As detailed in a previous thread, I applied and was accepted for Americorps. I have been assigned to the campus in Perry Point, Maryland and will be arriving there in late January.
I’ve never been to Maryland or the surrounding areas before, and really don’t know what to expect. Are there any MD Dopers who have some tips, advice, or even just friendly words for me?
The traffic is horrendous, the crabcakes are great and if you like museums and/or history there’s lots to see and do. Summer’s hot and humid, winters vary wildly. If you plan to go into DC, take the Metro (train/subway) and you won’t be sorry. DC is much more cosmpolitan than Baltimore, which prides itsself on its blue collar heritage. Both cities are a lot of fun, even if I only go into them infrequently for entertainment!
We lived across the river from Perry Point, in Havre de Grace, for a year or so. The weather will be cooler than you’re used to (if you’re actually from Mississippi) in the winter. The humidity was pretty bad to me, but I came from the North and West, where there is no such thing. Some of the people (to me) are pretty darned rural and awfully bigoted.
You’re about 45 minutes from Baltimore, where we now live, and we’ve always got some kind of MAD fest happening.
I am with krisolov here - the traffic around DC is not so much traffic, as a parking lot. DO NOT DRIVE. If you must, drive to a Metro station and take the metro in - that’s what we do every time we head down.
When you’re here and want to hit DC, let me know. I’m still new here, and I want to see everything. EVERYTHING.
Welcome to being an MAD! We’re nice. We’ll be a home away from home for you. When you get tired of the place, we’ve got a spare bed, DSL, and home cooking.
Ah, Maryland in January. You couldn’t come at a better time. We have all the dank dreariness of northern Scotland, but with the added bonus of traffic jams.
Actually, despite my snotty remark above, I’m rather fond of the place. Been here about eight years; wouldn’t mind several more.
As you’ll note from a map, the state is oddly shaped — don’t know how it ended up as one state, in fact — and varies a lot considering its small size. The western “panhandle” portion is mountainous, has some great natural parks, and is much more like West Virginia coal country than what Maryland typically brings to mind.
Central “suburban” Maryland is dominated by Baltimore and Washington on either end. Traffic in and close to the cities is awful, as others have noted. In Washington you’ll want to use the Metro; in Baltimore you have no such luxury. Both cities are encircled by a beltway that can be occasionally convenient in the off-hours, but are mostly just a frustrating drain on your time.
Good places to visit in central Maryland are Frederick, for antique stores and the historic downtown buildings; and Columbia, for upscale shopping and restaurants. Bertucci’s in Columbia is particularly good for brick-oven pizza.
The section of Maryland east of the Chesapeake Bay is known as the Eastern Shore. This confused me when I first moved here, as I thought “eastern shore” would refer only to the Atlantic coast. But no, it refers to all Maryland territory east of the Bay. Also, this section of Maryland, along with Delaware to the north and the detached sliver of Virginia to the south, form the Delmarva penninsula, named for all three states.
A good place to go in eastern Maryland is Chestertown, if you like quaint historical towns (and still more antique stores). A co-worker of mine has also recommended Saint Michael’s for a weekend getaway, though I’ve never been there myself. Avoid Ocean City though unless you like tawdry tourist traps. A better beach vacation (if that appeals to you) can be found in Chincoteague, which technically is in Virginia and not Maryland, but is close enough for our purposes here.
Almost all traffic between eastern Maryland and the rest of the state passes over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge near Annapolis, which will cost you $2.50 going east, but nothing to come back. (Or do I remember it backwards?) The Bridge is one of the largest suspension bridges in the country, a marvel of 20th Century engineering — or so you dearly hope anyway as you’re driving across it. It’ll lift you hundreds of feet over the water’s surface by the midpoint, and so is more like a short plane flight than a drive. Me, I always stick to the middle lane of the three lanes available, drive about half the posted speed limit, which is already low, and stare fixedly at the asphalt right in front of the car until I reach terra firma on the other side. My wife, I believe, closes her eyes entirely during the journey. Sometimes I cheat and do the same.
