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Curiosity: What is Baltimore like?

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    Posted: 10 May 2012 at 5:20am
ConfusedYea...I'm kinda curious...there is a chance I may have to spend a decent amount of time in Baltimore, soon.
 
I do not travel anywhere near as much as I used to - in fact, I am a little more aprehensive about traveling for business at all, these days.
 
I'm not very excited about this, except I can probably go to a bunch of Orioles games, get a shirt & hat, visit EA Poe's grave and drink a couple o'beers and eat crabs.
 
Other than that, during all of my wordly tours, I have always avoided Baltimore for no uncertain reason. I've driven straight thoough it many times, connected many a flight there.
I do not really dislike Baltimore...I just sort of am looking at 'something new' that I have always avoided - again, for no reason at all.
 
MissyDWolf is thinking exactly like me...the last time we did something like this was a long-term effort down in Long Island and Brooklyn; we loved those days - ended up making a ton of life-long friends with whom we still remain in very close contact. 
 
Balimore isn't New York City.
 
Anyone KNOW anything about the place? We think it is HOT, there.Cry
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jimbo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 May 2012 at 5:36am
A guy's doctor told him he only had six months to live, so he moved to Baltimore & it seemed like forever.
 
Actually, that's a recycled Cleveland joke, but what the hey.
 
 
...the ads take aim and lay their claim to the heart and the soul of the spender
Jackson Browne - The Pretender

C'mon, man!
Joe Biden - 46th President of the United States
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PaWolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 May 2012 at 6:35am
Originally posted by Jimbo Jimbo wrote:

A guy's doctor told him he only had six months to live, so he moved to Baltimore & it seemed like forever.
 
Actually, that's a recycled Cleveland joke, but what the hey.
 
 
Confusedgee...thanks ol'mule...that kinda supports what I really suspected.
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jeroboam Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 May 2012 at 7:43am
Sat in a muggy plane on a tarmac in Baltimore watching lightning while we waited to get clearance to fly over to Dulles during a tornado touchdown there. We were there for 3 hours about and I said, "Cool chain lightning" and the old guy in front chimed in, "that's the coolest thing you'd see here"  Given I am sure Baltimore has a lot of nice stuff to offer.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Thor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 May 2012 at 2:12pm
Pa, maybe you should rent some John Waters movies.  I think that's where he films his stuff.
 
Here're some scenes of lovely Bal'mer:
 
 
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jimbo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 May 2012 at 3:13pm
Or just watch old episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street starring Yaphet Kotto, Andre Braugher & Richard Belzer.
 
It was set in Baltimore & they filmed it there.
 
Or, you could just watch these:
 
 
 
 
If you want to see more, just go to YouTube & type in Baltimore.
 
All in all, I'd say compared to the greater Buffalo area, it can't be that bad.
 
All things considered, it's probably an improvement.
 
 
...the ads take aim and lay their claim to the heart and the soul of the spender
Jackson Browne - The Pretender

C'mon, man!
Joe Biden - 46th President of the United States
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote msmadz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 May 2012 at 3:37pm
If you like crabs, it's a nice place.
 
I've never been there but it's near water (if you happen to liek th e beach!)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jimbo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 May 2012 at 3:52pm
Originally posted by Madawee Madawee wrote:

If you like crabs, it's a nice place.
 
I've never been there but it's near water (if you happen to liek th e beach!)
 
I used to "liek th e beach!" when I was younger, but not so much anymore. Wink
 
Haven't been in years.
 
...the ads take aim and lay their claim to the heart and the soul of the spender
Jackson Browne - The Pretender

C'mon, man!
Joe Biden - 46th President of the United States
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tiz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 May 2012 at 10:48pm
I hear the Orioles are doing fair to meddling this year, take in a game.  Take a trip across the Chesapeake Bay bridge tunnel. You'll have to get off a few bucks for toll money..... and no bicycles allowed.Wink
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hootman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 2012 at 1:23am
Years ago, I had to go to Baltimore to explain the employee benefit options to a group of people losing their jobs at one of our offices.

The people did not know that the office was closing.

When I got there, the manager met with me and seemed rather nonchalant about what he was about to do.

So, we went into a conference room where all 40 employees were sitting, looking confused, when the manager said.  "The office is closing.  Today is your last day, if you have questions, see "Hootman".  Goodbye and good luck."

Well, needless to say, by the end of the day, I couldn't wait to get out of Baltimore.  I did buy some crab cakes in dry ice at the airport.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Thor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 2012 at 1:32am
Wow, that sucks, Hoot.  People who are told they're losing their jobs one minute, are in no mental or emotional state of mind to present well-thought out questions re benefits the next.
 
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hootman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 2012 at 2:26am
That's exactly how it went.  Middle age men with kids in college didn't give a rat's ass about health care continuation or pension.  They were scared to death.  I did what I could.  When I got back to corporate, I shared my story.

