ShonTron
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I was in Baltimore for a conference where I presented for a 10-minute talk on some of the research that our office is doing.
Baltimore consistently ranks in the top five most dangerous large cities in the United States. However, unlike Detroit, which has a small, struggling downtown with very few downtown residents, Baltimore has a very strong downtown with a vibrant waterfront. The only bits of Baltimore I have seen was from that very good 1990s television crime-drama, Homicide: Life on the Street. There is a lot of poverty in the city – the main employer, Bethlehem Steel, used to employ over 15,000 workers, what's left of the plant barely employs one-fifth that.
Baltimore was one of the first US cities to attempt a downtown revitalization. In the 1970s, the only thing that would draw tourists was Fort McHenry, an early American fort protecting the city and its harbour. During the War of 1812, British troops stationed in Canada burned down Washington (including the White House) and tried the same in Baltimore. The successful American defense led to that country's national anthem.
Flying in.
Johns Hopkins is next to some of Baltimore's poorest neighbourhoods.
Walking towards Fell's Point. Very gentrified, new condos and townhouses in with old shops and warehouses. This is the less touristy part of Baltimore Inner Harbor.
The first night I was there was Halloween. Edgar Allen Poe was raised here, and he died here, and buried in a cemetary which was later occupied by a church (Westminster Presby). The grounds are now owned by the University of Maryland. They hosted a Halloween nigh tour which was very well done, where you could tour the cemetery, including the catacombs – the graves covered by the church that was built later in the 19th century. An organist inside the church was dressed up and playing old horror movie classics, and there were regular readings of Poe's work. The $5 admission included unlimited popcorn and apple cider. The best performance was "Frank the body Snatcher", a prof who dresses up and tells the story of a man hired by the university to obtain cadavers for teaching.
I really like the Maryland flag.
On the last full day I was in Baltimore, I took a walk away from the harbour, planning to see Mount Vernon, a historic neighbourhood where the arts institutions are located. I first had lunch in Lexington Market. The market is made up mostly of food stalls, selling everything from roast beef sandwiches to fresh fish. There are at least 10 different fried chicken outlets.
On Fridays, Lexington Market has live jazz and blues performances in the main seating area. There are stand-up tables in the middle, and upstairs, a balcony with seating. The market building is relatively modern, but in an old style – but a market existed on the site since 1787. A great place to have a lunch.
Howard Street near Lexington, up towards Mount Vernon.
Mount Vernon is a tiny slice of New England or Europe. It is where there are several art galleries, the Peabody Institute, an art school, and a touch of gay culture, a few bars and shops catering to the small community. The library in the Peabody Institute is spectacular, as is the Catholic Basilica (Maryland was originally founded by a English Catholic noble, and was the first to establish a sort of religious freedom, it was one colony where Catholics were welcome, unlike much of Puritanical Colonies). Maryland stayed int he Union (with reluctance, but was a slave state. I took a picture of the slaves' balcony in the Basilica below).
The original Washington Monument.
The Maryland Historical Society building has old exterior signs on its building. As I took this pic, I had Adma in mind.
Camden Yards - an old B&O warehouse and station were incorporated into the first of the retro ball parks.
Bromo Seltzer Tower. Seriously.
I took both light rail and subway. Both systems are fairly simple, thought the light rail offers connections to BWI and Penn Station (though only every 30 minutes off-peak). The LRT is mostly in old railway and interurban lines (and light rail is often scenic both north and south). Downtown, it runs on Howard Street (the part of Baltimore that largely missed gentrification), and looks not so great.
Penn Station, on my way to DC.
Baltimore consistently ranks in the top five most dangerous large cities in the United States. However, unlike Detroit, which has a small, struggling downtown with very few downtown residents, Baltimore has a very strong downtown with a vibrant waterfront. The only bits of Baltimore I have seen was from that very good 1990s television crime-drama, Homicide: Life on the Street. There is a lot of poverty in the city – the main employer, Bethlehem Steel, used to employ over 15,000 workers, what's left of the plant barely employs one-fifth that.
Baltimore was one of the first US cities to attempt a downtown revitalization. In the 1970s, the only thing that would draw tourists was Fort McHenry, an early American fort protecting the city and its harbour. During the War of 1812, British troops stationed in Canada burned down Washington (including the White House) and tried the same in Baltimore. The successful American defense led to that country's national anthem.
Flying in.
Johns Hopkins is next to some of Baltimore's poorest neighbourhoods.
Walking towards Fell's Point. Very gentrified, new condos and townhouses in with old shops and warehouses. This is the less touristy part of Baltimore Inner Harbor.
The first night I was there was Halloween. Edgar Allen Poe was raised here, and he died here, and buried in a cemetary which was later occupied by a church (Westminster Presby). The grounds are now owned by the University of Maryland. They hosted a Halloween nigh tour which was very well done, where you could tour the cemetery, including the catacombs – the graves covered by the church that was built later in the 19th century. An organist inside the church was dressed up and playing old horror movie classics, and there were regular readings of Poe's work. The $5 admission included unlimited popcorn and apple cider. The best performance was "Frank the body Snatcher", a prof who dresses up and tells the story of a man hired by the university to obtain cadavers for teaching.
I really like the Maryland flag.
On the last full day I was in Baltimore, I took a walk away from the harbour, planning to see Mount Vernon, a historic neighbourhood where the arts institutions are located. I first had lunch in Lexington Market. The market is made up mostly of food stalls, selling everything from roast beef sandwiches to fresh fish. There are at least 10 different fried chicken outlets.
On Fridays, Lexington Market has live jazz and blues performances in the main seating area. There are stand-up tables in the middle, and upstairs, a balcony with seating. The market building is relatively modern, but in an old style – but a market existed on the site since 1787. A great place to have a lunch.
Howard Street near Lexington, up towards Mount Vernon.
Mount Vernon is a tiny slice of New England or Europe. It is where there are several art galleries, the Peabody Institute, an art school, and a touch of gay culture, a few bars and shops catering to the small community. The library in the Peabody Institute is spectacular, as is the Catholic Basilica (Maryland was originally founded by a English Catholic noble, and was the first to establish a sort of religious freedom, it was one colony where Catholics were welcome, unlike much of Puritanical Colonies). Maryland stayed int he Union (with reluctance, but was a slave state. I took a picture of the slaves' balcony in the Basilica below).
The original Washington Monument.
The Maryland Historical Society building has old exterior signs on its building. As I took this pic, I had Adma in mind.
Camden Yards - an old B&O warehouse and station were incorporated into the first of the retro ball parks.
Bromo Seltzer Tower. Seriously.
I took both light rail and subway. Both systems are fairly simple, thought the light rail offers connections to BWI and Penn Station (though only every 30 minutes off-peak). The LRT is mostly in old railway and interurban lines (and light rail is often scenic both north and south). Downtown, it runs on Howard Street (the part of Baltimore that largely missed gentrification), and looks not so great.
Penn Station, on my way to DC.
