Author Topic: What Makes Baltimore Great? (Read 4069 times)

Admissions_Daniel · « **on:** April 15, 2007, 09:56 AM »

Time for another featured discussion...

One of the greatest attributes of being a Johns Hopkins student is the connection you can have with an amazing city -- the city of Baltimore. As a resident of the Homewood campus you will experience the growing college-town of Charles Village, but you will be so close to so many of the other noteworthy neighborhoods that make up Baltimore.

This thread is for us to detail what we love about our city. Each student will list their three favorite parts of living in Baltimore.

Here are mine:

(1) Camden Yards: I am a huge baseball fan, and though I prefer the National League to the American League and I am an avid Mets fan, I can truly appreciate the beauty and majesty of Camden Yards. I must say that it remains my favorite ballpark in the whole country.

(2) Bo Brooks Restaurant in Canton: B'more is known for its crabs and no place in my humble opinion serves them better then Bo Brooks. What a magnificent place -- check them out online: http://www.bobrooks.com/

(3) Fell's Point: One of the truly unique neighborhoods that make up the city. Fell's Point is known for great restaurants, cool shops, and the best place to be for Halloween.

JHU_Andrew · « **Reply #1 on:** April 15, 2007, 11:55 AM »

1) The music scene. You probably won't realize it at first, but it's fantastic. Click here to read a guest blog I wrote a year ago about Baltimore's music scene.

2) Homewood Campus. I love this school. Most people will agree that the campus is great. Likewise, Charles Village is currently being re-vamped. The new and improved Charles Village will be much more impressive. Coldstone Creamery, Chipotle, the return of Uni Mini, etc. etc. etc. Great things will be happening soon.

3) Fell's Point. In all honesty, I haven't been down there in a long time. I used to go a lot last year though, and it's a really cool place. Good food and good stores. Halloween down there is always a blast.

JHU_Esther · « **Reply #2 on:** April 15, 2007, 11:58 AM »

What makes Baltimore great?
1. I came from the suburbs where I needed a car to get everywhere. I love living in Baltimore simply for the fact that I can walk to the supermarket. Boy I sound like a country girl now.

2. Hamden is this really cute funky neighborhood about fifteen minutes from Hopkins. It's a great place to go to get unique meals, vintage clothes, or a haircut at an organic salon.

3. Johns Hopkins University. We really make this city a better place. Be it the med school, Peabody, or Homewood campus Hopkins contributes so much to the city. We're not the second largest employer in Maryland for nothing.

JHU_Phil · « **Reply #3 on:** April 15, 2007, 12:01 PM »

Baltimore grows on you. As a freshman, your access to the city might not be as complete until you have been here for a while and begin to see what to see and where to go. I am thoroughly impressed with the city, and I have only been to the Inner Harbor twice and yet to go to the Aquarium: there is alot to explore.

Remember, you live here now (if you are going to Hopkins), this place is your home, not a tourist attraction, and many people forget that. We are in a city and must accept everything that comes with that. We are not in New York or Paris, but Baltimore has great things to offer if you are looking for them.

1. Federal Hill, Fells Point, Hamden- neighborhoods that are filled with people on the weekend. Plenty of fun to be had, and plenty of money to be spent!

2. Small returaunts- this is ambiguous, but the cuisine is probably my favorite part about this city. I love places like Brewer's Art, with its dungeon like resturaunt, Thirsty Dog, that allows you to bring your dog and they have pizzas and their own line of drinks. Dizzy Izzy's, and when I feel like a jerk there is always a full line of fast food and Chilis.

3. Baltimore's has character. It's difficult to describe. You have to live here to appreciate the curving streets, the bumpy roads, the abrupt mixture of neighborhoods the small town neighborhood atmosphere. There are sections with faceless sky scrapers of huge financial institutions and nothing but sterile parking garages, but by and large, it's a neighborhood based community that I have come to really enjoy. Again...I have been here for years. I have routines in the city, James Joyce on Mondays, and Fells Point during the week and Fed Hill on the weekends. (well, it's not clockwork, but you get the idea.)

