “quietude” of the neighborhoods downtown. Is that even a real word?!?)
Another note about the cool mayor - his band performed at the Cat’s Eye - my sis has a pic of her with him.
From what she tells me, it’s a lively pub. I’ve never been there in the evening - I’ll drop by when she’s on duty in the afternoon. I’ve heard stories of her dancing on the bar. She’s a wee bit more outgoing than I am. She’ll also lie about her name if she doesn’t want someone to know it.
Shibb, she’s been there for almost 20 year - she kinda fibbed and started working there before she was of age. Now she runs the place when the owners go out of town. I have to say, I’m impressed with her customer skills. This would be her.