I later found out the manager had stage 4 cancer, and died within a few months.  I guess he had worse things on his mind, but it was no way to treat people.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote roadfool Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 2012 at 9:56am
I spent a few weeks in downtown Baltimore and was pleasantly surprised by it. It was nowhere near as bad as it looks on The Wire, but it could freak you out if you're not used to being around a lot of black people. And it's definitely hot...and humid. After a while, you'll wonder why you even bothered taking a shower since you're sweaty again before you've even gotten dressed. I will never, ever bitch at someone for saying "but it's a dry heat" ever again. Not trying to scare you off or anything, just be prepared 'cause I certainly wasn't.

Definitely go to at least one O's game. Nobody goes to the stadium anymore so you can get really good seats for cheap. Hell, one day I was walking up to the ticket office and some guy gave me a free ticket about 15 rows behind the dugout. He'd gotten the seats free from a client and couldn't find anyone to take the second seat because the O's sucked so bad that year. You can also take food into Camden Yards as long as you haven't opened any bottles of water or soda, so buy your hot dogs and drinks from the vendors along the streets outside. I got a hot dog, chips, and soda out there for less than the price of a bottled water inside.

You should also check out the Inner Harbor once, just don't waste money on the restaurants and shops there. There's a big science center at the end of the harbor if you're into that sort of thing. Baltimore also has a ton of museums if you like that kind of stuff. I didn't make it to the train museum or the museum of industry, but they're supposed to be really cool. If you like books, the Enoch Pratt library downtown has tons of stuff to read. 

I could probably ramble for days about Baltimore, so I'm gonna stop before I sound like a travel agent. If you have any specific questions, post 'em and I'll see if can give you an answer. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Thor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 2012 at 1:40pm
I like the Baltimore accent.  It's kind of a cross between Southern drawl and urban NJ.  Of course, it's kind of located between the two.
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jimbo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 2012 at 5:33pm
Originally posted by roadfool roadfool wrote:

And it's definitely hot...and humid. After a while, you'll wonder why you even bothered taking a shower since you're sweaty again before you've even gotten dressed. I will never, ever bitch at someone for saying "but it's a dry heat" ever again.
 
Exactly like Florida in the summertime.
 
During the summer months, I drive to work with my shirt off & don't put it on until I park & get out because otherwise, it would be soaked by the time I got there.
 
And that's at 7:30 am!!!
 
 
...the ads take aim and lay their claim to the heart and the soul of the spender
Jackson Browne - The Pretender

C'mon, man!
Joe Biden - 46th President of the United States
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote MrTim Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 2012 at 10:50pm
(Jeopardy! theme plays....)
 
Alex Trebeck:  The sweaty crotch of Maryland.
 
PaWolf:  What is Baltimore like?
 
LOL
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tiz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 2012 at 11:21pm
I'll take Roadside Attractions for $200 Alex.

The answer is..... Ding Ding Ding... The Daily "Double".

"I'll wager $300 Alex."

The answer: Florida In The Morning

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PaWolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 May 2012 at 8:46pm
Originally posted by Jimbo Jimbo wrote:

Originally posted by roadfool roadfool wrote:

And it's definitely hot...and humid. After a while, you'll wonder why you even bothered taking a shower since you're sweaty again before you've even gotten dressed. I will never, ever bitch at someone for saying "but it's a dry heat" ever again.
 
Exactly like Florida in the summertime.
 
During the summer months, I drive to work with my shirt off & don't put it on until I park & get out because otherwise, it would be soaked by the time I got there.
 
And that's at 7:30 am!!!
 
 
ConfusedDeadThanks Gents - just what I needed to hear. Now I wonder where my brains were.
We lived in Tampa for a while and Texas much longer, so I shouldn't have forgotten that
Homey don't do "Hot & (especially) Humid".
Can't handle and don't do well with too much of  'hot & humid'.
 
...and thanks, Thor - I forgot about the 'Mirror of Baltimore', himself (Waters).
I think we would have to go for a visit in another month.
They have nice, but strange people there, I suspect.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 May 2012 at 1:31pm
It's nice if you're in the good parts of it. I've never been to the really rough parts I hear so much about, but down by the water it's actually rather charming. The Baltimore Aquarium is great, and they have a pretty awesome mall, and some wonderful seafood restaurants. I like Baltimore quite a bit.
madness fills my heart and soul as if the great divide could swallow me whole
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jimbo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2012 at 2:17am
It actually seems like a pretty interesting place.
 
Somewhere I'd like to visit, but wouldn't want to live in.
 
I've only seen it a couple of times from the window of an Amtrak train, but you know how it is with railroad tracks... they almost always run thru the seedier parts of cities.
 
The part of Baltimore I saw was a good couple of miles or so outside of downtown. I could see the skyline from a distance, but up close all I could see was a lot of old brick row houses.
 