4. Close proximity of a few schools. Loyola is up the street next to College of Notre Dame of Maryland, UMBC is across town, I don't really know where Goucher is, but I have met people from MICA (dont know what it means), and Baltimore University. Many cities are like that, and Baltimore is no exception.

5. DC is a $7, 45 minute train ride away. I may not want to Live in Baltimore after school, but definately think about DC. A great place for a weekend or just the day. And we are reasonably close to other major cities; Philadelphia, NY?, and Atlantic City!

Baltimore grows on you, and I am pretty stoked to live her over the summer.

JHU_Andrew · « **Reply #4 on:** April 15, 2007, 12:39 PM »

Quote from: "JHU_Phil"

Dizzy Izzy's

Best burger for the best price within walking distance of campus. I LOVE that place.

JHU_Julia · « **Reply #5 on:** April 15, 2007, 01:46 PM »

Well, I am hard to please when it comes to cities...I am from New York, after all. However, I do like living here in Baltimore. These are a few of my favorite things:

1. Hampden: great, sort of off-beat neighborhood within walking distance of campus. Also home to Holy Frijoles, the best Mexican food around.

2. The JHMI Shuttle: The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions shuttle is free and goes to Penn Station and Mount Vernon/Peabody so even if you aren't using it to get to the med school, it's still a great free way to get around.

3. Camden Yards. I like Yankee Stadium, but I LOVE Camden Yards. It's such a nice ballpark and $6 student tickets for Friday home games are great!

JHU_Blake · « **Reply #6 on:** April 15, 2007, 02:59 PM »

So, I've been here for about a year and have to say that I love this place...

1. Hopkins: It is what brought me here in the first place. The campus is beautiful, and the school extends beyond Homewood- it is all over Baltimore. The Hopkins name is everywhere. It's great to know that my school is such a vital part of this great city.

2.The People: This place is filled with a variety of characters; from the hip crowd that bar hops in Fell's Point to those who live for Baltimore sports teams- these people are great!

3.Collegetown Network: Because there are so many schools in Baltimore; what really keeps us together is the Collegetown Network. Shuttles run between schools everyday of the week and make it easy for you to get around, which is nice when you want to get off of campus for a breather.

check this out:
Baltimore Collegetown

JHU_Kate · « **Reply #7 on:** April 15, 2007, 03:26 PM »

1. Johns Hopkins University - It's what got me in Baltimore in the first place. I also like the fact that there's more to the university than the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering at the Homewood campus; there are many academic opportunities through Hopkins's different divisions.

2. Mount Vernon - It's a beautiful neighborhood with several cute shops and restaurants. (I'm fond of Sascha's 527 Café, which has jazz performances on Thursday nights from 8 to 10.) Mount Vernon's a pretty cultural district. Some places that call Mount Vernon home are the Peabody Institute, MICA (i.e., the Maryland Institute College of Art), and the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performs. The BSO has a "5 for $25 Student Pass," in which you could reserve five tickets for the season - one for five performances of your choosing - for only $25! Another college student discount is its "$10 Student Rush," in which you could purchase a ticket on the day of a performance for only $10.

3. Proximity to Washington, D.C. - It's only 45 minutes away. Baltimore can already stand on its own as a city. Add the fact that it's close to an even bigger city. What's bad about that?

JHU_Jermaine · « **Reply #8 on:** April 15, 2007, 03:33 PM »

(1) (Multi)CULTURAL-From museums to restaurants, music to boutiques, Baltimore is definitely an eclectic mix of everything. I didn't really expect to learn so much about other cultures, and my own, when I left Florida, but since being here, exploring the city and all that it has to offer has definitely opened my eyes. Visit the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum , the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History and Culture , the Walters Museum of Art, or stop by theBMA (just steps away from campus)
and you'll see what I'm talking about.

(2) FOOD. I've eaten AUTHENTIC Italian, Thai, Ethiopian, Jamaican, Pakistani/Indian, and Lebanese food, and am still looking for the next restaurant to try out.