One final note on living here: I believe it is illegal to leave the state of Maryland without having tried some crabcakes. So be sure to keep your receipt when you do.
Anyway, a warm welcome to Maryland. I’m sure everyone here will be happy to answer any other questions.
Baltimore has very fine museum of outsider and visionary art. Bytegeist is correct; it is not only illegal but immoral to leave without trying crabcakes.
Hi, Bytegeist! You should come out to meet us sometime! We’ve just had an MAD party today at Anita Vacation’s place.
Hm, well you won’t be far from Aberdeen, where you can watch Cal Ripken’s Iron Birds play minor-league baseball… 
Furthermore, if you haven’t had Maryland crabcakes, you haven’t had crabcakes. Cheap bought-frozen-in-a-box/sold-by-a-hotdog-stand Maryland crabcakes taste better than fancy expensive four-star-restaurant non-Maryland crabcakes (a.k.a. “crapcakes”).
Agreed. I’ll order crabcakes from time to time out here* when I get desperate (sometimes I’ll even get suckered in by a so-called “Maryland Crabcake” on the menu), but it’s never the same thing. Not even close. They always pack 'em with tons of filler and lots of frou-frou seasoning. Not the real thing.
Anyway, hope you enjoy Maryland!
*I say ‘out here’, but actually, I’m writing this while I’m back in Maryland visiting family. So, basically, the ‘out here’ is a big fat lie.
You being a (college age) kid (I assume), I would add two things:
A. There is alot of “life” revolving around your age… Colleges like Hood, Hopkins, UMBC amd UMCollege Park are all around and there are alot of kids taking internship oppurtunities in the area, so is a social life to take advantage of if you wish.
B. You are a good hour and a half (68 mis) away from DC and Perry Point MD is actually physically closer to Philadelphia PA (58 mis) and Dover DE (40mis) so you might want to start a thread asking advice about those areas too. But don’t miss DC or get scared by the traffic (as outlined here – all true BTW). You don’t want to miss the possibilities of DC at your age IMO.
Don’t forget that Delaware does not exist.
Until lottery time.
Oh, don’t pay any attention to Ginger. She says this now because she wants everyone to think “Oh, isn’t she sweet?” But just wait til you meet her! Nasty, unpleasant, given to poking unprovoked, and will never tell you the truth about her age!
Seriously, though, I’ve lived in Maryland all my life, and I like it here. Grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore, now live in the mountains of western Maryland (well, not actually in the mountains, more like in a house surrounded by mountains. . .oh, never mind!). The area I live in now is beautiful if you like nature. It’s also historic, and is a railroad town. If you’re interested in seeing this area during your time in MD, just let me know!
THIRTY-TWO.
But I look twenty-four.
Shut up, Norine-EUW.
Bring clothes for every single kind of weather you can imagine. Blizzards, Hurricanes, Tornadoes. you name it, we’ve had it in the past year. But really, the temperatures are crazy–so pack everything.
b-more can be lots of fun, day and night. there really is something for everyone! if you’re a bar hopper, try fells point. if you like art there’s the walters and the american visionary art museum (mentioned above). if you like food, there’s little italy. anyway, you get the point. have fun!
Ginger, thanks kindly for the invitation. However, you’ll first have to reassure me that a “MAD” party is entirely harmless, despite all appearances.
And just who is this “Anita” — if that’s her real name?
Bytegeist- don’t let her fool you. They’re insane, all of them. RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIIIIIFE!
OK, not really. They’re a fun bunch! Join them sometime 
(I’ve been fortunate enough to meet up with the M.A.Ds several times.)
Okay, don’t listen to Zette, unless it’s to make fun of her accent. “Anita” is Anita Vacation, Geobabe’s sister and wunnerful lady. She hosted a dopefest at her place on Saturday.
Next up, is when that smelly hobbit-girl Zette comes a-visitin’. We’re going to the National Aquarium in Baltimore on January 9. $5 after 5:00 on Fridays, you know! We’ll be joined by the lovely and talented Anamorphic.
Then, maybe food!