My sister, MicroSibling,* is starting grad school at Johns Hopkins in a month. Tell me about Baltimore! I’m particularly interested in:
1.) Cool places she could visit/things she could do;
2.) Your reassurance that MicroSibling will not die; and
3.) Any other advice about living in Bawlmer that you think relevant.
Thanks!
*She’s younger than me, and she is exceptionally short. She’s a MicroSibling.
Well, I lived and attended school and worked in Baltimore for 19 years and I didn’t die. My sibs all live in and around Baltimore and they’ve all survived so far…
As for places to visit and things to do - more than anyone can possibly list. But on my personal do-not-miss list is the National Aquarium in the Inner Harbor. The B&O museum is also fun. Take your pick.
Thanks - but how do I know you aren’t some sort of zombie? Eh? Eh?
Because it says right under my name that I’m nice, dammit! Zombies aren’t nice and a zombie would give you a snarky answer. So there you have it.
Incidentally, the water taxi in the Inner Harbor is another good deal - apart from being able to ride all day for one price, you get to see the harbor area from the water, which is cool. And no zombie would be interested in boat rides.
Duid Hill Park (“Droo’dil Park”) is nice - During daylight. See the zoo while you’re there. It’s been a while since I’ve been there, but IIRC, it’s not a place to be after dark.
Inner Harbor is a place to go to spend money. The Aquarium and the USS Constellation are worth a look-see. Can’t personally see doing any of the above frequently, though.
Ft. McHenry is a must-see. So is Camden Yards - Frequently. Likewise Merriwether Post Pavillion - Many national and lesser-know bands perform there.
Don’t forget the MD Renn FAire - Not all that far from B’more.
From B’more, it’s easy enough to get to DC and Annapolis. Scads of things to do and see in those towns.
I think she should stop at Bertha’s Muscles There is a folk song that goes with it. Eat Bertha’s Muscles
Hey, my alma mater! Although things have probably changed a bit since I graduated almost twenty years ago (wow, has it really been that long? :eek:). Baltimore is not the safest place I have ever lived, but it’s fine as long as you take reasonable safety precautions. I never had any trouble.
Tell your sister she has to go see the annual performance of Throat Culture, if they still offer it. It’s like Second City for Hopkins students. Spring Fair is always fun too. As others have said, downtown Baltimore is very nice. Camden Yards is a beautiful stadium. Now, if only the Os would stop sucking…
I live in Baltimore and am a huge fan of it. Plus, I’m not dead yet.
Things to do & oh there are many:
There’s more, too, but that should get her started.
Finally, if she’s going to live around the JHU/Charles Village area–where my first digs in the city were–I mainly recommend being thoughtful about locking up her car and home. It’s known as a college area and people prey on the kids being not so smart with their valuables (e.g., bikes, iphones). If she’s sharing a home with other students, that’s more of a bother because all it takes is for one person to be a slacker for everyone to get robbed. Otherwise, I’ve lived in different parts of the city for about 4 years and have had very few problems and mainly exist by being smart about my surroundings and not sweating it too much. HBO to the contrary, my day-to-day life has never looked much like The Wire.
Thanks, Moi! Fantastic tips.
Faidley’s.
It a fish shop/crab cake purveyor in the older, more busted part of the Lexington Market. You’re going wonder why they charge so much for a crab cake (the Jumbo Lump crabcake), then when you eat it, you will never eat a crab cake anywhere else again that you will consider anything but a pale, sad, imitation.
You’re quite welcome. As I said, I’m a fan of the city and like people to come here and like it, too. Though, upon rereading, I acknowledge my list is skewed obviously toward my interests…which, evidently, are art, sharks & beer.
'Nother JHU grad here–I remember going to these great crab restaurants where they’d take these heaps of cooked whole crabs, slathered in black pepper, and dump 'em on a table covered in brown wrapping paper, and give you a wooden hammer to smash them up with. Great fun, and great eating. And plenty of cold beer to wash it down. Most fun eating ever! I remember the best of them being on Blair.
Also the Poe sites (some in a pretty crummy part of town) and the Mencken Sites are fun. Andthe Walters is a world-class art museum.
Black pepper 
Pretty sure you meant Old Bay.
Well, I haven’t had it for a few decades now, but I remember it as black pepper. Pretty nasty stuff, actually. But it made the cold beer even more required.
Ah yes, Old Bay definitely makes cold beer a requirement. Those of us who live in the Chesapeake Bay region sure like it though
While I agree on Faidley’s, every booth in the Lexington market had incredible food.
For Crab it’s OBrycki’s!
Forgot where but the culture on display in Hairspray still exists in one Bal’more neighborhood.
Goes good with the corn on the cob, too - yanno, for when your fingers burn too much from the Old Bay & minor puncture wounds from crab shells.
Then the pain fades a bit, and you go back to the crabs.