(3) COLLEGETOWN VIBE-I had reservations about leaving my Edenic-like suburban settings for the grit and grime of the "Big City," but Baltimore is the closest thing to a CollegeTown I think any "big city" can get to. Not only are there a lot of schools concentrated within the City, the Collegetown Shuttle brings you everywhere you want to be.

JHU_Jackie · « **Reply #9 on:** April 15, 2007, 05:49 PM »

1) Camden Yards- I love the ability to go to a baseball game for so little. Honestly, you can just show up and get tickets, something I'm really not use to as a Red Sox fan. Also, Camden Yards is a really pretty ballpark I'm a tough critic and I really enjoy it, it's a ton of fun.

2) The Food- There are some really great restaurants with authentic food. Whether I'm getting jugos in Hispanic Fells Point or going to Vaccaros in Little Italy to get gelato, the food is great. You just can't get the authentic restaurants back home in Connecticut.

3) The Neighborhoods- I really love the whole neighborhood set-up. I love Hamden which is so close and has amazing antique shops. I love vintage clothes and jewelry so Hamden offers a lot. It also has some great places to eat in between shopping. Also, they have beautiful clip-on earrings and since I don't have my ears pierced I think its kind of perfect.

JHU_MichelleT · « **Reply #10 on:** April 15, 2007, 10:28 PM »

(1) The neighborhoods/ethnic enclaves - you can experience something different & unique everywhere you go. The ethnic festivals that abound during the summer are AMAZING - with great food and music, too.

(2) The weather - although I tend to get rather agitated during the hot, sticky months of summer, I really like that we get all four seasons here...the mild winters appease Southerners, but the random snow storm makes me giddy. Fall is beautiful, and the flowering trees in spring are fantastic. Plus, occasional hurricanes (I'm pretty sure Baltimore is one of the only places where your school can have both snow days and hurricane days off)?? Yes!

(3) The geography - I love being in the mid-Atlantic "not quite northeast and not quite south" area. Baltimore natives are extremely friendly & the overall attitude is fairly laid back (hello, Preakness!), but the vibrant business & industry influence give a big northeast city feel when necessary.

JHU_Laura · « **Reply #11 on:** April 15, 2007, 11:34 PM »

1.) Its SUPER easy to get anywhere on the East Coast. Well most of it. DC, New York, Philly... YAY!!!

2.) Have you looked outside in the springtime?!!? It's BEAUTIFUL!! Yay for Cherry Blossoms!!

3.) Hopkins is Here Soooo, it is pretty much amazing. =)...
oooo and the Baltimore Museum of ART!!! Which is RIGHT NEXT TO CAMPUS and Is beautiful and amazing and hosts a FANTASTIC collection of Matisse.

JHU_Liny · « **Reply #12 on:** April 16, 2007, 11:28 AM »

(1) Location: Baltimore is it's own small little city, which I love, but also if I ever want to get to any of the major cities it's not too far away (i.e. DC, NYC, etc.)

(2)Inner Harbor: It's my number one get away spot here in Baltimore. It's gorgeous to go to at night...filled with stores, ESPN Zone, Baltimore Aquarium, Science Center (haha I'm a nerd), and Little Italy (a chain of Italian restaurants)

(3)The College Scene: Hopkins isn't the only college in Baltimore...we're close to many other colleges nearby (Loyola, Goucher, Towson, etc.) so it's definitely fun living near so many college students. And the collegetown shuttle helps with transportation to and from various colleges.

JHU_Toni-Marie · « **Reply #13 on:** April 16, 2007, 02:04 PM »

The Inner Harbor: I love that when I wat to get off campus I have somewhere as cool as the Inner Harbor to go. Whether I want to go to a restaurant, the aquarium, a museum, club, or ballgame, it is all just a few miles away.

Food: I love seafood especially crabs, I can't thnk of a better place to be!!!

