Hubby is considering taking a job in Baltimore. What should we know about the city?
I’m a Marylander, but I live in Rockville, down near DC.
Anyway, I’m not too fond of Balmer. They did a great job rebuilding the Inner Harbor area, with the new baseball and football stadiums, and the Aquarium is great.
As far as residentially, people I’ve met have loved it there, but I’m skeptical. Where are you living now, sugaree? If you’re more suburban, go for Towson or Columbia (two suburbs, one north, the other south, of Baltimore). If you’re more urban, there are some nice new places within the city (Fells Point, for example) that are starting to become trendy. But, not for me. I like it down by DC more.
But, Baltimore is well worth living near if only for Camden Yards.
We’ve got some Baltimore Dopers here; they oughta check in soon.
My sister lives in Catonsville, and works in downtown Baltimore. Catonsville (just to the west of Balt) seems really pleasant, and she likes living there.
I live in B-more.
Yes, that makes me a Baltimoron.
Sugaree, where will hubby be working? Any kids? Do you want to buy or rent? Are you concerned with schools? It really depends on what YOU want. Will you be working? How long of a drive to work does hubby want?
As mentioned before, Federal Hill is nice.
If hubby is Bill Gates, you might like Homeland or Guilford.
As for suburbs, yes, Towson and Columbia are nice, though Columbia has LOTS of restrictions on what you can do to your house, as far as what color you can paint it and so forth. You might also check out Timonium, Cockeysville, Parkville, White Marsh and Owings Mills.
Where are you coming from? Warning…it gets unbearably HOT and HUMID here in August (this summer has been really mild).
Local delicacies…snowballs, crabs, pit beef…you must try them all.
Well, I seem to be the resident Baltimoron here. Your question is a little broad. Give me a better idea of what ya need and I’ll give you all the details. Either do it here or e-mail me. I’ve done this for others, so I don’t mind. Baltimore is THE BEST city to live in or near in the U.S.A. If y’all come to town to check it out, let me know and I’ll be happy to show you around.
Montfort, you said:
and:
Should you be posting so soon after your labotomy? The above quotes are indicative of a sick, sick mind.
I lived in Baltimore before moving to DC where I was working at the time. Baltimore is dirt cheap to live in comparison. I lived in Owings Mills which was a little more expensive than the city and liked it pretty well. The hour and a half commute on the train got old pretty fast but other than that it was an enjoyable experience. I think I would have liked it better if I had found a job in Baltimore rather than DC first. There are a lot of places to live on any type of budget in the Baltimore area if varying safeness even at the lower income end. Have one of the resident dopers help you out with a place beforehand. Oh, Mt. Vernon is pretty gay and artsy. Charles Village has a lot of gay people but it is a little seedier. Towson is one of the nicer middle/upper middle class areas depending on where you are in the neighborhood. Oh, Owings Mills has one of the nicer malls there too.
HUGS!
Sqrl
PS. Driving in Baltimore really sucks on 695. Avoid it if you can.
We come from Pittsburgh (sounds like the title of a horror movie), and are currently living in Amish country. No kids yet, and we are hoping to be able to move back to Pittsburgh (near our nice willing-to-babysit mothers) before we start a family. Hubby will be working in the Inner Harbor, and hates commuting. Public transportation, especially the Park n Ride, may solve some of that problem.
We are $40,000 + in debt in student loans (sigh), and I ain’t near done. I may stay behind to finish school, or, since separation and long-distance marriages suck, move with him. So, we either pay two rents or I take the usual financial and time losses that come with transferring schools.
So, we will be renting, and we want cheap housing and a relativly safe neighborhood (we will accept Pittsburgh, not Amish, standards of safe). Is cheap and safe possible in Baltimore?
It depends. I was living in the burbs in a two bedroom townhome that rented for $600 a month. I had looked at several places in the city (Mt Vernon, Towson, and Charles Village) and found I liked Mt Vernon the best. I found a two bedroom apartment that I didn’t take for $525/month with all the utilities included. It was in a safe neighborhood and was even in walking distance to the inner harbour. It would have been a minor schlep but it was do-able. You can find it. I believe Federal Hill is also fairly inexpensive. I don’t know if you are looking for a home or an apartment to rent (I wasn’t under the impression that you were going to buy) but either way you should still be able to find something cheap. It is a working class town so be sure to drive through the neighborhood and make sure that it is what you want before you move in. Even some of the seedier looking areas aren’t really as bad to live in as they may appear on the outside.
HUGS!
Sqrl
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There is in fact some art/music/culture in Baltimore, you just have to find it. Once you do, you usually have to poke it with a stick a few times to get it to wake up.