Mostly, this was pretty much what I could see of it:
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
...the ads take aim and lay their claim to the heart and the soul of the spender
Jackson Browne - The Pretender

C'mon, man!
Joe Biden - 46th President of the United States
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jeroboam Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2012 at 4:24am
I always think of Silence of the Lambs.
Dr. Lecter: Tell me, Senator, did you nurse Catherine yourself?
Senator Ruth Martin: What?
Dr. Lecter: Did you breast-feed her?
Krendler: Now, wait a minute …
Senator Ruth Martin: Yes, I did.
Dr. Lecter: Toughened your nipples, didn't it?
Krendler: You son of a bitch!
Dr. Lecter: Amputate a man's leg, and he can still feel it tickling. Tell me, mum, when your little girl is on the slab, where will it tickle you?
Sen. Martin: Take this thing back to Baltimore!

Seriously, that's it. That is why.. just the way she says "Baltimore" all whispered and furious but with some weird panic. I love it. One of the best and under appreciated moments of dialogue in the film.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PaWolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2012 at 3:48am
WinkThanks to all for the very, very valuable input...gave MissyD & Self plenty of constructive input for thought.
I'm 'taking a flyer' on Baltimore.
It was a lot of factors, including one I *just* went through, while going to get gas at MissyD's old store.
I love Wolfy Island too much to leave for any length of time anymore.
 
"...HEY PaW!!! Where are the drunks at this time o'night, tonight???!!! C'mon! Gimmee a HINT!...."  
 
OuchThat was from one of the 'Local's Finest' and a damned good friend, as he hung out of his squad car and waved at me, while running over a curb as I was just stopped at a light, in the Blackillac doncha know. He didn't do too much damage; a scrape or two to his car.
 
I think that same trooper would not have done the same thing in Baltimore.
 
I don't think I should veer very far off the beaten path so much, these days...best to stay where you know, doncha know.
 
I'm thinkin' even crossing into Vermont (awfully far away) could be dangerous; if THIS is a hint of what one could run into in Baltimore....well, oh HELL NO!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ThreadKiller Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 May 2012 at 2:06am

Come on, folks. Baltimore, like any large city, has plenty of rundown, bad sections. But the area around Inner Harbor and the stadiums has a lot to offer. It's slightly more than an hour drive from where we live, and we've visited quite a few times.

Pa, at Inner Harbor, near the aquarium, there are three ships you can tour--an old tall ship, the USS Constellation, the lightship Chesapeake, and the WWII-era submarine USS Torsk. I loved that--first and only time I've ever actually been on one, even though I've watched every submarine movie ever made.
 
The aquarium itself is nice but pricey.
 
You can catch a tour boat from Inner Harbor out to Fort McHenry and tour that. The boat makes a loop around the harbor, and they pointed out a some of the notable old warehouses and marine facilities along the way.
 
We took the "backstage tour" of Camden Yards before going to a game there. That was pretty cool. Also near the stadium is the Babe Ruth birthplace and sports museum.
 
One thing we really liked, being railroad fans, is the B&O Railroad Museum, a few blocks west of Inner Harbor. They have several neat static displays outside of entire passenger trains, and a large display inside the old roundhouse of vintage locos and cars.
 
And if you like seafood, Baltimore is the place for you. We usually wind up at Phillips Seafood at Inner Harbor, but there are several good local seafood places all around the area.
 
You're also an easy drive from Annapolis if that interests you.
 
Finally, as a native Pennsylvanian, I can assure you, a bad day in Baltimore beats a good day in Philadelphia.
Hundreds of threads killed.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PaWolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 May 2012 at 3:43am
Big smileWink
Thank You, TK....and to all others who provided 'food for thought'.
 
In all fairness, we have made our decision to remain right where we are.
We belong nowhere else, these days.
 
As nice as it all sounds, as close as it is to more of the family, I could handle it only in the cooler months; the summer would wear me down. It hit 89F/32C up here, yesterday - I went out for a ride and a swim but was still exhausted and basically as worthless as ever, today. Not easy to breathe in weather like this; if any humidity (and we are surrounded by our beloved water).
 
The 'city'-aspect doesn't bother me; we've always loved it when I have to spend extended periods in air-conditioned places like New York - and I *can* handle places like New York, Toronto, Chicago, London, or even D.C., as long as I can carouse underground, getting from point A to point B during the ugly part of a day. 
On days like yesterday, it would take being arrested at 4 A.M. (but being allowed to shower and drees up, first) for someone to drag me down into my office.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jimbo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 May 2012 at 3:58am
Originally posted by PaWolf PaWolf wrote:

It hit 89F/32C up here, yesterday - I went out for a ride and a swim but was still exhausted and basically as worthless as ever, today. Not easy to breathe in weather like this; if any humidity (and we are surrounded by our beloved water).
 
Where do you swim Pa? In lake? Municipal pool?
 
 
...the ads take aim and lay their claim to the heart and the soul of the spender
Jackson Browne - The Pretender

C'mon, man!
Joe Biden - 46th President of the United States
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