Pimlico: I am pretty big into horseracing and to have a track with such history so close by is great. I can't wait for the Preakness!!!!!

JHU_Adam · « **Reply #14 on:** April 17, 2007, 01:48 AM »

1. OBRYCKI'S (BEST CRAB EVER)

2. Home to lax hall of fame and lax mueseum

3. Homewood Field

4. Site of 2007 lacrosse championship

JHU_Stefanie · « **Reply #15 on:** April 17, 2007, 05:02 PM »

1. SIZE. Baltimore is a good size city. I love the city-life, but I also like the small town life. Luckily, Hopkins give me the small town atmosphere. If I am ever dying for the lights and night-life or whatever, I can take a train up to NYC or drive to DC. I think Baltimore is a great middle ground (balance is great in life).

2. FOOD. I love sea food. Actually, I love all kinds of food. This city may not be the biggest or most well known, but it does well with the food. There are ALL different kinds of foods. Egyptian, Indian, Korean, Japanese, Moroccan, Ethiopian, etc. It really is so rich in diversity, and it's really expressed in the food.

3. WEATHER. As crazy as Baltimore weather is, there really never is a dull moment. I love the cold weather, but when it comes to walking to class in the winter, I think a month or two hits the spot. I love the SEASONS that Baltimore never fails to give me. It's great for fashion.

4. PEOPLE. Baltimore, as I mentioned with food, is so diverse. This also leads to all of the different organizations active in the city. For example, International Rescue Committee is stationed in Baltimore.

JHU_Roxi · « **Reply #16 on:** April 18, 2007, 01:08 AM »

Aite guilty as charged: I've fallen in love...with Baltimore. Just like in real love, sometimes it's a love/hate relationship, but here are a few of my fav. selling points:

1) Hopkins - Sure studying in the MSE on a sunny day can be a bummer, but those sacrifices are worth the people you meet and the amazing experiences you'll have.

2) Diversity - Baltimore has an amazing community made of up people from all over and whose influences you can see in everything, especially the restaurants (ranging form Lebanese to tapas to Indian to good ol' crab).

3) Architecture - Baltimore has an amazing mix of architecture that can only be described as a lovable hodgepodge. I love that I can walk up North Charles and see a marble Free Mason Temple juxtaposed with row houses and colonial brick buildings. Or in Peabody across from the conservatory you have a ridiculously beautiful gothic cathedral! You never know what to expect and it seems that with every new street we investigate the more I appreciate how truly unique this city is.

JHU_Beverly · « **Reply #17 on:** April 20, 2007, 06:05 PM »

I'm going to keep it short:

1. Food: There is a little bit of EVERYTHING here. I think everyone has already hear a lot about the yummy crabs.

2. College Scene and Proximity of Schools: There are sooo many schools in Baltimore and it's surrounding neighborhoods. To name a few: Towson University, Loyola College, Notre Dame of Maryland, University of Baltimore, MICA, Morgan State University...

3. Interesting: You may hear from many that there is nothing to do....well, they are WRONG. There's plenty...fun does just come to you in a nice box. You have to go out and look for it. Check out the Baltimore Sun for events.

Admissions_Mark · « **Reply #18 on:** April 21, 2007, 06:32 PM »

During the 17th century, various towns called "Baltimore" were founded as commercial ports at various locations on the upper Chesapeake Bay. The present city dates from July 30, 1729, and is named after Lord Baltimore, who was the first Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland. Baltimore grew swiftly in the mid- to late 18th century as a granary for sugar-producing colonies in the Caribbean.

In recent years, efforts to redevelop the downtown area have led to a revitalization of the Inner Harbor. Up until the late 1970s, the harbor had been merely abandoned warehouses. However, Harborplace, a modern urban retail and restaurant complex, was opened on the waterfront in 1980, followed by the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland's largest tourist destination, and another cultural venue, the Baltimore Museum of Industry in 1981. In 1992, the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball moved from Memorial Stadium to Oriole Park at Camden Yards downtown, and six years later the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League moved next door into PSINet Stadium (later renamed M&T Bank Stadium following PSINet's bankruptcy). Baltimore is now a major city on the east coast which serves as a business center, an entertainment capital and a bastion of cultural, theatrical and artistic opportunities. :D

JHU_MichelleB · « **Reply #19 on:** April 22, 2007, 09:26 AM »

Here are my favorite parts about B’more!

1) Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall- We have a world-class symphony right in town, and the Meyerhoff is a really gorgeous hall. The BSO does a bunch of really great student offers- like, $10 tickets if you buy them the day of the concert, and a 5-for-$25 student pass where you can pick out 5 concerts during the season and get all 5 tickets for $25. That’s cheaper than going to the movies!

2) Crab cakes- Baltimore makes AMAZING crab cakes. I love crab cakes, and practically every restaurant in the city has em. Legal Sea Foods, Phillip’s, and Gertrudes all have EXCELLENT crab cakes. This is making me hungry just writing this sentence. England isn't known for it's excellent food.

: (

3) Farmer’s Market- I adore Farmers markets, and we have our own right down 32nd street. They have really fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses, apple cider, bread, gorgeous flowers- a TON of stuff (and it’s all really inexpensive!). Check it out!

http://www.32ndstreetmarket.org/

JHU_Michael · « **Reply #20 on:** April 22, 2007, 09:28 PM »

In a word: Personality.

There isn't a single neighborhood in Baltimore without its own personal dynamic. From Hamden to Fells Point, Towson to Federal Hill, there are a never ending stream of places to discover.

Personally, I really like East Baltimore. There are some great (and really cheap) Central American food places. I recommend "El Salvador" which has more El Salvadorian food than you could ever hope to eat for a very reasonable price.

JHU_Beverly · « **Reply #21 on:** April 23, 2007, 08:52 PM »

Don't worry, Liny. I liked the Science Center too...when I was younger... :P

JHU_Tanmay · « **Reply #22 on:** April 24, 2007, 04:56 PM »

1. Ease of transporation - even if you don't have a car, as a student it's really easy to get to most places in Baltimore. Many other colleges as well as the Inner Harbor and Towson Mall are on the Collegetown shuttle route. The JHMI shuttle runs from Homewood to Peabody to Penn Station and to the Medical campus. Little Italy is just a short walk from either the Harbor or Peabody shuttle stops. Hopkins security has vans that run routes to local stores and another fleet of vans that will take you anywhere within one mile of campus.

2. The food - Baltimore has a huge variety of food. The city is famous for its crabs but there are also a ton of ethnic restaurants that are easily accessible to students. Little Italy is a short walk from the Harbor. There are Indian, Afghani, El Salvadorian and other restaurants in the Mt. Vernon area (the neighborhood where Peabody is located)

3. The neighborhoods - the city has a lot of small quirky little neighborhoods that each have a unique personality. It's fun to explore places like Hampden, Fells Point, Mt. Vernon, Federal Hill etc

JHU_Josh · « **Reply #23 on:** November 29, 2009, 02:31 AM »

Baltimore actually is, as its motto suggests, quite charming. Every neighborhood has a different feel and there is a lot to do outside of the little Hopkins bubble if you explore it and take advantage of it.

There is also a huge thriving arts community in Baltimore. Tons of galleries, museums, theaters, and performance venues. Hampden and Station North are big artist districts. So is Bolton Hill - due to MICA. If you are interested in the arts, Baltimore is a great place especially for young artists.

JHU_Keith · « **Reply #24 on:** January 14, 2010, 04:32 PM »

1. Baltimore Symphony Orchestra - amazing performances, $10 student tickets, and a fireworks show on the 4th of July.

2. Hopkins Hospital - the nation's greatest hospital is in our backyard

3. Inner Harbor - science center, aquarium, Hard Rock Cafe, giant Barnes and Noble, and ESPN zone

There is a lot to love about Baltimore if you give it a chance

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Author Topic: What Makes Baltimore Great? (Read 4069 times)