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Columbia is hell; do not live there. Avoid even going there.
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Towson is yuppie hell. The surrounding areas (Roger’s Forge, Stoneleigh) are nice. Towson is good for shopping.
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If you live anywhere near Charles Street or York Rd, the odds are good that you can get a bus down to the harbor.
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Otherwise, the public transport genreally sucks (Light Rail is ok, but rather limited).
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Bicycles will not necessarily get you run down in B-more (as compared to, say, LA).
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If you can’t take public transport and don’t want to bike, DO NOT live outside the city. The traffic on the JFX just isn’t worth it. Find a nice place inside the city instead–Mt Vernon, Federal Hill, are both nice. Amusingly enough, the criminals have only recently discovered Guilford (the uber-rich area), there have been newspaper articles about how they’re surprised at being robbed. This is the richest part of the city, right in the middle of the city (not some sheltered suburb). Personally, I’m surprised it took so long.
weirddave: nother Baltimoron, huh? Thought we was endangered or somthin’…
Thanks to everyone that has replied; you all have been a big help. Hubby has decided; he is definately taking the job, and now we may have a clue about where to begin searching for an apartment. Looks like we will be investegating Mt. Vernon, Federal Hill, and anywhere near Charles Street or York Street. We would like a neighborhood with kids, old folks, churches, and bars, you know- well rounded. Further questions come to mind:
Are there any really good thrift stores?
Where is the best place to go out to breakfast at 2:00 a.m.?
What do Baltimoreans do for fun?
Myrr21, do I get anything special for finding art/music/culture, or just the fun of poking it with a stick?
Are there any good radio stations?
Columbia is hell? I thought Charlotte, NC was hell. Really, I’ve been there.
Are there any really good thrift stores
Yes, lots, and I know where ALL of them are.
Where is the best place to go out to breakfast at 2:00 a.m.?
Depends where you are. Bel Loc diner, Steak&Egg( better if you’ve been drinking) The Buttery, plenty. Littly Italy is open late, but not really breakfast food.
What do Baltimoreans do for fun?
It’s Baltimorons, and generally we tease Pittsburgers after the Ravens whip up on the Steelers.
Myrr21, do I get anything special for finding art/music/culture, or just the fun of poking it with a stick?
That’s up to Myrr, but it’s not THAT hard. just go to the cultural center- Mt. Royal Station on the light rail, and look around. Artscape is lots of fun.
Are there any good radio stations?
What kinda music do you like? We got stations for most everything. 99.1- modern rock 104.3 and 100.7-classic rock, 97.9- hard rock. 101.9- soft, gushy rock. Other types too, but Im not really into country (FM 93) or hip hop/rap ( 103.7, I think. maybe 102.9.)
Rockville is full of RUDE people, you will be happier in Baltimore
[rude class=“Rockville”]Really, we are? Well, I didn’t fucking know that, newbie.[/rude]
You left out the best one - WRNR 103.1 FM, out of Annapolis. You can hear the Dead Kennedys, Robert Johnson, the Grateful Dead, and Fishbone in a single set. What more could you want?
I’ve lived just south of Baltimore for the better part of 20 years, and I love it. You might want check out the northwest section of Fells Point when you’re looking for a place to live.
And the teasing that Steelers fans get is nothing compared to when the indianapolis colts lose here (best game I’ve ever been to).
Well, I did forget about Artscape (and was probably wearing a T-shirt from one of em when I wrote the post). I do so love Artscape–got great seats a few years back when Aretha Franklin performed…
breakfast at 2 AM:
Bel Loc is good in the county (corner of Joppa and Loch Raven, right?). I’ve heard good things about a new place that opened up somewhere in the city that’s open all night and has all sorts of weird stuff hanging from the ceiling and such. I can’t for the life of me remember the name, but everybody keeps saying I have to go there.
Music: 105.7 is mostly dippy oldies, but some good stuff thrown in too. 104.3 has more emphasis on '70s rock. 106.5 is modern rock, but MUCH worse than 99.1…still.
88.1 is WJHU, the local public radio station. NPR. Good.
88.9 (I think) is jazz.
And Fells Point is a wonderful place, full of neat stores, art, music, and bars (and near the harbor as well).
weirddave more on thrift stores, more, more, more, please!
What, nobody is defending Charlotte? Nobody could get away with a comment like that about Pittsburgh (or, it seems, Baltimore).
Yeah yeah yeah
just tune in to the county cable channel that has the rockville city stuff - a bunch a bitchin’ machines