But it has way, way more going on than you think, especially music-wise: CULTURE SHOCKīaltimore isn’t usually thought of as a big city for the arts, and it’s certainly no New York or LA in those respects. You’ll find more natives (and “Bawlmer” accents) here than you will further downtown. Roland Park: One of Baltimore’s wealthier neighborhoods, it’s also home to Loyola University of Maryland. The latter, south of the giant hill of the same name, tends to be a favorite home for young marrieds and other affluent but non-student young people (since it’s kind of far away from most of the universities). The former is in the southeastern part of the city and is one of its oldest neighborhoods, with buildings dating back to the colonial era and cobblestone streets. Walk a little further east and you’ll find the culinary heaven that is Little Italy, where you can also see where Nancy Pelosi grew up.įells Point and Federal Hill: The city’s two biggest bar scenes. Its main landmark is the Katyn Memorial, honoring the Polish generals and intelligentsia killed by Soviet secret police in the Katyn Forest in 1940. Harbor East/Little Italy: Harbor East is kind of swanky, with lots of upscale boutiques and fancy restaurants.
Inner Harbor: The tourist center of Baltimore, the Inner Harbor is dotted with chain restaurants and other attractions for out-of-towners, like the National Aquarium, the USS Constellation and the Harborplace/Gallery mall complex. Home to the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) on one end and the University of Baltimore on the other. Lots of bars and clubs, and underground/indie music venues. Vernon’s edgier northern cousin, centered on Penn Station. Like most college towns, expect bars and cheap eats. Homewood/Charles Village: The most student-y neighborhood as it’s where the main Johns Hopkins campus is.
The Avenue, the four blocks of 36th Street east of Falls Rd., is Hampden’s “main street” where you can find lots of bars and quirky boutiques. Hampden: A working-class neighborhood that has since been colonized by hipsters without fully losing its roots. Very scenic: lots of parks, marble buildings and cobblestone streets. Mount Vernon: Both Baltimore’s main cultural district and the closest thing it has to a “gayborhood.” Also this is where my alma mater, Peabody, is so it’s the area I know the best. While you may or may not agree with the city’s motto emblazoned on its benches - “The Greatest City in America” - it’s hard to visit this place and not concur with Baltimore’s other, far more popular nickname: Charm City.
Far from the violent cesspool depicted by crime dramas like The Wire, Baltimore is mostly a fun, vibrant and large city with a quirky flavor. In my sophomore year, my mom took a job teaching at a private school here and my parents followed me, though, really, they’d been looking for an excuse to move here since long before I chose a college. My stepdad grew up here, and my family took regular trips here years before I started college at the Peabody Conservatory, a Johns-Hopkins-affiliated music conservatory in the city.