When my youngest moved to Baltimore, she made me promise I would not watch The Wire. She’s been there for six years now and I’ve kept my promise. Now she’s finished grad school. I just made my 6th visit to a city I love, a city from whence my ancestors came.
The city, Baltimore, is charming, especially on St. Patrick’s Day weekend. We were the recipients of charming free beers. We ate charming free food. We met charming Uber drivers.
St. Paddy’s Day 5K and Marathon.
There is so much to love about Baltimore:
1. The pride. Residents of Baltimore are proud of their city. They are proud to live in Baltimore, to be from Baltimore. The friendliness. People smile. They say hello, good mornin’, how ya doin’, wassup. People in Baltimore are happy to chat with complete strangers.
Baltimore skyline from Federal Hill Park.
2. It’s real. It’s gritty. If you want high-falutin’ go to trendy preppy D.C. Baltimore is as down to earth as it gets.
The Inner Harbor.
3. Federal Hill Park.
Oscar mans the cannon on Federal Hill.
4. Ft. McHenry, Francis Scott Keyes and The Star Spangled Banner.
Fort McHenry.
5. Camden Yards.
Camden Yards.
6. Fells Point (my daughter lives in Fells Point) and the Admiral Fell Inn and the ghosts.
Fells Point.
Admiral Fell Inn.
7. Resurrection Beer.
Resurrection.
8. The to-die-for food at Peter’s Inn. Worth the wait. Seriously good eats. One of the best meals we’ve ever had.
Peter’s Inn.
9. The Captain Crunch French Toast at Blue Moon Cafe.
Blue Moon Cafe.
10. The old synagogues and the Jewish Museum.
Lloyd Street Synagogue, 1845.
B’nai Israel, the Ark, Lloyd and Lombard. 1876.
Jewish Museum of Maryland.
11. Random Hebrew placards marking former synagogues near Patterson Park.
1899.
1936.
12. The American Visionary Art Museum. (Do not miss. Best museum ever.)
American Visionary Art Museum.
13. The Mad Hatter.
The Mad Hatter in Fells Point.
14. Art Gallery of Fells Point, an Artist Coop– Check out Maury Dickson and his steampunk art.
Artist Coop.
15. Pitango Gelato, Fells Point. Try the afogado with chocolate-hazelnut gelato.
Pitango Gelato.
My daughter will be in Baltimore for another couple weeks. Then I get to watch The Wire.
Oh… while I was there checking out records I learned my great-grandmother was the daughter of a famous rabbi. Funny.
I Don't Think It Means... 
I couldn’t watch The Wire – the constant profanity, and I kept looking at the amazing black actors stuck with druggie roles and thinking it was a shame – but my son and husband adored it.
It has the trope: the only possible policewoman is a lesbian, which I see over and over, but otherwise is very well done.
We lived in Columbia, MD, for three years – went to Baltimore many a time. The waterfront is amazing.
Enjoy!
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Yeah, love it, Alicia. I shall let you know about The Wire. 😉
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Charming!
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Sounds like a great trip. Great pics. 🙂
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Baltimore is so fun, Jaye! Plus my dad was stationed there back in the day.
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I’ve only been to Baltimore once about 2 years ago and loved it. I definitely want to go back. I love the pics and glad you had fun!
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Seems counter intuitive, Amber, but it’s a happy place despite the high crime rate. CA is definitely not so happy and our crime rate is soaring.
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Heh. Lived here twelve years now. We live waaaaay out on the northwestern edge so for us, going down to the harbor is a big deal. We’ve been twice. I’ve lived in several big cities (Chicago, Houston, New York) but Baltimore is the best. We’ve truly enjoyed living here. Oh, yeah…first day of spring? Snow, snow, snow… 😀
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I hear you’re getting snow today, Anny. Seems like we got out just in time. Except daughter has to drive to NYC today. Crap! I like your part of town too – and I love the area over near Pennsylvania – the Dutch Market! Yum!
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What impressed us the first time we came here was how clean it is. And the fact that shoppers return their baskets to the shopping corrals…
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And everyone is very polite!
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And one more, Julia: The Ravens. It’s my second-favorite team. What’s not to like for a former English teacher? Quoth the raven, “Never more…”
Excellent post, and I love the pictures.
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The stadium is gorgeous, Marylin – near Camden Yards. Fits the space beautifully. I do like the Ravens too! Oh, and I forgot – crab cakes. Did I mention crab cakes?
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Like you I love Baltimore. Have only been there twice; both times a way too short period of time. However, after reading your post and looking at the pictures, and reading about the wonderful citizens of Baltimore I almost feel like I have lived there.
Now I want to go and visit Baltimore again and spend more time.
Congrats to your daughter.
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I’m a big fan, Roberta. Big fan. The people, the food, the city – and I’m not generally a fan of urban areas.
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Great photos. How lovely to discover more of your family tree. Rob and I saw The Wire, and enjoyed the series immensely. Well acted. And yes, gritty, but it portrayed a slice of American life that we hadn’t seen before.
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Fun trip, Diana! I plan to watch The Wire.
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